Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (Deluxe Edition) – DVD Review

The Film:

One of the first images I have seen of Jason Voorhees was on the VHS cover of Friday the 13^th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. It was a striking image of the famous hockey mask over the city, and being an imaginative kid, I would dream of all of the havoc that Jason could cause in a city environment. At this point, I was a bit too young to see a Friday the 13^th film, but having friends who did, I knew of Jason and what he did. Years later, after finally seeing the film, it never lived up to my rocking imagination, sadly, Jason only visits Manhattan for the final 15 minutes, and spends most of his time on a boat full of potential victims.

I don’t understand why this film is looked down upon so much in this series, but I think it’s the misleading title and the weak kills. The MPAA has been the one thing Jason cannot kill, and they really neuter the kills, sans the most famous one: when Jason upper cuts the boxer’s head off. Paramount and the producers were looking to get Jason out of Camp Crystal Lake and they started with this film. Also, they were looking for new angles for the franchise. Rob Hedden asked Paramount if this could be the last film for Jason and to kill him off. The series would continue at New Line a decade later, but this does feel like a send off. Jason gets plenty of hero shots, with low camera angles and plenty of awesome moments. One of the favorites is the moment Jason is on the dock in Manhattan, and he stares confusingly at the hockey billboard advertisement, with his mask. It’s a fun wink.

The whole boat angle offers up some atmosphere, and the characters are interesting enough. Granted we wanted the film to deliver on Jason in Manhattan, but it offers us the typical Friday the 13^th conventions. I don’t see the issue fans have with this. We get Jason doing what he does best. At least he wasn’t in space, right? Kane Hodder, in my opinion, delivers his best performance as Jason. A film under his belt, he now owns the role. Each mannerism is thought out, his body and mask are the best looking for Jason ever in this film, and when he does get to Manhattan, Hodder unleashes the beast.

Are you sensing something here? I really like this film, and while it’s not the best in the series, it’s my guilty pleasure film. I’m a minority here, but Hedden delivers a solid film. Yes, I just said that. I think the characters are interesting, far better than the ones in the previous film, or in the next two New Line installments, Jason looks great. His mask is the best here. The Manhattan scenes are a blast, especially when he is in Times Square. I will admit his face is odd here. It looks too cartoonish. I wish they would have stuck with his face from The New Blood. The ending is just odd. It’s too ambiguous for its own good, and is a letdown, especially since Hedden wanted this to be the last Friday the 13^th. Finally, another reason why I love this film (and have seen in more than the other sequel) is the fact that it has the coolest poster from the entire series.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Paramount is continuing with their new Deluxe Editions of the Friday films, and each film is looking better and better. Picture quality is as good as Part VIII has ever looked. Bright colors, sharp detail, very little source damage, making this a nice upgrade from the previous bare bones release, and a mild improvement over the version in the box set. With no Blu-ray set for this film, this is the best it will look. The audio is just as good. Nice sound separation and some bass. The new Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also probably the best its sounded on home video.

Commentary: This all new track has the two lead actors Scott Reeves and Jensen Daggett, with Kane Hodder on the phone, is a fun track. Filled with their memories and some trivia, it’s a good listen. Nothing pivotal, but fans like me, should dig it. Too bad the Hedden track from the previous box set Paramount did, isn’t included. It’s far better and he offers up some great insight into the unrealized vision for Jason Takes Manhattan he wanted to give us.

New York Has a New Problem: This is a pretty good making of. It features a lot of the cast in interviews, and Hedden talks much about some of the deleted scenes, the MPAA, and the ending. It’s a nice piece considering we don’t get him in the commentary.

Slashed Scenes: Probably the best extra here. We get all of the deleted gore, and in good shape. It’s too bad the market for this film is small, because it would be a blast to get these scenes reinserted into the film. Plus, we get a better extended ending. A must see.

Gag Reel: This is a really funny gag reel. Just look for a dildo!

Conclusion: So what if many fans consider this to be one of the series worst. It’s my guilty pleasure film, and ranks as my 5^th favorite personally in the series. Paramount gives an awesome Deluxe Edition.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: