One of horror’s staple franchises has almost as many films as days spent in the office by Liz Truss, with one of its most despised and ignored sequels being graced with light four decades on.
The poster boy for slashers Friday the 13th has seen countless sequels, but its Part V: A New Beginning is currently being re-evaluated as the spooky season reaches its climax. Speaking of climaxes, the film was criticized at release for its gratuitous nudity, violence, and sex, which was something not seen to this level before in the series.
Whether or not Part V was intentionally comedic and over the top or not remains one of the genre’s greatest mysteries, as fans try to work out exactly what went on with Jason Vorhees (or lack thereof) and friends.
Arguably one of the first-ever cases of a “soft reboot” in cinema history, Part V essentially rebrands the franchise as almost a parody of itself and a commentary on how long the series had gone on. Five films by 1985 when the first was released in 1980, it’s a staggering achievement in factory-like production.
Intentionally a comedy, though? There are still two camps. One is it’s definitely a comedy, the other is it’s just ridiculously (and unintentionally) campy and struck the fine line of gold leading to comedy.
But is A New Beginning the worst film in the entire franchise? Come on. There’s at least one movie far, far worse than any other despite having the most fun title of any of them in the form of Jason Goes To Hell. With a title like that, it should be one of the most ridiculously fun films in the franchise.
Unashamedly trashy may be the best way to describe Part V, especially once you factor in the sheer amount of nudity, sex, and ridiculous violence. It’s a B-movie masquerading as a horror blockbuster during the height of VHS. Should they ever reboot the series again, this might be the best way to do it.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is currently available to rent on Apple TV Plus.
