How Did This Get Made? – “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan”

Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Release Date: October 17, 2025
Main Theme:
The comedy trio dives into the infamous 1989 slasher sequel “Jason Takes Manhattan,” dissecting its nonsensical plot, bizarre tone, inconsistent mythology, and the peak of late-’80s cinematic cheese. Sharing personal horror histories, debating the rules and logic of the franchise, and roasting every baffling filmmaking decision, the hosts ask: How did this get made?

Episode Overview

“Jason Takes Manhattan”—the eighth entry in the “Friday the 13th” franchise—lures listeners and hosts onto a murder-laden “grad cruise” from New Jersey to New York City (sort of). Paul, June, and Jason gleefully tear apart the movie’s confusing mythology, pointless detours, its misleading title, and the unintentional comedy of a “horror” icon struggling to make sense as he chases bland high schoolers into the “mean streets” of Vancouver-as-NYC.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Impressions, Jason’s NYC, and 80s Movie Tropes

• The New York That Wasn’t:
  • The hosts open by lamenting that despite the title, most of the film isn’t set in New York. The “opening sequence is the dirty alleys, the trash cans full of water, and just an establishing shot on a rat”—a grimy, cartoonish NYC (02:22–02:41).
  • Laughing at the stereotypical shots: “They were like, we got a real rat, keep rolling.”
    (Paul, 02:22)
• Origins of ‘Takes Manhattan’ Titles:
  • June wonders if the “Takes Manhattan” framework started with this film or “The Muppets Take Manhattan.”
    “It can’t be the Muppets... This movie can’t be referencing the Muppets.”—June (04:38)
  • Paul insists it does: “I looked it up... there’s no other Take Manhattan.” (04:48)

2. Friday the 13th Lore & The Inconsistent Rules of Jason

• Attempting to Untangle the Mythology:
  • June: “What are Jason’s rules?” (07:26)
  • Paul recounts the erratic continuity—Jason’s mom as the original killer, “sackhead” Jason, the late arrival of the hockey mask (not until Part III), and the supernatural resurrection by lightning that turned him into a “super strong zombie.” (06:43–12:20)
• Freddy vs Jason vs Michael Myers:
  • Jason points out why Freddy Krueger’s rules feel clear but Jason makes no sense. “I don’t understand why he’s targeting all these people.” (07:40)
  • They reminisce about other slasher icons—Myers being “way more scary” and “great mythology.” (07:03)

Memorable Quote:

“The mythology here is really busted. Friday the 13th is great because it has a clear idea of who it is... Mike Myers, too.”
—Paul Scheer (07:53)

3. The Cruise Ship Setting & Logistical Insanity

• Ridiculous Vessel:
  • “It looks like a ferry, would be transporting sardines... Why does it have a beautiful sauna?”—June (13:04–13:09)
  • Baffled by the ship’s disco, gym, luxurious cabins, and an endless maze of industrial rooms.
• Journey to Manhattan:
  • Frustration that after “an hour we hadn’t gotten to New York yet... I was starting to get angry.” (14:07)
  • Most of the movie is set on the boat, with the “least amount of nudity” of any film in the franchise, despite its R rating.
  • “It is the longest runtime of any Friday the 13th film...with the least amount of nudity.” —Paul (14:12)
• Unclear Geography:
  • The group grapples with the franchise’s geography: “How would you get from Crystal Lake to the Atlantic...?” (15:01)
  • Crystal Lake is revealed to be in New Jersey, much to June’s dismay—“Fucking hell, of course it’s in New Jersey.” (15:21)

4. Water Safety, Swimming, and Jason’s Logic

• Jason as a Waterlogged, Teleporting Zombie:
  • The hosts fixate on the absurdity that Jason apparently cannot swim (his origin tragedy), yet now operates as an unstoppable aquatic force—maybe even walking along the ocean floor. (26:44)
  • “He is always waterlogged.”—June (11:03)
  • “He looks so moist.”—Jason (11:06)
• Drowning and Parental Negligence:
  • Jason’s mother’s vengeance is contextualized as a result of “sending your child to camp without them being water safe.” (21:31)
  • “If you do start to struggle, I could come out...”—June (42:13), riffing on water safety and lifeguard tips.

Notable Exchange (about Jason’s supernatural skills)

“He must be executing it like a gymnast...not complaining...he’s not completely right.”
—June Diane Raphael (31:13)

5. Character & Slasher Movie Logic

• Inconsistent Character Arcs:
  • The hosts become increasingly perplexed by unclear relationships and motivations (e.g., “Is his niece or was he adopted?”, “Why does the uncle/principal hate these kids so much?”). (20:52–21:02; 48:51)
  • June: “Strangest is, she’s at one point looking right at him… All she has to do is not take her eyes off of him...then he evaporates and is suddenly just right there.” (27:43)
• Victims’ Inertia:
  • They riff on how, compared to men, “the women all stand there or crouch...and just wait and scream...often they don’t even scream, really.” (65:31–65:54)
• Telegraphed/Strange Kills:
  • The hosts lament the lack of fun with Jason’s kills in this movie, calling them “like someone doing chores.” (29:00)
  • “At one point, he just tosses the guy off the side of the boat.” (29:14)
  • The standout head-punch decapitation: “Why hasn’t this been happening all the time?”—June (46:19)

Memorable Moment:

“The kills are not fun. They seem like someone doing chores. It’s like Jason, can you take out the trash? Okay, Mom.”
—Paul Scheer (29:00)

6. ‘Jason in Manhattan’—Broken Promises & Vancouver Streets

• The Disappointing City Shift:
  • The much-teased city setting amounts to a few minutes of genuine NYC footage (mainly Times Square shots) and a stretch of Vancouver pretending to be “mean streets.”
  • “I loved all the shots of 1980s Times Square in New York. I wish this movie had taken place in Manhattan and brought us all over the island.” —June (55:00)
  • “They realized they couldn’t afford to shoot in Manhattan and then just placed it on a boat.” —Jason (55:35)
• Classic New York Moment:
  • Fans and hosts delight at Jason kicking a punk’s boombox in Times Square, met with a perfectly deadpan “Welcome to New York” from a diner waitress. (55:35)
• Script Oddities:
  • The writers' grand plans: “He wrote a movie set in New York with scenes in Madison Square Garden, the Brooklyn Bridge...but the budget was $5 million.” —Paul (56:07)

7. Bizarre Details, Production Notes, and Culture Gags

• High Schoolers in Their 30s; 80s Hair:
  • “I think the people that seemed like strangers were obviously 36-year-old high school students.” —June (32:36)
  • The group discusses “wet, hard, scrunched curl” 80s hair and the evolution of hair care products for curly hair. (33:25)
• Dog Dilemma:
  • Kane Hodder (Jason) refused to kill a dog on-screen: “He said, no, it's too mean.” (45:05)
• Jason as Antihero?:
  • After he interrupts a rape, June quips, “So he’s kind of an antihero. Tony Soprano, Jason Voorhees, Walter White.” (31:33)
• On Jason’s Acting:
  • Kane Hodder's vomiting scene was improvised—he “figured out how much water...needed to drink to vomit on cue.” (58:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Quote | Speaker | Timestamp | |-------|---------|-----------| | “It looks like a ferry…Why does it have a beautiful sauna?” | June Diane Raphael | 13:09 | | “He looks so moist.” | Jason Mantzoukas | 11:06 | | “It is the longest runtime...with the least amount of nudity.” | Paul Scheer | 14:12 | | “The kills are not fun…like someone doing chores.” | Paul Scheer | 29:00 | | “He must be executing [the boat] like a gymnast…he’s not complaining.” | June Diane Raphael | 31:13 | | “So he’s kind of an antihero. Tony Soprano, Jason Voorhees, Walter White.” | June Diane Raphael | 31:33 | | “Why hasn’t this [head punch] been happening all the time?” | June Diane Raphael | 46:19 | | “I wish this movie had taken place in Manhattan and had brought us all over the island…” | June Diane Raphael | 55:00 |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:12–07:40: Opening banter, NYC setting, “Takes Manhattan” framework, initial franchise context.
• 07:26–13:35: Jason mythos, franchise history, the shifting “rules,” introduction of the cruise ship.
• 14:07–21:21: Discussion of the wild logistics of the boat, lack of Manhattan, geography of Camp Crystal Lake, water safety.
• 27:43–31:13: Teleporting Jason, confusing action sequences, lamenting the lack of logic in kills.
• 40:12–48:50: Memorable deaths, notably the boxing head punch, and discussions around character behaviors, 80s bodies, and boat amenities.
• 53:05–56:41: The (very brief) New York sequence, production constraints, and script changes due to budget.
• 58:51–62:10: Kane Hodder’s performance and vomiting feat, mask-off Jason, and the ending’s failed attempt at sentimentality.
• 66:22–67:42: Listener “second opinions” on the film from Amazon reviews.

Final Thoughts

• The hosts universally agree:
  • The movie is a chaotic, missed opportunity—more boat than Manhattan, more confusion than chills, more unintentional comedy than menace.
  • June and Jason lament the “unfun” kills and wasted city setting, but praise the movie as a camp artifact.
  • Paul commends Kane Hodder (Jason) for measured physical acting in a role that gives him little else.
• The episode is packed with the trio’s signature goofs, heartfelt confusion, culture nostalgia, and their ability to wring joy from even the worst of horror cinema.

For further discussion:
Join the HDTGM Discord or tune in to “Last Looks” for more about the Jason lore and fan feedback.