Part of Midnight Movies
Past a certain point, the truly enduring franchises, the ones which have become shorthand for entire genres of filmmaking, have to make choices to liven up the material. Even the most beloved collections of tropes, archetypes, and signifiers have to evolve at some point lest they hit a creative brick wall. This was the era of New Coke, after all… So when the Friday The 13th series found themselves trying to revive and rebuild after the fairly final FINAL CHAPTER in 1984, they decided to try something different. In fact, thanks to studio micromanagement and a contentious set, they followed two different paths at the same time. And when Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd, in a role originally played by Corey Feldman), one of the last survivors of THE FINAL CHAPTER, finds himself at a recovery facility/summer camp for troubled teens, the body count continues and no one is safe from a hockey-masked killer with a literal and metaphorical axe to grind.
Director Danny Steinmann reacted against the MPAA’s ongoing excisions of gore in previous installments by leaning into sleaze and atmosphere. With some great supporting performances from Miguel A. Núñez, Jr (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, BLACK DYNAMITE, JUWANNA MANN), Shavar Ross (THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR, Diff’rent Strokes), and the late great Corey Parker (THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRANES, FLYING BLIND, I’M DANGEROUS TONIGHT), A NEW BEGINNING is, like its sibling HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH an entry often eschewed by casual fans. But the real heads know.
“The spiciest entry in the entire franchise, A NEW BEGINNING (of course it is!) boasts the most T&A, an incredible double homicide in the woods involving a tree trunk and a belt strap, yokels violently cutting into chickens, and a witty reference to A PLACE IN THE SUN.” ––Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine “Pure pornography of violence throughout.” ––Richard Freedman, Newark Star-Ledger “Director/co-writer Danny Steinmann does bring a rude energy to this entry, but there’s a gamy, trashy feeling to the whole thing.” ––Michael Gingold, Fangoria
