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

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1989
Running Times: 95 mins (Germany)     96 mins 16 sec (UK - video (1990))     100 mins (USA)
Format: Technicolor     35mm
Ratio:
Sound: Ultra-Stereo

(Full Credits)

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Jason Productions / Paramount
Producer: Randolph Cheveldave

SCRIPT
Script: Rob Hedden
Characters: Victor Miller

DIRECTION
Director: Rob Hedden

PHOTOGRAPHY
Directors of Photography: Brentron Spencer, Brian England
Underwater Photography: Pete Romano

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Steven J. Mirkovich

MUSIC
Music: Fred Mollin; John Kander, Fred Ebb (Theme From New York, New York)

SOUND
Supervising Sound Designer: Jeffrey L. Sandler
Recording / Sound Effects: Steve Woods, Gary Blufer
Recording Engineer: Rick Maclane
Sound Mixer: Lars Ekstrom

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Laurie Finstad
Hair: Malcolm Tanner
Costume Designer: Carla Hetland

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Assistant Special Effects Make Up: Tibor Farkas, William Terezakis

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Co-Ordinators: Reel EFX Inc, Gary Paller, Jim Gill, Bettie Kauffman

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Dale Fay

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Visual Consultant: Pam O'Har

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Ken Kirzinger
Stunts: Gary Chessman, Jim Dunn, Dorothy Fehr, Reg Glass, Ted Hickman, Ernie Jackson, David Jacox, Michael Langlois, John Nash, Dawn Stofer Rupp, Jacob Rupp, Melissa Stubbs, Danny Virtue, John Wardlow

CAST
Todd Shaffer (Jim)
Tiffany Paulsen (Suzi)
Timothy Burr Mirkovich (young Jason)
Kane Hodder (Jason)
Jensen Daggett (Rennie)
Barbara Bingham (Colleen Van Deusen)
Alex Diakun (deck hand)
Peter Mark Richman (Charles McCulloch)
Ace (Toby)
Warren Munson (Admiral Robertson)
Fred Henderson (Chief Engineer)
Scott Reeves (Sean Robertson)
Gordon Currie (Miles Wolfe)
Saffron Henderson (J.J.)
Martin Cummins (Wayne)
V.C. Dupree (Julius)
Sharlene Martin (Tamara Mason)
Kelly Hu (Eva Wanatabe)
Sam Sarkar (gang banger #1)
Michael Benyaer (gang banger #2)
Roger Barnes (Irish cop)
Amber Pawlick (young Rennie)
Vinny Capone (street urchin)
Peggy Hedden (New York waitress)
David Longworth (sanitation engineer)

PLOT SUMMARY

Re-animated by power from an electrical cable, Jason slaughters his way onto a cruise ship bound for New York and stuffed full of partying teenagers. Jason makes short work of many of the passengers before being dispatched by toxic waste, reverting to a young boy as he finally dies.

The absolute pits. The series was now so moribund it had absolutely nowhere else to go and the 'gimmick' of setting Jason loose on a passenger ship is never really exploited to the full. The ludicrous ending tends to cut across everything we'd be led to believe about Jason in previous films. A pathetic waste of celluloid. (Full Review)

UK
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment (VHR2366)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Video Distributor: Malofilm Home Video; Paramount Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Paramount (LV 32298)

Australia
Rating: M

Norway
Rating: banned

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: R (most of the gore scenes were heavily cut for the R rating; video releases have been uncut)

West Germany
Rating: 18 (theatrical); video heavily cut

TIMELINE

1989
July
28: USA - theatrical release

1990
January
2: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release)

1993
September
20: UK - video release ( Paramount Home Entertainment (VHR2366))

2001
October
12: USA - television broadcast (on Max)

POSTER TAGS

New York has a new problem!

Freitag, der 13. Teil 8 - Todesfalle Manhattan - German title
Venerd́ 13: incubo a Manhattan - Italian title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Friday the 13th (1980)
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Friday the 13th Part 3 3D (1982)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

SEQUELS
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Jason X (2001)

MAGAZINES

Radio Times 14 - 20 November 1992 pp.48, 62 (UK)
review, credits

Scapegoat no.1 p.11 (UK)
censorship note

BOOKS

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.144
credits, review

serial killers; slasher; splatter; gore; stalk and slash; axe murders; decapitation; sewers; new york; hallucinations; harpoons; sequels; teenkill; teenagers; hypodermic needles; drug addicts; drugs; strangulation; drowning; boats; children; flashbacks; cruise ships; electrocution; spear guns