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

A silly movie with little entertainment value, 27 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Jason follows and butchers the local high school graduating class on their trip to Manhattan. 

Re-watching Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (or JTM for short) last night, I realized I had completely forgotten most of the movie’s details.  I suppose that’s a good thing, because when a movie is this horrifically bad, it’s probably best to put it out of mind. There’s really not much here to enjoy - characters with zero depth (less than usual in a Friday movie), lame attempts at humor, an inappropriate score, ridiculous dialogue, horrible acting, and not a single scare in sight.  But I suppose the two things I disliked the most were the setting and Jason. I didn’t mind the boat/ship stuff as much as most people, but Manhattan – how stupid. Jason is a feral, forest being. Take him out of the woods and it just doesn’t feel right. My complaint with Jason is that in JTM, he’s given the power to “teleport” far greater than we’ve seen in past movies.  There’s a scene where a character gets clear of Jason. She’s way ahead of him. Looking over her shoulder (at Jason trailing behind, I presume), she quickly climbs a ladder. Immediately, Jason throws her through a window. How’d he get up there that fast?    

Honestly, I could go on and on.  But really, what’s the point? It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.  Overall, a silly movie with little entertainment value. I may need to revisit Part V.  I don’t remember it being this bad.

3/10