Buy me a coffee
“Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989): A Lackluster Entry in the “Friday the 13th” Franchise
The city that has seen it all ain’t seen nothing yet!
The iconic serial killer stalks a group of high school graduates on a cruise ship before wreaking havoc in the streets of New York City.
“Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan” is the eighth installment in the long-running horror franchise that sees the iconic killer, Jason Voorhees, wreak havoc once again. Unfortunately, this entry in the series fails to live up to the scares and thrills of its predecessors.
The plot follows Jason as he stows away on a cruise ship heading to New York City. Once there, he terrorizes a group of high school students on a graduation trip. While the concept of Jason in the Big Apple has potential, the execution falls flat.
One of the biggest issues with the movie is the lack of screen time the titular city actually gets. Despite the film’s title, most of the action takes place on the cruise ship, with only a few brief scenes set in New York. Additionally, the characters are mostly forgettable, and the kills lack the creativity and tension of earlier films in the franchise.
Overall, “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan” is a disappointment in the series. While diehard fans of the franchise may still find some enjoyment in the film, it fails to live up to the standards set by its predecessors.
The next installment in the series, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, was released in 1993.
