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

Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Member Rating:  
The worst in a string of increasingly pointless sequels to Sean S. Cunningham's crude slasher hit, this installment provided clear evidence that the "slasher" subgenre, already creatively dead, was no longer financially viable. This time around, unstoppable supernatural thug Jason Voorhees -- imprisoned at the bottom of a lake by his telekinetic foe Tina in the previous film -- is reanimated yet again after being goosed by an underwater electrical cable, freeing him to stow away aboard a shipload of standard-issue obnoxious teenagers en route to Manhattan. The title ultimately proves a bit of a cheat, since the majority of Jason's homicidal hijinks take place aboard the ship until the film's final reel, during which he pursues a handful of survivors through the streets of the Big Apple. Thanks to heavy MPAA cuts, the mayhem is more subdued here than in any other films of the series -- splatter fans primed by the previous chapters' copious bloodletting will be left high and dry. Despite a very amusing "teaser" trailer that suggested that the film might be a semi-parody, writer/director Rob Hedden and company play things tediously straight. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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Starring:
Jensen Daggett, Scott Reeves, (more)
Director(s):
Rob Hedden
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD
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Average Ratings

(17 member reviews)  

Member Reviews

Chris W.

Well, after Part 7 I had some hope for this sequel. The first problem is that the majority of the movie takes place on a boat, not in NYC! I know that the film makers had a huge issue during the production of this movie where NYC officials didn't want "Jason taking Manhattan", so you almost get the feel that the boat section of the movie was thrown together last minute. The ending is absolutley horrific as well. Boo!

Yes   |   No


Matt L.

this one was truly bad. the deaths were dumb, Jason seemed to move at the speed of light all over the place, he wasn't as cool-looking as he was in Part 7, and the movie is just a cheap vehicle for all the popular but cheesy movie trends of the late 80s - hair metal rock, New York graffiti and gangs, anti-authority against teachers, and toxic waste. And yeah, the ending made absolutely no sense to me at all. Only interesting elements were the lead actress is quite hot and Kelly Hu, of X-men 2 and Scorpion King fame, has her feature film debut.

Yes   |   No


Jeff H.

I really enjoyed this sequel. There should have been more blood though.

Yes   |   No


Anthony M.

The only reason everyone hates this movie because Jason doesn't really take Manhattan. He's in Manhattan for only the last 10 minutes of the movie.In my opinion I think that this would have been more enjoyable if really Jason took Manhattan (FOR THE WHOLE MOVIE).

Yes   |   No


Michael G.

half of the story was in nyc most of it was on a boat they never got the little jason right it was on okay movie just the second kill jason did i hated some of the other ones were not good either

Yes   |   No


Nicholas S.

The title is rather misleading. Jason doesn't take Manhattan so much as he just passes through it & rides the metro. One good thing that stood out to me was the continuity between this film and the previous seven. The FT13 movies that follow this are stand alone films without any real movie connection other than they are based on the original source material or a remake. Jason's ability to seemingly teleport in this film as another reviewer wrote about is rather silly and made me think that the filmmakers were disrespecting the audiences' intelligence a bit too much. I like the attempt to change the setting from the usual camp/forrest to the ones that are used in this film. I won't reveal what happens at the end, but I will say that it is kind of a cop-out. Still if you like the FT13 series and Jason, give it a look. It's not a horrible film, but don't expect it to be Oscar worthy either.

Yes   |   No


Joshua M.

I was kind of disappointed by this one. I mean then stepped away from the whole Jason an Camp Blood theme. Jason never left the camp site no matter what. And now all of a sudden he was leaving this area and going to take on Manhattan. I thought it was strange. And I didn't particularly like the whole concept behind what they were trying to do with this film. Still some good killing scenes and a decent watch, just not one of my favorites.

Yes   |   No


Adam D.

i don't think this needed to be made, really no originality left. you have to be a die hard Jason fan to watch this one

Yes   |   No


PAUL M.

i remember when i was younger watching this movie i liked it but watching it years later its just another dumb friday sequel

Yes   |   No


Laura P.

Blood: 1 1/2 Cheese Factor: 5 Acting: 2 1/2 Overall: 4 This movie in my opinion is a must for anyone who is an 80's slasher fan! True I was very disappointed that the blood was so low eventhough there were 468 deaths in this hour and a half movie! Once again they show Jason's face as they always do but this time.... I just dont know what to say, its like were they even trying to make it look scary? Recommended.

Yes   |   No


 
 
 

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    Member Reviews
    Read all (17)
     
    Chris W.

    Well, after Part 7 I had some hope for this sequel. The first problem is that the majority of the movie takes place on a boat, not in NYC! I know that the film makers had a huge issue during the production of this movie where NYC officials didn't want "Jason taking Manhattan", so you almost get the feel that the boat section of the movie was thrown together last minute. The ending is absolutley horrific as well. Boo!

    Yes   |   No

     
    Matt L.

    this one was truly bad. the deaths were dumb, Jason seemed to move at the speed of light all over the place, he wasn't as cool-looking as he was in Part 7, and the movie is just a cheap vehicle for all the popular but cheesy movie trends of the late 80s - hair metal rock, New York graffiti and gangs, anti-authority against teachers, and toxic waste. And yeah, the ending made absolutely no sense to me at all. Only interesting elements were the lead actress is quite hot and Kelly Hu, of X-men 2 and Scorpion King fame, has her feature film debut.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Jeff H.

    I really enjoyed this sequel. There should have been more blood though.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Read All 17 Reviews
       

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