Here is Peter M. Bracke’s spirited review from back in 2000 when Paramount first released the film on DVD:

“Let's get it out of the way right up front: this film is one big cheat! After the three previous installments and 30 or so dead teenagers, everyone wanted to see that bastard Jason get his comeuppance. So those crafty bastards behind the Friday The 13th series suckered us in with "Jason's unlucky day!", and it worked. The Final Chapter was so successful that less than a year later came the arrival of Friday The 13th: A New Beginning (so much for truth in advertising).

Of course, if you actually thought Jason would ever really die, then you are probably as dumb as one of the teenagers in these movies. Like the battle between good and evil, the dawning of a new day, or Cher's facelifts, Jason is eternal. Despite the fact he's been beaten, stabbed, hung and overall abused, he just keeps on a-comin', though I'd think by this point he would smell so bad his victims could tell he was coming from a mile a way. Really, between all the killings, camp counselor sensitivity training seminars and his day job at Macy's, when does this guy have time to take a shower?

As for the plot of Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, there isn't much of one. Yet again, despite another batch of teenagers being slaughtered just a day or two prior in the last episode, it is again a Friday The 13th weekend and a bunch of idiots decide to go camping for fun and frolic. Don't these kids watch the news? Couldn't they have just have gone bowling instead? Can't Jason just be nice to someone for once? But, hey, it is a Friday The 13th film, so all that matters is whether this is scary or not, and are there some good gross-out effects? Actually, yes, there are, and Jason is still pretty scary in this one. Though I didn't think Ted White's (uncredited) portrayal of Mr. Wounded Inner Child was as effective as Richard Brooker's in Part 3, he is pretty creepy looking, and knows how to give good chase.  

Jason aside, the script is terrible, but thankfully Joseph Zito's direction and some mobile camerawork enliven the film with flashes of style and much-needed atmosphere. The acting is also a step up from Part 3, with a plucky lead in Kimberly Beck, the always welcome Crispin Glover as a dyspeptic horny teen, and even a pre-heroin Corey Feldman as Jason's little boy toy. (Unfortunately, the little snot doesn't bite it, though just about everyone else does.) But while the other films in the series were not known for their in-depth character development, at least they did feature some likable teens and appealing casts. Here, however, most of the cardboard teens are so snotty you want Jason to whack 'em as fast as possible, and there is also far more gratuitous nudity on display than in past chapters [Jim: but that’s still not saying much]. But the harshness does add to the tension, even if as usual there is little logic to Jason's actions - he seems to be everywhere at once, so it is easy to anticipate some of the big "jump" scares well ahead of time.

But no matter, this is still a worthy "final chapter" to the biggest horror series of all time. Of course, if it actually was the end of the series - don't be surprised that the ending leaves it open for yet another one, and after all the money this chapter raked in, the producers were only more than happy to oblige. While you won't learn anything new about the universe by watching Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, any film with Corey Feldman in a bald cap can't be all bad.”

Jim’s thoughts: Well, this flick has a few righteous kills, tension and some dark and stormy ambiance, not to mention the distinct Crispin Glover reveling in his scenes right before his Back to the Future fame the following year, but I’m just not as passionate as Peter about liking or disliking the film. But it did get me curious about a few things...

True, the filmmakers try to respect the prior films, while infusing some new twists with the child character of Tommy Jarvis (which I always thought sucked), and executing creative kills (plus a very raw and graphic Jason takedown). But, eh. Perhaps I’d be more compelled if the villain possessed a few more qualities, which is asking a lot from an `80s slasher.

The fact remains that a story is greatly enhanced if a villain is intriguing. Imagine your favorite films, and I’d bet some have a delicious, complex villain. Complex Jason is not, however. Here in Friday IV, Peter’s right about Ted White as Jason. White, who did stunt work for John Wayne, confidently plays Jason but there’s not much outside of his stalk-and-kill routine.

Then again, if Jason revealed more personality in Friday IV, would that be enough to raise another shameless sequel to a more interesting level? Maybe. How about introducing his father? Or show Jason kill and eat an animal, or rummage through camp garbage cans for food. Watch Jason get bound and interrogated by a beefy camp counselor in the isolation of the woods. Revisit a shrine to his mother with stacks and stacks of bodies old and new. He’s not a demon/zombie yet, so some minor humanism would elevate him out of a one-note killer. Show him scratching his ass or wiping his nose for crying out loud.

But outside of Friday the 13th nerdism, these ideas would surely get me laughed out of a building. And it’s too late anyway. Friday the 13th is cinematic leprosy to critics. Theater attendees were notorious for their raucous behavior – even soft film critic Roger Ebert noted the public’s rowdy conduct in his screening of Friday II. Vast built-in audiences and the producers just want a juvenile meat-and-potatoes slasher, and both of whom don’t want us to think too far outside of the box. The target audience wants to party (all over again) and yell at the screen: “Yeah! Kill him, Jason!” or “Don’t go out there…dumb bitch!” And the studio just cares about a risk-free profit. The majority gets what they want, so what do I know?

Despite some dated elements, overall, like Peter mentioned, I do think director Joseph Zito pulled off a confident-looking Friday film given the low-budget boundaries, target audience and slasher format. But unlike Peter, I don’t think this script is “terrible" - it’s generally just a Friday rehash. We all know it. So what? Some extra development in Jason would have been cool, but the lack of it didn’t break my heart. Many consider this one of the best of the Friday the 13th films and in the scheme of things, it has its moments.