Those Damn Enchiladas! Celebrating 40 Years of Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning

The notorious "one without Jason" is also one of the most entertaining installments.

When you see those blue stripes on the mask instead of red, that’s your boy, Roy

Growing up as a horror fan, a slasher movie fan, and a Friday the 13th fan, I typically had some inner debate about which Friday movie was the best (4 or 6!? 4… or 6?!) but always an easy answer for which was the worst: Part V, of course!

I mean, come on, this was just being logical. It didn’t even have Jason in it! (sure, you could basically say the same about the first movie too but those were special circumstances)

But that wasn’t the only reason to scoff. Because in a series known for silly scenarios and less than deep characters, this one managed to stand out in both regards. There were so many random people who just show up to die, you’ve got ever-screaming mother and son hillbillies acting like cartoon characters, a super goofy “twist” ending that doesn’t hold up to almost any analysis… and did I mention Jason isn’t even in it!?

I may not have loved the movie growing up, but I did love its VHS cover

I’m pretty sure there were even times when I skipped Part V during Friday rewatches, which felt fine, since Part IV and Part V amusingly both end with variations on the same tease that Jason’s nemesis, Tommy Jarvis (played by John Shepherd in Part V), is going to turn evil and become a killer himself now - something which then never actually occurs in any of the movies.

And then, one day, I came to see the light and realized Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning was one hell of an entertaining movie. I think the big moment of truth was