Friday, April 13, 2018

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

Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) dir. Rob Hedden, Paramount Pictures/Horror Inc./Sean S. Cunningham Films



With the first Friday the 13th of 2018 upon us, let's move onto the next chapter in the saga of Mrs. Vorhees' little boy. Things were changing both in Hollywood and in horror in general. The 80's were almost over and the masked slashers were quickly being regulated to the direct to video market. This yarn would also be the last one to be released under the Paramount banner, who after this sold the while thing lock, stock, and machete to New Line Cinema. 

Since the end of part 7, in which Tommy Jarvis finally beat Jason and chained his now undead body to the bottom of Crystal Lake, things have been quiet in the little lakefront community.
So that's why the local (and only, I assume) high school is sending their graduating class on a senior trip! Yup, everyone's going except for two teens who decided to take a boat of their own...right out directly into Crystal Lake.

Thanks to one oddly acting anchor and one handily placed power line, Jason is back and on the prowl (and played again by Kane Hodder). He commandeers the boat after dispatching the two teens and lets it drift close to the SS Lazarus, which has been commissioned to take the seniors to New York City.

Despite being full of what presumably would be a full graduating class, we only see a handful of students and two teachers. Let's meet the cast:

Mr. McCullough (Peter Mark Richman): Biology teacher and all around stick in the mud. He's the legal guardian of Rennie, but we'll get to her in a bit.

Mrs. Van Deusen (Barbara Bingham): English teacher and much more relaxed. Rennie is her star pupil. 

Sean Robertson (Scott Reeves): Nice Guy and son of the Lazarus's captain, the Admiral Robertson (Warren Munson). Despite all that, he seems to disappoint the old man with every utterance.

Julius (Vince Craig Dupree): The Jock, specifically a boxer.

Tamara (Shariene Martin): The Bitch with a bit of the Bad Girl, she's best friends with

Eva (Kelly Hu): She doesn't have much of a character. 

Martin (Wayne Cummins): The Nerd, with his hang up being his video camera

JJ (Saffron Henderson): The Punk? Although her musical tastes run more hair metal. 

Rennie (Jensen Daggett): The Nice Girl. She has a paralyzing fear of water. 

Things get set into motion pretty quick. JJ is the next character to go, playing her guitar in the boiler room when Jason 'axe's' her a question by bashing her skull in with her guitar. Tamara meets her end next, carved up with a mirror after she tried seducing Mr. McCullough (or blackmail, it is a little vague). From there the Admiral is next to go. Sean steps up and tries to lead, but with the ship now crewless (either Jason works damn faster or they had a crew of three), the kids and teachers try to survive. 

Wasn't this film's title Jason takes Manhattan? Yes, yes it was. So, after whittling the cast down to the teachers, Sean, Rennie, and Julius, the boat sinks. Escaping in a life raft they manage to paddle their way into New York. 

Jason follows them, of course, but you would think with a city of that size he would now have his pick of victims. Victims who seem unaware of how to call for help or talk to anybody. 

Overall, cheap. Some of the kills are decent, but nothing to top some of the previous entries. Its polished, but that only serves to highlight how cheap everything else.  

Much has been said and written of the overall disappointment of this entry. I suppose calling it Jason Takes Vancouver or Jason takes a Boat would lack the punch of the old title. 















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