Jason Voorhees Racked Up 150+ Kills, but Kane Hodder Refused to Kick a Dog in Friday the 13th Part VIII

The intimidating, seemingly unkillable, hockey-mask-wearing Jason Voorhees has committed a high body count, accumulating more than 150 victims (!). Now, that’s a lot for one person capable of such heinous acts throughout the Friday the 13th franchise. From the second movie onwards in 1981, Jason has done everything imaginable to kill his victims.

Friday the 13th has rolled around again, and with Peacock’s prequel series Crystal Lake now streaming, Jason is back in the media, which makes this the perfect moment to revisit the one thing his most prolific actor flat-out refused to do on screen.

This includes throat-slitting and slashing, chopping a body vertically in half, squeezing one’s head with bare hands until eyeballs dislodge from their sockets, ripping a heart out of the chest, and even punching a person’s head so hard that it falls off his body. Kane Hodder, who was the first actor to play Jason Voorhees in four movies straight, beginning with Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood in 1988, and right down to Jason X in 2001, is easily one of the most recognizable actors in the horror genre.

Standing tall at around 6’2”, he has a distinctly imposing figure that made Jason Voorhees such an iconic horror character. Being a veteran stuntman himself, Hodder proves to be extremely committed to his physically demanding role. At one point, he even went as far as performing a daring stunt, where his character was set on fire in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood and ended up holding a then-record-breaking feat for the longest uninterrupted full-body fire burn on screen in Hollywood history.

Jason Takes Manhattan: Jason Voorhees Leaves Crystal Lake for the Big City

Hodder, who reprised his role for the second time in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, the eighth installment in the film series, seems promising. This is especially true with the idea of having Jason Voorhees in a different environment for a change, specifically the city of Manhattan. The good news is that the movie does take place in the aforementioned city, but since Rob Hedden – in his feature directorial debut – only had a measly $5 million-plus budget at his disposal, it’s obvious that filming a slasher movie in such a highly populated location would have cost a lot more.

So, the part where Jason finally ended up in Manhattan only occurred in the final 30 minutes or so, with the earlier scenes prominently taking place aboard the SS Lazarus cruise ship en route from Crystal Lake to New York City. Despite the potential, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is pretty much a missed opportunity (Rotten Tomatoes: 8%), as Hedden relies heavily on a been-there, done-that slasher formula. And the biggest sin of all? The kills and even the graphic violence are surprisingly toned down, to the point that most of them are curiously filmed off-screen.

It doesn’t help either that Hedden made the odd choice to incorporate Metropolis’s power ballad (!) “The Darkest Side of the Night” in the opening credits, which sounds like it shouldn’t belong in a Friday the 13th movie in the first place. Still, given its low budget, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan managed to gross $14.3 million domestically. While it may look like it reaped a sizable profit, it was considered a box-office disappointment for a slasher movie based on the popular horror franchise released during the prime summer slot in July 1989.

Why Kane Hodder Refused to Kick a Dog in Jason Takes Manhattan

By comparison, the first seven Friday the 13th movies did better financially, grossing between $19 million and $39.8 million domestically. For Hodder, even for a movie that suffers from a backlash, particularly over the false advertising surrounding the movie’s title, he remains committed as ever. And yet, he has set himself a limit regarding how his character should be portrayed on screen. While filming Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Hedden wanted him to kick a barking dog during a scene that would be on camera.

Hodder didn’t feel comfortable about it, going so far as to stand his ground after telling Hedden that he would not harm a dog. Hedden agreed not to do the scene and scrapped it altogether. It helps that this was only his second outing as Jason, which he has said gave him enough clout to push back. Now, for portraying such a vicious serial killer, Jason Voorhees has a conscience after all, and that is, hurting an innocent animal is strictly a no-no in the eyes of Kane Hodder.

Want more slasher face-offs? See why Michael Myers beats Freddy and Jason for one specific reason, or browse more horror news and features.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is available to stream on Paramount+ and AMC+ in the US, and for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video, plus Fandango at Home (availability via JustWatch).