FULL WATCHALONG ~ Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning

Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) is the sleazy, unhinged, "trash TV at midnight" cousin of the franchise—and honestly? That’s kind of why it rules. It may not have the real Jason, but it leans so hard into camp, exploitation, and over-the-top kills that it somehow becomes its own chaotic masterpiece of 80s horror weirdness.

Set at a halfway house full of troubled teens and one deeply traumatized Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman cameo not included), the movie wastes zero time pretending to be classy. It’s a slasher with the volume cranked to 11: boobs, blood, and bonkers characters with names like Demon who sing to their girlfriend from a port-a-potty. It’s not subtle—it’s not even trying to be. This is grindhouse Jason, and it embraces that identity with open, sweaty arms.

Yes, Jason isn’t actually Jason—he’s Roy the paramedic, donning the mask in a rage-filled revenge spiral after his secret son gets axed. And while that twist was divisive, let’s be real: no one watches Part 5 for the mystery. You’re here for axe murders, screaming hillbillies, and a dude getting a road flare jammed into his mouth like a barbecue skewer.

The kills are plentiful and creative, the pacing moves like a coke-fueled chainsaw, and the tone is pure VHS-era drive-in. There’s also a gloriously grimy atmosphere to this entry—it’s dirtier, darker, and more mean-spirited than the others, but it never forgets to have fun. It's got one foot in horror and the other planted squarely in sleazy, over-the-top exploitation cinema.

A New Beginning gets a bad rap for pulling the “fake Jason” card, but if you embrace its filthy, bonkers energy, it's one of the most entertaining entries in the franchise. It’s the Showgirls of slasher sequels—bad in all the right ways, self-serious and ridiculous, and somehow… totally unforgettable.