Movie Reviews : ‘New Blood’ Flows Tediously at Crystal Lake

By now you’d think that as a summer resort Camp Crystal Lake would be about as popular as Chernobyl, but a voice-over in “Friday the 13th Part VII--The New Blood” (citywide) assures us that people forget that down at the bottom of the lake lies that indestructible zombie with the goalie’s mask, Jason Voorhees. Each summer the presence of teen-agers making out triggers Jason’s rampages, filling Paramount’s coffers.

A more apt subtitle than “The New Blood” for this numskull installment would be “Jason Meets Carrie.” It involves a disturbed teen-ager named Tina (Lar Park Lincoln) who’s been consumed with guilt since childhood, convinced that she was responsible for the death of her father in Crystal Lake (but of course it was Jason who did it).

Now her creepy psychiatrist (Terry Kiser), whose experimental treatments have left Tina with clairvoyant and telekinetic powers, convinces the girl’s mother (Susan Blu) that for her daughter to be cured she must return to Crystal Lake and confront the past. This paves the way for a climactic battle between Tina and Jason, employing lots of razzle-dazzle (but very familiar) special effects.

It’s been theorized that the popularity of the “Friday the 13th” movies is because the juxtaposing of scenes of lovemaking and extreme violence somehow eases young people’s sexual fears. However, this “Friday the 13th” (rated R), which was written by Daryl Haney and Manuel Fidello and directed by John Carl Buechler, is so dumb and contrived it’s hard to imagine it working up any feelings except boredom.