Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

“If Jason still haunts you … you’re not alone.” Obviously, Paramount was just kidding with that whole “Final Chapter” moniker in the previous installment, as everyone’s favorite Crystal Lake slasher is back to spill more blood n’ guts … or is he? The true identity of the killer is more or less unknown thoughout most of this fifth chapter, which features an older Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd) rendered half-crazy by his defeat of Jason at the end of the last film and now a ward of the state; his latest mental institution is the Pinehurst Halfway House, located — wouldn’t you know it — right in the middle of the woods. Soon after meeting his fellow patients, the staff members and surly locals, Tommy is plunged into another living nightmare as the gruesome killings begin anew. Perhaps the biggest abuser of the “is it a dream or reality?” trope of all the “Friday the 13th” movies (and that’s saying something), “A New Beginning” attempts to bring a sense of mystery to a series that had since been reduced to by-the-numbers slasher fare — though the biggest question for fans may be just how long the producers thought they could keep up the “Friday” franchise with no Jason. – IFC Staff