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13 Facts about ‘Jason Takes Manhattan’

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While the name is a bit misleading, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, did indeed take the infamous killer Jason Voorhees out of Crystal Lake and into a new killing territory.  Unfortunately we don’t get to see the hockey mask wearing, machete wielding killer stalk around the Big Apple until the last act of the film.

When we do see him in all of his glory in Times Square it is a magical shot.  To see the timeless killer taken out of the woods he hunted in for seven movies and put in 1980’s New York into a sea of neon lights, taxi cabs, and punk music is surreal.  However, the change in scenery doesn’t faze Jason for long as he gets back to killing teenagers.

Whether you loved it or hated it, haven’t seen it since 1989 or just watched it yesterday, here are 13 things you may not have known about the film.

  1. During the first take when actor Kane Hodder initially kicks the street punks boom box in Time Square his foot gets stuck on it.
  2. When Jason comes across Rennie’s dog, Toby he was supposed to kick him in the script. Kane took the director aside and said he didn’t think it was in Jason’s character to do this, to which the director agreed and removed it from the script.
  3. The film’s working script title was “Ashes to Ashes” to hide from prying eyes they were doing another Friday the 13th movie, as well as to avoid fans interfering with filming. The fake script also renamed Jason to “Ethan.”
  4. The film was shot in seven US locations, but mostly in Vancouver, Canada.
  5. The trailer for part 8 made the audience believe the majority of the action took place in the Big Apple, not on a boat. While yes, the crew did go to New York to film the Time Square scene, the budget of $4 million was very limiting and the cost to film in NYC was too high.  When push came to shove most of their other scenes were filmed in Vancouver, Canada.  So in reality Jason took Vancouver.
  6. The original script called for a lot more Jason in Manhattan. Director Rob Hedden explained “The way I envisioned it for the first third of the movie we’d be on the boat, then we’d get to New York at the end of Act I.  Everything about New York was going to be completely exploited and milked.  There was going to be a tremendous scene on the Brooklyn Bridge, a boxing match in Madison Square Garden, Jason would go through department stores, Broadway plays.  He’d even crawl onto the top of the Statue of Liberty and dive off.”
  7. The director of Part 8 initially directed two episodes of Friday the 13th: The Series. Being impressed with his work on the television series the studio brought him on to direct Jason Takes Manhattan.
  8. As they were developing the story, newly appointed director Rob Hedden wanted to take Jason out of Crystal Lake and put him into a city.  At the time he had no specific city in mind. Executive Producer Frank Mancuso Jr. followed up with “Oh, Jason Takes Manhattan.”  Hedden explained he didn’t have a destination in mind, but if the Exec. Producer suggests Manhattan, then Manhattan Jason will go.  They then reversed engineered the movie around this idea.
  9. Elizabeth Berkley, Jessie from Saved by the Bell, initially auditioned for the lead role of Rennie, but the role eventually went to Jensen Daggett.
  10. Originally the script called for Rennie to have a nude scene to debunk the theory only “bad girls” in horror films took off their clothes. To Hedden’s surprise he could not talk Jensen Daggett into it, not even removing her blouse.  In fact the character of Rennie is perhaps the most clothed character in horror movie history, barely ever removing even her coat!
  11. Of course every Friday film does have to include some nudity, but when actress Sharlene Martin’s big moment came to get into the shower naked she was suddenly struck with old feet. To show her it was no big deal director Rob Hedden removed his clothes and stepped into the shower.  Little did he know the cameras were rolling and captured every nude moment.  Boy were the producers surprised the next day when they watched the previous day’s dailies!
  12. Friday the 13th 8: Jason Takes Manhattan had a final body count of 18 by Jason Voorhees.
  13. The initial poster for Part 8 was supposed to be Jason ripping through the heart of an “I Love NY” poster. In fact there were two versions, one with blood on the knife and one without in fear of the bloody knife being too graphic.  However, the New York Tourism Committee complained about the posters and a new concept was created.
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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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