In the spring of 1988, Paramount Pictures continued to feed the appetite of Horror fans with yet another Friday the 13th film. Entitled Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, it marked the seventh film in the series which debuted in 1980 with the landmark original. A follow up to 1986’s Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, interestingly, both sequels ranked near identical commercial success as top earners in each respective year. Each taking a different approach to continuing the Friday the 13th story, The New Blood may have received flack from critics, but holds a special place in the hearts of fans.
Directed by John Carl Buechler (Troll 1986, Cellar Dweller 1988), The New Blood’s cast included Lar Park Lincoln as the telekinetic Tina Shepard, Kevin Blair as her love interest Nick, Terry Kiser as the alternative motives Dr. Crews, and Kane Hodder in his first appearance as Jason Voorhees. Sort of a mash between Stephen King’s 1974 novel Carrie and a slasher, the story of The New Blood ends with Tina and Kevin being the lone survivors of Jason’s latest murderous rampage. In the final scene, Tina and Nick are taken away in an ambulance, all while someone uncovers Jason’s broken mask… leaving you to wonder what happens next.
An open ending, some fans have always wondered – what would become of Tina and Nick? After all, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, which was released one year after The New Blood in ’89, really takes things in a completely different direction. All this said, after being a lifelong Friday the 13th fan, and pondering The New Blood’s conclusion over, independent Filmmaker Peter Anthony conjured up his own sequel. Something many fans probably play out in their head, what is different about Anthony’s situation is he actually made his story a reality in the Friday the 13th fan film Roseblood.
Now, if you are new to this concept, a fan film is essentially utilizing characters inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans, rather than by the source’s copyright holders or creators. This has been a trend particularly when it comes to the Friday the 13th franchise; because there it has been at a standstill for many years due to rights disputes. These factors considered, Anthony’s Roseblood is his own interruption of a direct sequel to Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. A film which was released via the internet in late 2021, it earned itself awards at film festivals in 2022, and in 2023, is still new to many.
So, what road does Roseblood travel? In short, the story picks up in the present day with Tina imprisoned in a psychiatric ward haunted by Dr. Crews. Quickly, you flash back thirty years earlier picking up with a young Lisa (Jessica Hottman) also in a psychiatric ward. Left trapped, wondering what happened to Nick, soon a new girl is brought into the equation by the name of Rose (Sanae Loutsis). Rose, also telekinetic, is perhaps far more dangerous, and as a result, the US military has much more sinister plans for both of them. Looking to find a way to resurrect Jason… will anyone survive the chaos?
Not a terrible approach, what really sells this fan film is that Anthony was able to get Lar Park Lincoln, Terry Kiser, and Kevin Blair onboard to reprise their original parts. A really exciting proposition for fans, in honesty, the film would probably not hold as much water without them. That said, while their roles are minimal in the 91-minute duration of the feature, they are still effectively utilized enough to keep you involved.
As for the remainder of Roseblood, if anything, it is watchable. Flowing well, and having an interesting concept, some snags would have to be moments of subpar acting, but also the over emphasis of the period of time; with games and many aspects of 1989-90 shoved in your face… just to remind you what year it is. Additionally, the cast’s hair styles and very modern body tattoos takes you more out of the mindset of 1989-90 than anything else.
These complaints aside, you would have to be a complete cynic to not respect the work Peter Anthony, the cast, and the crew put into making this film a reality. Funded by fan contributions, in truth, no one involved on-screen or behind the scenes mailed it in. You can tell everyone really cared about what they were doing, and even with some shortcomings, respect is due for their passion. As an added bonus, film star Jessica Hottman offers the original song “New Blood,” under the artist name Giveth, and is really quite good! It takes a weak person to just knock something creative without trying it themselves, but it takes a brave one to dare to give it a shot. For effort, intent, and making this come to life, Cryptic Rock gives Roseblood: A Friday the 13th Fan Film 3 out of 5 stars.
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