Friday The 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan - The one where Jason doesn’t really ‘take’ Manhattan at all

‘Part 8’ of the infamous horror franchise wasn’t a success. No surprise really as it’s a classic case of a film with a completely misleading title. Having the undead masked serial killer, Jason Voorhees, slashing his way through New York sounds like a good idea for a film, right? Yes, you’re right. However, the ‘money men’ behind the film didn’t agree.

For budgetary reasons they couldn’t afford to shoot in the Big Apple until the final twenty minutes, leaving pretty much the whole film set on a boat heading to the city in question. Here we have the typical ‘slasher’ film, only on a boat instead of the traditional camp in the woods.

So, fans were more than a little annoyed at the misleading nature of the film. Also – for no reason at all – Jason can now ‘teleport.’ One minute he’s a hundred yards behind you, then next he’s standing in front of you. Yes, he’s a supernatural being, but no explanation is given for this new talent. Plus it does tend to spoil the ‘chase’ between killer and victim when no matter where and how fast you run, he just appears in front of you every time.

So, Part 8 is a bit of a let-down in general. Yes, there are a few nice touches here and there and if you’re a die hard fan of the series you’ll probably appreciate it. However, although it’s definitely watchable (if you’re into this sort of film) it’s not one of the better films in the franchise. Even the writer agrees that not enough time is spent in Manhattan and agrees with fans. Apparently, it was all down to the film’s producers that they weren’t allowed to spend enough time there.

6/10 May just keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights