As harsh as I was with the last sequel, these next two are rough for me, the next one not being quite as bad as this one. This movie was an absolute shit show. No better way to put it. The characters are bland, the shots are literally stretched just to make a feature length run time, the plot goes in directions that just make no sense. I mean, people actually had to consciously make these decisions to have toxic waste pump through the sewers every night and for Jason to melt into this Jack-o’-lantern looking child. As an adult, it looks like one of the kids in Jurassic Park after getting sneezed on by a dinosaur. Even worse, this movie only has one scene that’s even in Manhattan. You go in expecting cool New York shots like Basket Case or even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and you get this nonsense. Most of the movie is shot on a cruise ship, which lets not forget this series is based on a lake, not a river or canal. The rest is shot in Vancouver. Another bad part about this movie is they didn’t even try to get anything by with the MPAA on this film, it’s just all bland all the time even with the kills. It’s noted that the MPAA was rough with this series in particular and wouldn’t let them get away with half the stuff other movies being made at the same time were, but this one honestly should have had a PG rating with how tame it is.
I mention that Jason Goes to Hell is rough for me too, but I’ll at least have some good things to mention about that one. Overall, fuck this movie. I still have to recommend it if I’m recommending slashers to someone new to the genre, but I’d definitely have to warn them to go in with the absolute worst of expectations that way hopefully they get at least some kind of enjoyment out of it. Either way, lets get to the very unfun kills in this movie so that hopefully I can get away from it for a little while.
The Kills
- Jim – Stabbed in the gut with a spear gun. I’ve asked this previously, but who is whaling on Crystal LAKE?
- Suzi – Stabbed in the chest with a spear in an incredibly drawn out kill for it to be this boring.
- J.J. – Has her head smashed in with a guitar. Watching her play was about the only entertaining part of this movie, better kill her quick!
- This guy is listed in IMDb as “Other Boxer”… – He takes a hot stone from the sauna and burns through his chest. This guy has the softest chest in the world from the actual burn shots too. This kill fits this movie. It’s ridiculous.
- Tamara Mason (this chick gets a last name but the last guy can’t even get a name..) – Stabbed with a shard of a broken mirror.
- Chief Petty Officer Jim Carlson – I couldn’t find a name for this next guy in iMDB, but referencing the Friday the 13th wiki it looks like I’m going with Chief Petty Officer Jim Carlson. Looking again, he’s just listed as Chief Engineer. Man I can’t wait to start trying to figure out how to describe tertiary characters when I start moving into less main stream movies. Either way, this guy is impaled in the back with a harpoon.
- Admiral Robertson – Throat slit with the wrong side of the machete. I figured by part 8 Jason would have gotten better at using that thing, but…guess not.
- Eva Watanabe – Strangled to death
- Wayne – Gets electrocuted when he’s pushed into a bunch of electronics.
- Miles Wolfe – Gets pulled off of a mast and impaled onto a weather vane.
- Deck Hand – Gets stabbed with an ax in the back. I’m getting fairly inconsistent with some of these but…bah, it doesn’t matter that much does it? I’m getting tired of counting every kill with an object in them as a slashing when that’s really not what that is so I think I’m in the right here. Changing the system one kill analysis at a time.
- Gang Banger #1 don’t like that name, complain to the guy who put it on IMDb – Stabbed in the back with a syringe.
- Gang Banger #2 – Head is smashed in a pipe.
- Julius – Decapitated with a single punch. A lot of people say this is a good kill. I’m still not a fan. It’s done way better in Killer Clowns from Outer Space.
- Irish Cop – Dragged offscreen by Jason. I hate counting unknown causes of death in these films.
- Charles McCulloch – Gets drowned in a nasty looking sewage barrel. If there was a character you’re rooting for to die it’s this guy…and he gets drowned. In the nastiest way possible, but…ugh.
- Sanitation Engineer – Gets his head beat in with a pipe wrench in silhouette.
Conclusion
Jason Voorhees kills 17 people in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
| Method: | Amount of Kills: |
|---|---|
| Impaled | 2 |
| Stabbing | 5 |
| Throat slit | 1 |
| Killed with bare hands | 1 |
| Strangled | 1 |
| Electrocuted | 1 |
| Burned | 1 |
| Decapitated | 1 |
| Bludgeoned to death | 2 |
| Drowned | 1 |
| Unknown cause of death | 1 |
| Method: | Amount of kills: |
|---|---|
| Stabbing | 21 |
| Strangled | 2 |
| Hammer claw to the head | 1 |
| Throat slit | 4 |
| Impaled | 15 |
| Slashing | 11 |
| Electrocuted | 2 |
| Killed with bare hands | 11 |
| Defenestrated | 2 |
| Decapitated | 5 |
| Drowned | 2 |
| Burned | 1 |
| Bludgeoned to death | 2 |
| Unknown cause of death | 5 |
| Movie Title: | Total kills: |
|---|---|
| Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) | 9 |
| Friday the 13th Part III (1982) | 12 |
| Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) | 13 |
| Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) | 18 |
| Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) | 15 |
| Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) | 17 |
| Total Altogether: | 84 |