The second worst-reviewed entry in a timeless horror franchise still receiving praise is the shock of the century

The trick to maintaining longevity in a flashy horror franchise is the process of filmmakers constantly reinventing the narrative and upping the ante. And as timeless as the Friday the 13th franchise is, that’s certainly not to say that the film series hasn’t produced its fair share of cinematic duds. This is essentially the case for 1989’s Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan — a mind-melting slasher extravaganza which follows antagonist Jason Voorhees as he stalks his victims in New York City.

Directed by Rob Hedden and starring Friday superstar Kane Hodder, it’s definitely no major surprise to learn that Jason Takes Manhattan holds with a lackluster 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes — making the film the second worst-reviewed entry in the franchise, with only Friday the 13th Part III ranking worse at just 7%.

But despite the movie’s obvious flaws and weaknesses — and there are plenty of them — Redditors over on the r/horror platform certainly weren’t shy in their act of showering the project in golden praise. From some users calling the film their favorite in the franchise to others simply hailing it as an outright great movie, it’s a wonder how a film which scored so badly in the eyes of critics is still receiving a warm hug.

Then again, when you consider the fact that the Friday the 13th series is one of the most popular in the history of the horror genre, with its own Peacock show in development, it makes sense as to why horror fanatics continue to latch on to each movie — despite the handful of duds.