Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (EXCLUSIVE SERIES)

Initial release date: April 13, 1984

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Tagline: Jason is back, and this is the one you've been screaming for

Plot: A carefree lakeside vacation is interrupted by the re-emergence of killer Jason Voorhees. After he escapes from a morgue, leaving bodies in his wake, Jason travels to Camp Crystal Lake where a group of friends is staying. The teens meet some locals, Tommy and Trish, as well as secretive hiker Rob. As the group of teens engages in drunken debauchery, their numbers begin to dwindle, and pieces of the past resurface.

Cast

Erich Anderson - Rob

Judie Aronson - Samantha

Peter Barton - Doug

Kimberly Beck - Trish

Corey Feldman - Tommy

Joan Freeman - Mrs. Jarvis

Lisa Freeman - Nurse Morgan

Crispin Glover - Jimmy

Wayne Grace - Officer Jamison

Writer: Barney Cohen

Director: Joseph Zito (Missing in Action)

Rated R (91 minutes)

I think we know by now that this sequel isn't the "final chapter." But, when the producers were making plans for the movie, it was their intention to wrap the series up with this 1984 sequel.

'The Final Chapter' starts up after Jason's latest campground massacre. The fourth movie is definitely one of the best in the franchise. There are quite a few good scares scattered throughout and the special effects are really good for the 80s - for the most part.

Just like Part 2 and the other 'Friday' movies, there are also a few moments that can be on the cheesy side. And, the usual characters making dumb choices --- the usual horror cliche stuff LOL. The ending of 'Final Chapter' and the way Jason is "defeated" would have been a great way to end the series on a high note. If it happened, he wouldn't have gone to space or fought Freddy or go to Manhattan or whatever else they did with the character.

I will be taking a small break from the series so I can check out the film 'Selma' for Martin Luther King Day. Then, later in the week, I will get back to Jason with 'Jason Lives,' followed by 'The New Bloody' and 'Jason Takes Manhattan' (both of which I haven't seen in years and last I saw them were just eh).

Here are some fun tidbits for 'Friday the 13th: The (not so) Final Chapter':

• Last movie in the series to pick up immediately where the previous movie left off.

• It has been suggested that the only reason Tom Savini worked as a make-up artist on this sequel was so he could accurately age and properly kill the character he created for the first film.

• Ted White was uncredited as Jason Voorhees by his own request because he felt it would hurt his career. Years later, he grew to accept his role and started appearing at horror conventions.

• Paramount was originally going to release the movie in October 1984. After filming wrapped in January, Paramount studio head Frank Mancuso Sr. screened footage to much enthusiasm. After a window opened up the release date was changed to April upon confirmation from Zito that he could complete the movie faster than planned. This led to Zito, producer Frank Mancuso Jr, and a crew of editors essentially remained locked in a house in Malibu editing around the clock in order to finish on time. This marked one of the only times that Paramount actively helped in the production of a Friday the 13th movie, as they were generally produced independently, with the studio only handling marketing and distribution.

• When Part III was released, it was initially supposed to end the series, as a trilogy, but there was no moniker to indicate it as such. In 1983, there were rumors that Paramount billed the fourth film as 'The Final Chapter' as a result of them feeling embarrassed by their association with the series.

• 'The Final Chapter' opened on Friday, April 13, 1984, on 1,594 screens and grossed $11.1 million in its opening weekend, ranking No. 1 at the box office. The movie would ultimately take in $33 million at the domestic box office.