MovieChat Forums > Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) Discussion > The inlet where the ship is docked is NO...

The inlet where the ship is docked is NOT Crystal Lake

posted 5 years ago by Wuchak (8453)
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This installment reveals that a fairly large river flows from Crystal Lake to an inlet with access to the ocean. The yacht in the beginning, wherein the couple are slain, drifts down the river to the bay where the ship is docked. This is how Jason inconspicuously reaches the inlet and proceeds to board the vessel.

If there’s any doubt about this -- due to the mistaken claim that the docking inlet IS Crystal Lake -- pay close attention to what the doom-prophesying deckhand says later on.

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[–] Chloe (127) 5 years ago

Well the established location of Crystal Lake throughout the series is New Jersey, so I guess in theory it's plausible that a body of water inland could be connected the ocean via a river. But in reality, are there any examples of lakes in New Jersey with rivers heading east to the Atlantic? I'm not so sure...

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[–] Wuchak (8453) 5 years ago

A nearby example -- on a larger scale -- would be the Hudson River, which starts with Rich Lake, Belden Lake & Harris Lake 200 miles north of Upper Bay. There are smaller examples in New Jersey with the river sometimes being more like a large creek. A good example is Lake Solitude and the Raritan River, which flows into Raritan Bay.

So, yes, Part VIII's fictional depiction of Crystal Lake and its corresponding river has validity in the real world.

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[–] Chloe (127) 5 years ago

Ah thank you, that is good to know. My knowledge of North East USA's geography is lacking to say the least.

I guess it seems ridiculous to suddenly discover Crystal Lake is connected to the ocean when you consider how small it's portrayed in some of the earlier movies in the series. But it's nice to know it's not as crazy a concept as people seem to suggest it is.

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[–] Wuchak (8453) 5 years ago

As I'm sure you know, the various writers made-it-up as they went along. Up until the conception of Part VIII there was no river that flowed from Crystal Lake to the ocean. But, then again, no one ever suggested there wasn't either.

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[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7596) 5 years ago

I don't really care since the Lake changes so dang much through out the series. We go from a large lake with nothing but forrests around it with the exception of a good deck, to a Lake that has an entire beach with sand. The 3rd Part isn't even taking place at Camp Crystal Lake but just some farm that has a good sized pond. Part 4 sort of goes back to being similar to the lake as it was in the first one. Part 6 has the lake being a bit smaller but still somewhat good in size. Then Part 7 somehow the lake has shrunk to the size of a small pond. Then Part 8 goes back to it not only being large, but to it being connected to a river which goes against how it's portrayed in all the other movies. I guess my point in this is that the lake changes quite a bit through out the series.

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[–] Wuchak (8453) 5 years ago

As pointed out elsewhere on this thread, the various writers made-it-up as the series progressed.

The changes in Crystal Lake can also be traced to the locations used for filming, which comprise the span of USA & Canada. The first film was of course shot in rural northwestern New Jersey (the townships of Hardwick, Blairstown & Hope). Other locations are as follows:

Connecticut (II & IX)
Southern California (III, IV & V, as well as the wharf/alley scenes in VIII)
Georgia (VI)
Alabama (VII)
British Columbia (VIII & XI)
New York City (VIII)
Toronto (X & XI)
Texas (XII)

As you pointed out, a couple entries didn't even use Crystal Lake, like Part III and Part V.

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[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7596) 5 years ago

What is Part 11? I assume you mean Freddy Vs. Jason?

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[–] Wuchak (8453) 5 years ago

Yes.

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[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7596) 5 years ago

So Freddy Vs. Jason was filmed in 2 different places?

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[–] Wuchak (8453) 5 years ago

It was primarily shot in British Columbia, but Toronto is also listed, which I'm assuming would be studio stuff/possibly interiors (and maybe reshoots, if there were any).

Part VIII was also primarily shot in British Columbia, but there are at least establishing shots of Manhattan/Times Square. I'm not sure if the Big City sequence in the last act was actually shot in Times Square -- which would be expensive -- or if they faked it in Vancouver. It looks like Times Square. The alley way & wharf scenes were actually shot in Los Angeles.

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[–] Chloe (127) 5 years ago

I think the 'pond' in Part 3 was still meant to be Crystal Lake. They just did a really poor job of making it look convincing!

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