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Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) reviews from people you don't follow

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated
Jan 11, 2021
Maybe I'm a little numb to this franchise being bad in anyway at this point, because I low key loved this. It's unencumbered nonsense, but dammit it's entertaining.
That title is misleading too. It should be called "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason on a boat, and then fucking around in a Manhattan sewer tunnel" but I absolutely commend the makers for trying something different with a new location. Jason on a cruise ship is actually a pretty neat visual.
This franchise has always been campy (pun fully intended) but Part VIII does really dial it up. Everything is so painfully 80s and over the top that not even Jason feel intimidating, which is doubly as frustrating considering Kane Hodder is back for another turn.
On top of this, the series strays even further from the formula of having at least one likable protagonist, with every character here just being plain unmemorable (apart from the boxing dude, that guy deserves all the praise for taking Jason on with his bare hands).
To drive the final nails into the coffin, the gore is once again really toned down, the make up effects on Jason's unmasked face are atrociously bad (his face looks like a soggy and battered piece of toast) which is a real shame after how fucking dope he looks in Part VII, and finally and arguably most importantly, this is the only entry in the core series that isn't scored by Harry Manfredini, which is just heresy in my book.
Despite all this, I still find Part VIII weirdly entertaining and enjoyable. Its doesn't get boring and should be watched knowing what's about to unfold - a tongue in cheek, 80s as balls silly slasher that has at least two instances of a girl doing extended electric guitar solos - it's better than Part III, fight me.
That title is misleading too. It should be called "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason on a boat, and then fucking around in a Manhattan sewer tunnel" but I absolutely commend the makers for trying something different with a new location. Jason on a cruise ship is actually a pretty neat visual.
This franchise has always been campy (pun fully intended) but Part VIII does really dial it up. Everything is so painfully 80s and over the top that not even Jason feel intimidating, which is doubly as frustrating considering Kane Hodder is back for another turn.
On top of this, the series strays even further from the formula of having at least one likable protagonist, with every character here just being plain unmemorable (apart from the boxing dude, that guy deserves all the praise for taking Jason on with his bare hands).
To drive the final nails into the coffin, the gore is once again really toned down, the make up effects on Jason's unmasked face are atrociously bad (his face looks like a soggy and battered piece of toast) which is a real shame after how fucking dope he looks in Part VII, and finally and arguably most importantly, this is the only entry in the core series that isn't scored by Harry Manfredini, which is just heresy in my book.
Despite all this, I still find Part VIII weirdly entertaining and enjoyable. Its doesn't get boring and should be watched knowing what's about to unfold - a tongue in cheek, 80s as balls silly slasher that has at least two instances of a girl doing extended electric guitar solos - it's better than Part III, fight me.

Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated
Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 21, 2019)
A group of students are taking a cruise to New York. A couple, who's part of the group, ventures off on their own in their own private boat. They wind up drifting through Camp Crystal Lake for a little quality time together. They set anchor and wind up resurrecting Jason in the process. Now as the cruise ship sets off, with Jason in tow, our students may have more than their biology projects to worry about.
Re-watching this was not a pleasant experience. I really had to force myself to watch it and once I finally did it was almost painful to make myself sit through the entire thing. Continuity is probably the film's biggest flaw. When we see young Jason drown, he looks like a normal little boy. Whenever Rennie sees him, however, he suddenly looks like he has down syndrome and like somebody beat him with a 2x4 made from every ugly branch they could get a hold of. On top of that, he pretty much has a different appearance every time Rennie sees him. Then there's the whole Crystal Lake leading into the ocean thing and the ending. Heavens, the ending is atrocious.
The script isn't so hot either. Julius is probably the best example. After Wayne asks him what weapon he's going to take after they realize Jason is on the ship, Julius replies, "Nothing," then pauses for a moment before following with, "...but this gun." The kills were also lacking. Jason takes a guitar to a girl's head and throws a guy onto an antenna. That's about as inventive as we get this time around. The one enjoyable factor of the film is Kane Hodder as Jason. The scene in Times Square is probably the highlight of the film. It's disappointing that the last film with "Friday the 13th" in the title is so bad.
Re-watching this was not a pleasant experience. I really had to force myself to watch it and once I finally did it was almost painful to make myself sit through the entire thing. Continuity is probably the film's biggest flaw. When we see young Jason drown, he looks like a normal little boy. Whenever Rennie sees him, however, he suddenly looks like he has down syndrome and like somebody beat him with a 2x4 made from every ugly branch they could get a hold of. On top of that, he pretty much has a different appearance every time Rennie sees him. Then there's the whole Crystal Lake leading into the ocean thing and the ending. Heavens, the ending is atrocious.
The script isn't so hot either. Julius is probably the best example. After Wayne asks him what weapon he's going to take after they realize Jason is on the ship, Julius replies, "Nothing," then pauses for a moment before following with, "...but this gun." The kills were also lacking. Jason takes a guitar to a girl's head and throws a guy onto an antenna. That's about as inventive as we get this time around. The one enjoyable factor of the film is Kane Hodder as Jason. The scene in Times Square is probably the highlight of the film. It's disappointing that the last film with "Friday the 13th" in the title is so bad.

Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) rated
Jul 13, 2018
In my opinion the worst friday the13th ever jason takes manhattan not the best i think they were running out of ideas at this point its a movie of two halfs first half ship second half manhattan neither half great nice to see kane hodder play jason again probably the only good point in the movie