Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan - Reception - Critical Response

Critical Response

On his commentary track for the film in the box set, director Rob Hedden acknowledges the faults and even agrees that more of the film should have been set in Manhattan, citing budgetary and schedule problems. The film failed to generate a substantial amount of money at the box office, which continued the decline in grosses the series had been suffering, and Paramount sold the franchise to New Line Cinema soon afterward, and they would later distribute the 2009 reboot together. Rotten Tomatoes details that only 10% of the critics who reviewed the film gave it positive reviews, making it the poorest-received film of the series. It holds an average score of 3.9/10. Entertainment Weekly labeled it the eighth-worst sequel ever made. However, Leonard Maltin gave it a two star rating and called it "The best in the Friday series"

Part of the film's appeal was the idea of setting Jason, a psychopathic killer, loose in 1980s New York, which was both crime-ridden and noted for its colorful method of deterioration (e.g. the garish nature of Times Square, complete with streetwalkers and drug dealers openly selling their wares, porno theaters, and graffiti, gangs, and homeless panhandlers contributing to the anti-social nature of the city). This notion was the idea of Jason both fitting right in in Manhattan and also a bit of Paul Kersey/Death Wish desire for a killer to cleanse New York of its crime. However, as reviews made clear, 90% of the film does not take place anywhere in Manhattan, and Jason's few interactions in Manhattan are limited to cast members from Crystal Lake and a few shots of docks and sewers.