The Original Freddy vs Jason
Before it was conceived as Jason Vs Tina it was originally meant to be the start of a crossover with New Line Cinemas own slasher Freddy Krueger, but due to conflicts between screenwriters, directors, and plots, it was New Line who turned the offer down for the franchise as a writer of the part VII film himself quotes:
Daryl Haney"Freddy didn’t need them because Freddy was much bigger than Jason,"
A statement like this could be debated but yes, during this time Freddy was a popular slasher icon for horror goers, and Paramount Pictures wanted to make history with these two supernatural powerhouses.
How did this versus come up? Back then public discussions within horror communities and then online forums help make this into reality, the company clearly joined the discussion and said to fans of both "Hold our beer" it was only the issue with ideas, scripts, production, licensing, and other such issues that caused a full decade of silence.
Unlike with the 2003 Freddy Vs Jason there are no known "Unused Scripts" that are known for and to the public but if there is some I will update them here!
Jaws Rip-Off
Barbara Sachs if no one knew was the associate producer of both Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood and Jason Takes Manhattan (Aka Friday the 13th Part VIII) and she would pitch this idea in the form of corporate greed as below:
Part VII Idea from BarbaraA greedy corporate land developer decides to build a bunch of condos on Crystal Lake, covering up all the Jason Voorhees–related murders so they don’t impact his bottom line.
Mr.Haney also remarked that near the climax of the film that the future Tina character would be in a helicopter or boat trapped as Jason approaches them.
Mrs.Sachs wanted something worth her producer credit a legacy in the industry, she wanted to win awards, or have nominations for the film, which her idea was ultimately and quickly shut down due to the fact...it was a rip-off of Jaws plotline but DON'T worry! this will be reused unknowingly by comic companies who had the Friday the 13th License! so Barbara Sachs's legacy in this regard is very much alive in this current era!
Overall speaking here is that Sachs has that legacy good or bad depending on the opinions of others for two entries in the franchise, even if one did better than the other so thank you to Barbara Sachs.
Jason Vs Carrie
The introduction for/about this in-universe idea was suggested by the same screenwriter for the film itself: Daryl Haney with him quoting:
Daryl HaneyThere’s always a teenage girl who’s left to battle Jason by herself, What if the girl had telekinetic powers?
Since they couldn't outright think of something new at the time, they thought it was both a unique and interesting take on the franchise, and so it was greenlit by Paramount Pictures and was in a seemingly mixed production depending on who you asked, overall it is a cult classic
Lar Park Lincoln
Lar Lincoln is the lead actress for the film who did films with many horror legends if no one here knew she played in another Sean Cunningham work in House II: The Second Story as Kate which Kane Hodder (Jason from Part VII-X), also went toe to toe with Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger (aka Fred Krueger) in the TV series Freddy's Nightmares, with the director of Jason Lives, Tom Mcloughlin casting her.
So she has an amazing career as an actress in horror, and when playing the character of Tina Shepard she was praised by John himself with a credit to the small video documentary titled Jason's Destroyer: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VII-The New Blood for the information.
John Carl BuechlerShe immediately had a grasp of the character, She had sensitivity, and I felt like a real bastard making her cry all the time.
and she went on to describe the method of how she went with the character:
Lar Park LincolnReally, the psychics I met with were trying to teach me not to make her psychic ability what you've seen in movies. It's not, you know, this crazy body-shaking thing. It's just a thought will come into your head and you'll react to it. And it's not necessarily the big fake psychic-looking stuff, we had seen in movies. And that's what I wanted to come across. She [Tina] was like a normal girl that had something strange happening with her and she was generating energy and psychic powers.
The difference between Tina Shepard and Carrie White isn't just their backgrounds but their powers.
Carrie White was heavy if not outright stated to be born supernaturally like this from the blood of her father, Ralph White, her mother, Margaret White, who became an insane, abusive, and religious mother, who saw pretty much anything sinful, even with the female body, and with this, she has been seen as an outcast and was taunted and bullied for it, until she emotionally snapped at her fellow classmates and went murderous, but with her powers, they pretty much scale above Tina in terms of control.
Tina Shepard was born to more than a complex family, as her parents love her, and even with the conflict of her fathers drinking and abuse, and then his accidental death by her hands, she feels both the emotional and mental regret and remorse for her actions, as she was trying to be used for malicious intent by her doctor, she tried to use her powers for good as to revive her father but instead revived Jason, and unlike some, she was only seen as a crazy person due to Melissa eavesdropping, but overall her powers are connected to her emotions and if not more, as, unlike Carrie White, Tina can have precognitions of events in the future mostly relating to deaths.
So is she a direct rip-off? No, I don't consider this a ripoff since origins and powers weren't exactly or close to being copied, I see Tina as with what John would say a "Clone" a tribute if you will.
Finding the Director: John C. Buechler
John C. Buechler was an American special make-up effects artist, film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor, and prior to being the director of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, he was credited as the special effects make up for cult classics like Re-Animator (1985), Ghoulies (1985), Trolls (1986), Dolls (1987), Ghoulies II (1987), and Prison (1987).
An interview from Fridaythe13thfilms website: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JOHN CARL BUECHLER by Christian Sellers October 24th, 2007 explains more on how he was given the chance by Frank Mancuso, Jr.
John Carl BuechlerFrank had seen Troll and liked it very much. He also knew of my effects background and I was told that he wanted to upgrade the franchise as he was competing with the Nightmare films and they were hugely effects driven. Freddy vs. Jason was discussed but, at the time, neither Paramount or New Line could figure out how to go to bed with each other. The only discussion regarding carrying on the story from Part VI actually came from me. We knew we HAD to recap the end of the previous Jason adventure and show how he ended up at the bottom of the lake, and that became our starting point.
and then again with...
John Carl BuechlerAgain, as I said, I know Frank liked my background in effects. In many ways, the film is one huge special effect, as the budget was so low, we created the illusion of a much bigger picture. I know that after Part VII set a new ‘production value benchmark,’ the budgets on ALL preceding movies in the series skyrocketed, just to match the quality.
When asked about the process with the script and theme he also went on to state...
John Carl BuechlerThere were all the usual concerns with the material. The script went through SEVERAL rewrites. I really wanted a more action-oriented horror film with more character driven elements. I very much approved of the supernatural aspect and wanted to go even farther with it. To me, the whole thing about what makes Jason scary is his ambiguity. Not understanding what makes him tick, why he is the way he is, and how he gets around so fast, with always just the right killing instrument, are things that make you wonder, and will keep you guessing. The supernatural element would be another terrific element to keep the viewers on edge.
He had also directed three films prior to The New Blood which again he was the special effects artist for including The Dungeonmaster, Troll, and Cellar Dweller, so he had multiple backgrounds in the field which helped secure his spot as the director of the film and is the only known person to be both the director and special effects make-up artist for a Friday the 13th film, this also helped him secure as the only person to be a special effects artist for Three different horror franchises Friday the 13th, a Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween which namely is Friday the 13th: Part 7 The New Blood, Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers, and then ANOES 4: The Dream Master and then later re-occurred for Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare and Halloween 5: The Curse of Michael Myers.
Years later John had gone on to say this years later during a small video documentary titled Jason's Destroyer: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VII-The New Blood
John Carl BuechlerI had never really been interested in directing a Friday the 13th movie, 'cause I thought, you know, "Part VII, are you nuts?" What film series prior had the gall to put part seven on the film? And it dawned on me. Maybe we could do something that they haven't done before with the character and the story. Ultimately, we settled upon a match for Jason, someone to really be his foil. And that foil was a clown of Carrie.
Let's take a second here, fan or not to give our deepest condolences to Buechler and his family for their loss, John Carl Buechler had sadly passed away on March 18th, 2019, his dedication to the overall horror genre will NEVER be forgotten and will live forever through his work!
Jason Voorhees: Kane Hodder
Kane Hodder is a stuntman who had worked in the industry way before becoming the supernatural undead serial killer, starring in multiple cult classics such as Alligator, California Split, House II, and Prison, and with Prison, this helped Kane meet the future director/special effects make-up artist, John Carl Buechler.
Kane always appreciated that John managed to secure him for the role of the character, as Kane was a fan of the series prior to becoming Jason.
Mr.Buechler had stated this during an interview when asked about Kane and him becoming Jason and referring to the previous actor for Part VI Jason at the time C.J. Graham:
John Carl BuechlerI insisted on Kane in the role of Jason. Frank didn’t like him at first. He complained that he wasn’t physically big enough. I explained that I wanted to create a whole new look for Jason; a torn-up living dead ghost that inhabited a decomposing body. The make-up effects would ‘bulk him up’ a bit, and they would also allow for CHUNKS to be missing from his rotting frame. I had worked with Kane a few years previously on Renny Harland’s first move in the USA, called Prison. And Kane proved to be an exceptional talent. A great stuntman, actor, and mime. In order to get Frank to approve of him, I had to shoot a special screen test of Kane as Jason in a test make-up. We did the test, Franks saw it, and he knew what I was going for. And the rest, I guess, is history.
Yes, this means if Frank didn't approve of John's persistent request for Kane for Part VII Jason then would have been C.J. Graham instead of Kane.
Amongst fans, Kane Jason is credited to being the most favored designed Jason, due to all the previous damages becoming composite, this is due to John's entire personal goal to reflect the damage Jason had been given over the years until Jason takes Manhattan and Jason Goes to Hell ruins this.
(Composite Damages from Part 2,3, and 6)
Kane has reprised this iconic role 3 more times until he was ultimately and sadly replaced in the 2003 crossover Freddy Vs Jason
MPAA and Censorship
Fans of the franchise can without a doubt state that this is the MOST censored film in the franchise it allowed a certain amount of Nudity but yet the goriest kills were heavily cut from the original kill even Mr.Buechler himself commented that the associate producer told him no on his creative control for the film.
Like with many deleted moments in films the kills were by John himself the best the audience would have seen if they were accepted.
Here are those uncut kills uploaded by MFMT!
Legacy in Horror
Without a doubt, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood helped introduce what everyone considers as the definitive Jason Voorhees in the form of Kane Hodder who played him the most for four straight films, and his love and joy for the series help cement his legacy.
Help give the actors or actresses more credit to their future careers from William Butler (Starred in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3/Tom Savini's Night of the Living Dead and wrote for the Demonic Toys/Return of the Living Dead franchises), and Lar Park Lincoln (Making future crossover appearances through multiple horror/non-horror films and TV Shows! and becoming her own producer/director!)
Many entertainment shows would in one case or another take the appearance of Part 7 Jason Voorhees and place him in composite forms mostly due to the iconic chain he wears throughout the film.
Disclaimer
Some of the info in this article is or isn't well known to the Friday the 13th fanbase community or to the public! this is a BASIC SUMMARY for easy-to-read information about this specific history! I will research more and more for and about the other films in the franchise!