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In an understandable attempt to be different, Jason Takes Manhattan begins with a Charles Bukowski-esque poem about how “I love this city,” and visual scenes of how tough New York City is. To kids like me who lived in a small town, it was something to see.
Of course, Jason Voorhees is no city boy, so this movie has a less-than-subtle theme that danger can come from anywhere — it can even grab you by the ankle and threaten to drag you under the water at Camp Crystal Lake! You poor, unlucky bastard!
Yeah, that Voorhees boy sure is something else.
So, What is Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan About?
Friday the 13th Part VIII is, was, and forever shall be a 1989 American slasher film directed by Rob Hedden. It is the eighth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise and follows Jason Voorhees as he stalks a group of high school graduates on a ship en route to New York City, eventually ending up in Manhattan.
You see, Jason is normally on the “cursed” campgrounds of Camp Crystal Lake, but now, on this killing spree, he could possibly pick up an “I Love New York” t-shirt as a tourist. The film begins with Jason Voorhees being resurrected and boarding a cruise ship carrying a group of graduating high school students bound for Manhattan.
Jason wreaks havoc on the ship, called the “Lazarus,” killing several students and crew members before the survivors reach New York City. He’s like an undead “super-soldier” avenging his mother’s death. (Though his mother was only beheaded in self-defense, Jason’s either too dumb or too stubborn to appreciate that fact. The prick.)
In Manhattan, Jason continues his killing spree, chasing the remaining survivors through various iconic locations, including Times Square and the subway. He even encounters some young punks and shows them what’s up:
The 1980s movies often hated street-punky types, and why not? Do you think you’re a cool nonconformist badass? You’re only rebelling against good hygiene, ya punks! Get a haircut and get a real job! So Jason’s there to remind them that, yes, you might be too cool for school, but your mohawks, hair dye, and chains are just fashion accessories in another emerging, easily exploitable pop culture elitist circle. Jason’s the real deal. ¿Comprende?
Characters
- Jason Voorhees (played by Kane Hodder): The iconic masked killer who is the central antagonist of the film. You know who he is and what he’s there to do.
- Rennie Wickham (played by Jensen Daggett): The film’s protagonist, a high school student with a fear of water and a mysterious connection to Jason (she even seems to have some empathy for the undead maniac — weirdo!).
- Sean Robertson (played by Scott Reeves): Rennie’s boyfriend who helps her survive Jason’s attacks. I originally knew this actor from The Young & The Restless — actually, other F13 actors who have appeared on Y&R (at least once) include Dana Kimmell, Yani Gellman, Steven Culp, Richard Burgi, Peter Barton, Russell Todd, Kevin Spirtas, and Paula Shaw (and that’s just from one soap opera!).
- Charles McCulloch (played by Peter Mark Richman): Rennie’s strict and overbearing uncle, who is also the high school biology teacher. He sucks.
- V.C. Dupree as Julius Gaw, a boxer who mistakenly thinks he can beat Jason up with only his fists. Guess again, tough guy!
- Kelly Hu as Eva Watanabe, a likable character who hangs around with a bad influence (we know she’s not as bad because she hesitates to snort cocaine up her pretty nostrils, because she knows cocaine is drugs, and drugs are bad). The actor went on to fight Wolverine as Lady Deathstrike in some future movies (no big deal).
- Sharlene Martin as Tamara Mason, a bitch. Despite treating Rennie like crap, and just being bad, Jason targets her in a way that oddly makes her death still seem tragic. Sure, audiences might still say “She deserves it,” but that’s because they are psychopathic, revenge-filled maniacs living vicariously through Jason’s twisted actions. It’s horrible — just horrible — what Jason decides to do, and you enablers are just as sick as he is. Get help!
Reception
Jason Takes Manhattan received generally negative reviews from critics, and also from plenty of fans. And look: I get it. The film was criticized for its misleading title (since most of the action takes place on the cruise ship rather than in Manhattan), weak plot, and lack of scares.
However, some fans appreciate it for its camp value and unique setting within the franchise. The movie also establishes that Jason can sort of teleport (I tend to view it as “gains superhuman momentum” abilities, though it’s debatable exactly what happens). Plus, at least it still has Jason going around killing people. I mean, what more does the movie need?
Production/Filming Locations/Budget and Box Office
The film had a budget of around $5 million and grossed approximately $14.3 million domestically. Although set in Manhattan, much of the film was actually shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, and it’s a fact that causes some people to wince. Dumb, untraveled movie lovers (such as myself) tend not to notice these things, however. Plus, at least we can say the Times Square scenes were shot on location in New York City.
Fun/Possibly Not Totally Relevant Pseudo-Trivia
- The film came out shortly after When Harry Met Sally was released, so it must have been too late to have Jason somehow parody the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene. Still, one is free to speculate about whether Jason fakes orgasms.
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch was a big New York horror flick, too. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film) was also a huge film about New York. So it really seems like, in the 1980s and 1990s, NY was truly having its moment in pop culture. Then, of course, Kevin McCallister, the little scamp, had to head on over there in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, in 1992. Still, we have to say Jason was lost in New York first!
- This film marks the second appearance of Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees, a role he is widely recognized for.
There’s a reason he has the word “Kill!” tattooed on the back of his bottom lip, and that reason is Jason Voorhees. - The film was apparently also known as Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes New York during its development. Presumably, they changed it to be about Manhattan to be more like The Muppets.
- No one on earth understands Jason’s death in this movie, or why Jason as a kid goes from being deformed to being…well, significantly less deformed. Could it be that he’s Jason’s inner child in swim trunks? We don’t know. Again, no one does, even if they think they do.
- The film features a rock soundtrack, with songs by bands like Metropolis and Stan Meissner.
In fact, what the hell? Here are many of the songs from the movie, including the Sammy Hagar-ish “The Darkest Side of the Night.”
Final Thoughts
Despite its shortcomings, Jason Takes Manhattan remains a notable entry in the Friday the 13th series for its attempt to bring Jason to a new and distinctive setting. In other words: For a shitty movie, it’s pretty good.
Jason later goes to Hell, and to space, and also fights Freddy Krueger, and in this movie, he gets a face full of radioactive waste (or whatever that was). I’m running out of ideas now, so I’ll end it here, which is something this franchise said for a number of years. Still, Jason will be back, and we’ll follow him wherever he goes.
