Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- gruesome
- paranoid
- crude
- late night horror marathon
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics overwhelmingly regarded the sequel as repetitive, derivative, crude, and lacking suspense, despite its abundance of gruesome murder sequences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The murders are attributed to a hockey-masked figure while Tommy's trauma and possible transformation raise competing explanations about who is responsible.
Tommy is sent to a rural halfway house for mentally disturbed teenagers, where residents and staff become targets of repeated killings.
The hockey mask signals the apparent return of Jason while withholding the killer's actual identity from both characters and viewers.
The film reproduces the series' woods, teenage victims, masked killer, and murder sequences while questioning whether Jason has returned.
Films like Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, and why
Friday the 13th
shared slasher structure, rural isolation, masked killer, and escalating murder set pieces
The Burning
shared mystery-driven slasher format, adolescent ensemble, and graphic killer suspense
The Final Terror
shared 1980s campground horror, masked-murderer imagery, and exploitative gore
Sleepaway Camp
shared psychological instability, institutional setting, and identity-focused slasher mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Danny Steinmann
- Release Date
- 1985-03-22
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 5.3 / 10 (1344)
Cast
- John Shepherd
- Tiffany Helm
- John Robert Dixon
- Juliette Cummins
- Melanie Kinnaman
- Richard Young
- Deborah Voorhees
- Mark Venturini
- Shavar Ross
- Marco St. John
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Friday the 13th: A New Beginning about?
- A traumatized teenager in a rural halfway house faces a new masked-killer spree that may be connected to his own fractured psyche.
- What is Friday the 13th: A New Beginning like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Friday the 13th: A New Beginning as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Friday the 13th: A New Beginning violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning as graphic.
- What did critics think of Friday the 13th: A New Beginning?
- Critics overwhelmingly regarded the sequel as repetitive, derivative, crude, and lacking suspense, despite its abundance of gruesome murder sequences.
- Which films are like Friday the 13th: A New Beginning?
- Films with a similar feel include Friday the 13th, The Burning, The Final Terror, and Sleepaway Camp.
- How long is Friday the 13th: A New Beginning?
- Friday the 13th: A New Beginning runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Friday the 13th: A New Beginning?
- In United States, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning streams on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
