How Did This Get Made? – Last Looks: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan with Adam Pally

Release Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Guest: Adam Pally

Episode Overview

In this "Last Looks" episode, Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, and guest Adam Pally take a loving, raucous look back at Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, sharing audience corrections, lore deep-dives, hilarious listener theories, and personal anecdotes. The bulk of the show is dedicated to fielding fan questions and insights, before launching into a freewheeling, often heartwarming interview with comedic multi-hyphenate Adam Pally about his special, his family’s legacy in the arts, parenting, improv, and his new projects.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening & Community Highlights

• Listener Engagement: Paul opens by reflecting on the community’s positive and supportive feedback (“you came at us with love, not with hate”), highlighting listener contributions via Discord and the show’s integration of user-created content (like show themes and alt taglines).
  • Quote (Paul, 02:21): “You all are the best. We love you and we'll never murder you on a boat when you are just trying to get it on. That's our promise to you.”
• Live Shows & Improv: Paul announces How Did This Get Made’s upcoming tour stops, describing “dinosaur improv”: crowd-driven improv comedy featuring an all-star roster from the podcast and TV world.

Corrections & Omissions: Friday the 13th Part VIII

[06:16–20:26]

• Friday the 13th Lore Gaps:
  • Origin of the Title: Discord user George Glass clarifies that the movie’s “Friday the 13th” connection was almost an afterthought, citing a studio-driven approach.
    • Quote (Paul, 07:16): “How do you sell a movie called Friday the 13th and then that's the afterthought? Oh my God.”
  • The Iconic Sound Effect: Listener grudlin explains the infamous “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” motif originates from Mrs. Voorhees whispering “kill her, mommy,” not the popular “chi chi chi, ha ha ha.”
    • Quote (Paul, 08:04): “Ki, ki ki ki, ma ma ma. Killer Mommy. Wow. Wow. Learning here, people. I'm learning and I'm loving it.”
  • “Taking Manhattan” Phrase Origins: Danny the Wall points out the phrase pre-dates Muppets, tracing it to 1925 jazz culture.
• Jason’s Abilities & Lore:
  • Teleportation Confirmed: Caller explains the 2017 video game gives Jason “enhanced teleportation” in Part VIII, acknowledging the film’s notorious continuity gaps.
    • Quote (Caller, 09:39): “…Part eight Jason that you can play as, you get enhanced teleportation. So, yes, he can teleport in that movie.”
  • Jason as a Deadite Theory: Lee from Ontario details the links between the Friday the 13th and Evil Dead universes, suggesting Jason may be a Deadite thanks to props in “Jason Goes to Hell” and scrapped crossover plans.
    • Quote (Lee, 11:36): “Maybe that's what Jason is. Maybe he is a Deadite from the Evil Dead movies.”
• Franchise Evolution & Consistency:
  • Stefan from New Brunswick delivers a full breakdown:
    • Human Jason: Parts II-III, a “dude in the woods.”
    • Supernatural Jason: By Part VI (struck by lightning), becomes an undead “zombie Terminator.”
    • Motivation: Initially avenges mother, later more a territorial sentry.
    • Quote (Stefan, 13:59): “Why stories that take him out of the lake, like especially part 8, don't quite work because it seems like he would just be killing anyone in his way to get back home instead of, like, hunting someone down.”
  • Face Reveals: Except for Part VII, every film does a face reveal, with wildly inconsistent design.
    • Quote (Paul, 15:41): “…it’s just wildly aggressively different. Age, height, body, eyes. Wild. All right. Scary.”
  • Toned-Down Violence: Studio fatigue w/ the MPAA led to gore “toned down from the beginning” in Part VIII.
    • Quote (Paul reading listener, Scary Mirage, 16:18): “Paramount routinely had fights with the MPAA… So for part eight, they decided to tone down the kills from the beginning.”
  • Fan Movie Pitches: “Developer tries to turn Camp Crystal Lake into condos; Jason fights back.”
    • Quote (Paul, 17:33): “Yes… Why not take it out of the kids and let's kill more adults.”
• Corrections Winner: Grudlin wins “Correction of the Week” for the “ki ki ki ma ma ma” origins tidbit.

Adam Pally Interview Highlights

[25:20–64:19]

Pally’s Comedy Roots & New Special

• Hybrid Comedy Special: Paul, Jason, and Adam discuss Adam’s HBO Max special, “An Intimate Evening with Adam Pal Finale,” a hybrid of stand-up, music, and storytelling, structured around his parents’ past as lounge singers.
  • Quote (Paul, 28:37): “…the one thing that seemed to be the common denominator in hearing about this show was this revelation that you have at the very beginning… that your parents were lounge singers.”
  • Quote (Adam, 28:37): “…they started their band Pally and Pal… my mother was at Hunter University… my father had already dropped out… so like, I’m going to say like 20 and 19.”
• Bit Comedy & Live Persona: They reflect on Adam’s reputation for commitment to bizarre, uncomfortable, sometimes “aggressive” bits—including a legendary bit where Adam collects money from the audience under false pretenses and never returns.
  • Quote (Paul, 36:16): “…you proceeded to collect money from the audience for… you basically do a pyramid scheme with the audience and then left with the money that you collected. And it is one of the fun… there was this just this vibe throughout the entire show… whoa.”
• On Ephemeral Art: Wide-ranging debate on “making something that feels alive”; the value and frustration of improv’s ephemeral nature.
  • Quote (Jason, 42:30): “Our chosen art form is ephemeral, you know…nobody sees it again.”
  • Quote (Adam, 42:48): “I mean, like, the audience for both those shows, probably 11 people… it was lightning, and it’s like, genius. But you don’t. But no one gets to… they take it with them in the feeling of it, and they try to recount it, but it, like, doesn’t hit the spot.”
• Comparing Stand-Up and Improv: Adam and the hosts discuss stand-up’s “rehearsed show” vs. the jam-band unpredictability and intimacy of improv and alternative comedy.
  • Quote (Adam, 45:42): “Even the best stand up comedians, that question is answered beforehand… because of the format, right?”
• Adam on Artistic Identity & Vulnerability:
  • Quote (Adam, 40:57): “I, again, like, I feel seen… I always need people to, like, do what I do. It’s. And sometimes that can be incredibly frustrating…”

Projects, Podcasts, and Life Musings

• Travel, Baking, and Podcasting:
  • Mention of Adam’s other projects—Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Edition (w/ June), “Staying Alive” wellness podcast with Jon Gabrus, travel show “101 Places to Party Before You Die.”
  • Baking Show Stress:
    • Quote (Adam, 54:01): “That was so fun and so stressful… you think it’s going to be casual… but then they’re extremely harsh about the judging, which hurts no matter what. Right?”
• On Wellness Culture:
  • The hosts wax philosophical about the billion-dollar wellness industry, mortality, and the “snake oil” of health products.
    • Quote (Adam, 57:29): “...everyone’s just scared of dying, which is so empathy. Like… that’s all it is. Everyone’s just so scared of dropping dead.”
    • Quote (Jason, 60:31): "[Billionaires] want to be loved across the board and immortal."
  • Paul’s advice on diets: “Just exercise a little bit and try to have a little restraint… you don’t have to go full on anything.”
• Male Friendship in Media:
  • Jason highlights Pally and Gabrus' celebration of friendship, both in podcast and travel show formats, as antidotes to the “male loneliness epidemic.”
    • Quote (Jason, 61:52): "We talk all the time right now about like, oh, loneliness epidemic. Men have no friends. Men don't know how to have friends. You and Gabris are so effortlessly demonstrating male friendship in a way that is so fun…”

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Paul (02:21): “You all are the best. We love you and we'll never murder you on a boat when you are just trying to get it on.”
• Caller (09:39): “Part eight Jason that you can play as, you get enhanced teleportation. So, yes, he can teleport in that movie.”
• Lee (11:36): “…Maybe that's what Jason is. Maybe he is a Deadite from the Evil Dead movies.”
• Adam (36:16): “[You] proceeded to collect money from the audience for… a trial fund or, you know, for… you basically do a pyramid scheme… and then left with the money that you collected.”
• Jason (42:30): “Our chosen art form is ephemeral, you know…nobody sees it again.”
• Adam (54:01): “That was so fun and so stressful… you think it’s going to be casual… but then they’re extremely harsh about the judging, which hurts no matter what. Right?”
• Adam (57:29): “…everyone’s just scared of dying… that’s all it is. Everyone’s just so scared of dropping dead.”
• Jason (61:52): “You and Gabris are so effortlessly demonstrating male friendship in a way that is so fun…”

Timestamps of Major Segments

• [02:21] Community/Listener Shout-outs & Announcements
• [06:16–20:26] Corrections & Omissions: Friday the 13th Part VIII Lore, Listener Calls
  • [09:39] Jason’s Teleportation debate
  • [11:36] Jason as a Deadite Theory
  • [13:59] Stefan’s Franchise Evolution Breakdown
  • [15:41] On Face Reveals and Series Inconsistency
  • [16:18] Toned-down violence/MPAA influence
  • [17:33] Jason Protects the Lake (Fan Movie Pitch)
• [25:20] Adam Pally Interview & Just Chill Segment
  • [28:37] On family as lounge singers – roots of new comedy special
  • [36:16] Legendary “pyramid scheme” bit anecdote
  • [42:30] Philosophical discussion: improvised comedy vs. stand-up
  • [54:01] Baking show stress and reality TV antics
  • [57:29] Male friendship, health/wellness, cultural critiques
  • [61:52] On male friendship and travel shows
• [64:19] Outro, Announcement for Next Movie: John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars

Next Up on HDTGM…

[64:19]

• Announcement for next week’s film: John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars (2001), starring Jason Statham, Ice Cube, and Natasha Henstridge. Paul teases his excitement and shares both the film’s summary and a critical quote regarding its infamy.

Tone and Style

The episode exemplifies the signature HDTGM mix: giddy pop-culture nerdery, comedic riffs, deep community engagement, and surprising moments of real vulnerability and sincerity (especially in Adam Pally's anecdotes and the hosts' reflections on art, parenting, and friendship). The warmth between the hosts, guest, and their audience is palpable throughout.

For New Listeners & Superfans Alike

This "Last Looks" episode offers not only a nerdy education in the Friday the 13th franchise’s wacky lore but also a heartfelt meditation on comedy, collaboration, and creative risk, as filtered through the hilarious and honest lens of Paul, Jason, and Adam Pally.

Listen to This If You…

• Love the HDTGM community and their approach to fan-sourced content.
• Want to hear fresh, insightful, often hilarious takes on horror classics and 80s/90s franchises.
• Are fascinated by the behind-the-scenes artistry of live comedy, improv, and the making of alternative specials.
• Need a reminder that even in comedy, there’s room for earnestness, vulnerability, and genuine connection.