Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Before I started to watch horror movies last week I always used to read about them. Jason Takes Manhattan was always the most interesting one to me. Finally I watched it yesterday without seeing the other ones because I really wanted to see this one. I must say it wasn't bad. While the title is semi misleading given the fact that most of the film is on a boat I didn't mind that. One thing in this movie...it's so 80s it hurts. Not that that's bad but the music and hairstyles are extremely dated. But the 80s are cool so there isn't an issue there. When they finally get to Manhattan there are some cool parts like when Jason smashes through glass. For some reason the Manhattan bits reminded me of the first Ninja Turtles movie. Also(SEMI SPOILER)thank God the movie has the heart not to kill the dog. When you kill a person in the movie it's whatever but when you kill an animal it's much worse. So anyways I liked the movie but whatever you do...don't go into it expecting to have in all in Manhattan or you'll be let down.

Fmovies: What's up with all these high schools in the movies having these insane senior trips? The kids in Final Destination flew to Europe, and these kids go on a freaking cruise? I went to Magic Mountain for my senior trip! Oh, well, I guess the payback is that in the movies they all get killed. Magic Mountain sounds a lot better in that sense. By this point in the lengthy Friday the 13th saga, it's clear that even the writers of these movies (generally the last people to catch on when they come up with idiotic ideas) have noticed that a lot of teenagers going up to Camp Crystal Lake to be rebellious and get slashed all up is getting a little bit old, so in this installment they decided it would be a good idea to have the movie take place on a whole ship full of high school students.

Moving someone like Jason Voorhees from his home on Camp Crystal Lake to an unfamiliar setting is actually a really good idea for generating more interest in the series, because although it's a given in a series like this, I think audiences always like to see familiar characters come back from other stories. So while you already know Jason is going to be in the movie because it's a Friday the 13th, you at least see him in an unfamiliar atmosphere, which removes a lot of the automatic cynicism that is now being generated toward the teenagers who are still stupid enough to go out to the lake. Now we see Jason killing all kinds of kids unsuspectingly on their school trip and then more people on the streets of New York. Amazing the things we find entertaining these days, isn't it?

There are a lot of fairly innovative deaths aboard the ship in the first half of the film, such as a guy relaxing in the sauna getting one of the hot rocks shoved through his stomach, a guy getting impaled on the communication antenna on the boat, and throat slit by a machete, an amazingly botched scene. You would think that since it was so obvious the knife didn't even touch that poor guy, they would at least not have done it in such a close-up.

Ironically enough, the part that I was anticipating to be the most interesting was the least creatively done. After realizing what is going on on the boat (meaning, after just about all of them had been killed), the surviving students on board get the life raft and escape, rowing out into the dark ocean in hopes of hitting land. Eventually, they see the New York City skyline and jump for joy. I was anticipating a creative and fun romp through the streets of New York, maybe with Jason confused at his surroundings and therefore going even more nuts, which would create havoc among the population. I mean, LOOK at the guy. He spent the time between the last movie and this one rotting on the bottom of the lake, and he certainly looks like it through this entire movie.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers not only revealed the modesty of their budget through the lack of anything really interesting happening, they also displayed a massive lack of understanding of the geography of the city of New York. I've never even been there myself, but it seems like pretty much basic logic that they would not design the city so that the dirtiest slums had the finest waterfront property. Meaning, I doubt you could row up to New York from the ocean, right alongside the Statue of Liberty, and climb up onto land, finding yourself surrounded by endless alleyways full of things like gun-toting rapists and standing barrels of toxic waste. New York is a big city, and all cities throughout the world pretty much have to

Jason Takes Manhattan has a pretty bad rep in the horror community, but I'm not sure why. Does it make a lot of sense? Probably not, but the filmmakers some so eager to please that I can't help but hop on the cruise ship and go along for the ride.

By this point, the franchise was obviously running on fumes having stretched out an already thin idea into 7 movies, but there's still a good bit of energy here. Yes, the film should probably be titled Jason Takes A Cruise (most of the film takes place on a cruise ship that's on its way to Manhattan), but he had to get there somehow.

The cast is fairly appealing and likable enough which isn't always a given with these kinds of movies. The death scenes are inventive, if light on gore (then again, the MPAA had it out for these movies since the original, so that's probably their fault), and the pacing is pretty tight. It's not the best Friday sequel by a long shot, but it's far from the disaster everyone makes it out to be.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan fmovies. Another attempt to shake some life into the franchise, relocating Jason to a major city for the promise of unmitigated slaughter. Two problems: the film might have been more accurately titled Jason Takes (a cruise to) Manhattan, since he's ship-bound for all but the final half-hour, and he doesn't really concern himself with anyone apart from the vessel's survivors once he's there. This is a guy who's made a habit of ruthlessly eviscerating everyone he's ever encountered, yet now he passes harmlessly through a loaded subway car and cheerfully lifts his mask to scare a gang of punks like a haunted house denizen. Production values have taken a significant step up since Part VII, and the gore feels somewhat less censored, but it's failed by yet another repetitive, hole-laden plot and a reliably godawful set of actors.

I think Jason fans boil down into two categories - the ones that watch for actual horror and the ones that watch for unintentional humor and shock value.

For the former group - this movie is worthless. The change of scenery from the dark, foreboding woods of Camp Crystal Lake to a luxury cruise liner completely ruins Jason's mystique. Jason is a killer made for stalking around the ominous woods, not sauntering through hallways and crosswalks. The kills are numerous and bloody... but don't compare to some of the other installments. Overall, this movie is simply not very scary.

For the latter group however, this movie is a gem. Packed full of stereotypes and inexplicably idiotic characters, you can't help but laugh as each one is picked off, Jason-style. With Asian valedictorians, black athletes, and white party girls, the lack of effort that the writers put into the film is clearly evident. It's almost as if the writers got together and tried to figure out how to fit the maximum amount of gratuitous violence and nudity into an hour and a half movie... sheer brilliance.

For me? 8/10, one of the best comedies I've seen in a while.

I like this film it is underrated, creative decent slasher sequel on a cruise ship. Not a bad movie like fans are saying. They did something new so what? It is not a bad movie. The film has problems it is low budget film mostly was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia on a boat the most of the time. They filmed only few little scenes in New York City until they run out of money. MPAA cut death scenes in this movie, that were gory.

This is different horror slasher movie, the story is not set in Crystal Lake. I like this film, I like this film a lot. I like it better than A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child I hate that movie! In here Jason at least wasnt a cartoonish laughing stock like Freddy Krueger in Part 5 and 6 was. With low budget and problems this movie in my opinion it is still scary and gory. The death scenes are still terrifying to me. Rob Hedden did directed thos movie well, he wrote the script him self. Kane Hodder was still good as Jason Voorhees. He swimed in this movie I don't mind it. They were actresses and actors in this movie that i like and the death scenes were still good trying to be serious. I know it wasn't scary as Part VII: The New Blood but still better than Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan O like it, better than Part 2 and The Final Chapter. Yes they are good movies , but this movie is also good. Reading this comments this movie is way too hated. Gets too much crap that dosen't deserve it. The movie still has action in which the group get's in the city and Jason hunts them down. I like the kills he punches a boxer's head off. A teen jumps on Jason in the subway from the train and almost electricute Jason. Jason kills a two kiddnapers which i absolutelly enjoy the kills. Jason kills a math dealer and prevents a rape and saves a young girl.

Jensen Daggett as Rennie Wickham the final girl is damn good as the unlikable heroine she fought back againts Jason, she throw toxic waste on him. She at least wasn't annoying in my opinion I like her. Scott Reeves as Sean Robertson was still good in his role I like him, i like his character. Sharlene Martin as the bad girl was hot as Tamara. Sharlene Martin was great I love the girl so much. Kelly Hu from Martial Law is in here is good in her performance.

I like the song Darkest Side Of The Night by Metropolis powerfull song in the opening scene. Say This To Me by Neo a4 is still good soundtrack I like. J.J.'s Blues by Stan Meissner is still good.

I like Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan more than Part 2, The Final Chapter, Jason X and Jason Goes to Hell. This movie also has an explosion when a police car hits the wall.