Film

Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood

Name: Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Released: 1988
Cast: Lar Park Lincoln, Kane Hodder, Terry Kiser, Kevin Spirtas, Susan Jennifer Sullivan

Jason returns, unchained by accident, to slaughter teenagers in the woods. This is the Friday the 13th that asks: what if one victim had psychic powers? It's a camp slasher dusted with supernatural theatrics, exactly as silly as it sounds, and utterly committed to that silliness. For fans who love the franchise's goofy energy more than genuine scares.

TMDb rating

2.7

If you liked this

Jason Lives - Friday the 13th Part VI1986

The closest peer in the series: Jason is resurrected once more, and the film leans into absurdity without apology. Lighter on kills, heavier on fun. A perfect stepping stone if you enjoyed Part VII's tone.

But The humor is very much of its era, and if you came for actual horror rather than camp entertainment, the jokes land like deflated balloons.

Jason Lives - Friday the 13th Part VI poster

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors1987

A contemporary slasher that also pairs a vulnerable teen with special powers against an unkillable villain. The Nightmare films embrace their own absurdity with more style and invention, and the kills are more creative.

But It's grittier and less fun than Part VII—darker tone throughout, which might feel like a tonal whipsaw if you want more of the same lightness.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors poster

Sleepaway Camp1983

The godparent of teenage slasher camps. Lower budget, weirder atmosphere, genuinely unsettling in ways Jason films rarely attempt. That twist ending is legendary for a reason.

But The pacing is slow by modern standards, and the sexual violence is handled with less restraint than you might expect or want from horror.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Carrie1976

Both films pair a teenage girl with telekinetic abilities against a physical threat, but Carrie uses the power as the core of its horror, while Part VII treats it as a fun toy to level the playing field.

Tina's psychic powers are window dressing; Carrie is the film that does that concept with actual thematic weight. Telekinesis as trauma manifesting, as a girl losing control, as horror arising from cruelty. Genuinely terrifying and made with real artistry.

But It's a serious film about sexual humiliation and violence against women. Comparing it to Part VII would be like comparing *Jaws* to a pool toy—the registers are completely different.

The Burning1981

Summer camp slasher with genuine craft: inventive kills, a strong ensemble cast, and actual suspense underneath the body count. Proves the formula could work with real filmmaking effort.

But It's more serious than Part VII—if you're here for goofy fun, this plays it relatively straight, which might feel slower and less gratifying.

Happy Death Day2017

Modern teen horror-comedy that weaponizes its protagonist's circumstances exactly like Part VII does. Funny, fast-paced, and remembers that slashers can actually entertain rather than just gross you out.

But It's set in the present day and relies on phone culture; the temporal loop gimmick might feel overly clever compared to the straightforward mayhem of '80s slashers.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre1974

The film that invented the template Part VII is playing with. Raw, lean, genuinely terrifying in ways Part VII abandoned. A masterclass in how to make horror with nothing but commitment.

But It's a serious film about real suffering. If you're coming from Part VII seeking camp and kills, this will feel bleak and punishing rather than fun.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning1985

The most derided entry in the series, which means it's refreshingly weird. Jason is absent (spoiler from 1985) and the film gets genuinely strange. Cult favorite for people who love fractured, strange horror.

But The strangeness is often unintentional—it's poorly constructed in ways that make it hard to follow, and some find it aggressively boring rather than entertainingly bad.

Christine1983

John Carpenter's inanimate-object-as-killer film. A car hunts teenagers with gleeful style and practical effects that still sing. Horror-thriller balance that actually works, with genuine scares and momentum.

But It's a longer, slower burn than Part VII, and some viewers find the obsession with car mechanics tedious compared to the straightforward slashing they want.

I Know What You Did Last Summer1997

'90s nostalgia slasher with a killer in a hood, a summer setting, and a body count. Stylish enough to justify itself, with characters who occasionally behave like humans rather than just kill-fodder.

But It's derivative of everything that came before, including Friday the 13th. If you're tired of the formula, watching it again in better lighting won't fix that.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter1984

It's the film in the series that Part VII is most directly responding to; Part IV played it as suspenseful horror, Part VII said 'what if we made it silly instead?' Watching both back-to-back shows exactly where the franchise's tone shifted.

It's the best Friday the 13th film ever made. Actual craft in the direction, an ensemble of characters you care about, and a final girl who earns her victory. This is what the template looks like when taken seriously.

But If you love Part VII for its campiness and supernatural theatrics, Part IV is grounded and tense—less fun, more dread. It might feel like the joke got lost.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter poster

The Monster Squad1987

Both are supernatural action films made in the late '80s that abandoned horror-film seriousness in favor of adventure-movie energy. They're cousins in the same tonal shift, but Monster Squad does it with style, craft, and genuine heart.

Kids fight Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, and the Wolf Man. It's a team-up comedy-adventure that treats its creatures as real threats while never forgetting to be fun. Finds the exact tone Part VII reaches for but executes with more grace.

But It's a family adventure film from 1987—some will find it too earnest and dated, others will think it's too goofy to count as real monster horror. It lives in the tonal space between those two camps and satisfies neither completely.