How Did This Get Made?

Last Looks: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan w/ Adam Pally

October 24, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The 'Last Looks' segment featured listener corrections confirming that the original *Friday the 13th* movie's release date was retroactively added to the plot, and that Jason Voorhees' iconic 'ki ki ki, ma ma ma' sound motif was inspired by the *Jaws* score and Mrs. Voorhees' line, 'Kill her, Mommy.' 
  • Guest Adam Pally discussed his new HBO special, *An Intimate Evening with Adam Pally*, which explores his background as the son of former lounge singers and showcases his unique, unpredictable comedic style, including a memorable bit where he ran a Madoff-esque pyramid scheme on the audience. 
  • The hosts and guest agreed that the ephemeral nature of improv comedy contrasts with the fixed nature of stand-up specials, highlighting the unique value of live, unrepeatable moments, which Pally sought to capture in his new special. 
  • The conversation shifts from discussing the loneliness of extreme wealth (like Jeff Bezos) to praising Adam Pally's other work, specifically his HBO special and the male friendship dynamic in his travel show with Gabris, "101 Places to Party Before You Die." 
  • The participants highlight the difficulty and importance of normalizing conversations about health, restraint, and mortality, especially for middle-aged men, contrasting this with the often snake-oily nature of the diet industry. 
  • The next movie announced for the *How Did This Get Made?* podcast is John Carpenter's *Ghosts of Mars* (2001), which is available to stream on platforms like The Roku Channel and the Criterion Channel. 

Segments

Podcast Ad Reads
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Advertisements promoted Claude AI for research, The Home Depot for holiday lights, and Microperfumes for luxury scent sampling.
  • Summary: Claude AI is advertised as a thinking partner for researching production history and context behind films. The Home Depot promoted its warm white holiday lights with steady lit technology. Microperfumes offers authentic designer scents in travel sprays without a subscription requirement.
Last Looks Theme and Intro
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(00:01:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘Last Looks’ theme song references Jason’s teleportation and Adam Pally crying, setting the tone for corrections regarding Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
  • Summary: Host Paul Scheer welcomed listeners to the ‘Last Looks’ segment focusing on Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Listener-submitted theme music by Mark Granger was featured. The segment is dedicated to addressing listener feedback and corrections on the main episode.
Listener Corrections on Friday the 13th Lore
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(00:05:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Listeners corrected the hosts regarding the Friday the 13th franchise, confirming the first film’s date reference was added in post-production, and clarifying the origin of Jason’s ‘kiki kiki’ sound motif.
  • Summary: A listener confirmed that the reference to Friday the 13th in the first film was added in post-production, likely because the film was released on May 9th, not the actual date. Another listener detailed that Jason’s sound motif (‘kiki kiki mama ma mama’) was inspired by John Williams’ Jaws motif and the line ‘Killer Mommy’ from Mrs. Voorhees.
Corrections on ‘Take Manhattan’ and Jason’s Powers
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(00:08:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The phrase ‘I’ll take Manhattan’ predates The Muppets’ use in 1984, dating back to 1925 jazz standards, and Jason’s teleportation ability is canonized in the 2017 video game.
  • Summary: A correction noted that the phrase ‘I’ll take Manhattan’ is a standard dating back to 1925, not originating with The Muppets’ 1984 film. A caller confirmed that the Friday the 13th video game grants Part VIII Jason enhanced teleportation powers. The caller also shared that the director of Friday the 13th Part VI originally wanted a Cheech and Chong crossover.
Jason’s Nature and Weaknesses Breakdown
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(00:11:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The theory that Jason Voorhees is a Deadite from The Evil Dead franchise is supported by the planned but unmade Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash crossover script, and Jason’s powers evolve from human to zombie-like by Part VI.
  • Summary: A listener proposed Jason might be a Deadite, citing the appearance of the Necronomicon in Jason Goes to Hell and the planned Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash crossover. Another listener provided a timeline of Jason’s abilities, noting he is a human in early films, becomes a lightning-struck ghoul by Part VI, and is territorial, making his appearance in Jason Takes Manhattan an anomaly.
Jason’s Inconsistent Look and Kill Censorship
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(00:15:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The Friday the 13th franchise exhibits extreme visual inconsistency across films, and Paramount toned down gore in Jason Takes Manhattan to avoid fighting the MPAA, resulting in Jason using the dull side of his machete.
  • Summary: Listeners pointed out the shocking visual inconsistency of Jason’s appearance across the franchise, which is worth viewing on social media. Paramount chose to preemptively tone down the gore in Jason Takes Manhattan to secure an R rating without further cuts. An error in the film shows Jason cutting a captain’s throat with the dull side of his machete.
Tour Dates and Live Show Promotion
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(00:03:57)
  • Key Takeaway: The How Did This Get Made? podcast announced upcoming live shows in Philadelphia (featuring Law Abiding Citizen) and New York (featuring Monkey Bone), alongside promoting the Dinosaur Improv tour.
  • Summary: The podcast is touring, with a Philadelphia show covering Law Abiding Citizen and a New York show covering Monkey Bone. Dinosaur Improv, featuring many comedians from popular shows, is touring Boston, D.C., and New York, offering unique, audience-driven improv shows.
Adam Pally Interview Begins
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(00:23:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Pally, known for Happy Endings and Sonic the Hedgehog, joins the show to discuss his new HBO special, An Intimate Evening with Adam Pally, and his background.
  • Summary: Adam Pally is introduced as a fan favorite guest, known for his work on Happy Endings and Sonic the Hedgehog. Paul Scheer praised Pally’s new HBO special for being unique and combining stand-up, bits, and musical homage. Pally shared that his son plays defensive line in football and is leading a play in New York City.
Adam Pally’s Parents’ Music Career
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(00:27:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Pally’s parents were lounge singers named Pally and Pal, who lived in the subsidized artist community of Stuyvesantown before his father returned to medical school at age 33.
  • Summary: Pally revealed his parents started their band while his mother was in college, living in Stuyvesantown due to an artist subsidy. His father eventually quit music to attend medical school at 33, leading the family to move to Chicago and later New Jersey. This background forms a core element of Pally’s new comedy special.
Pally’s Unreliable Narrator Persona
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(00:38:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Pally’s comedy is characterized by his commitment to being a deeply unreliable narrator who constantly sets up and undoes himself, a trait exemplified by a past bit where he collected money from an audience as Bernie Madoff’s son.
  • Summary: Scheer praised Pally’s ability to create unique, live-feeling comedy that resists the fixed nature of traditional stand-up. Pally’s special captures the feeling of a jam band concert where the set list is unknown until the moment. The hosts noted Pally’s tendency to commit fully to mischievous, unpredictable bits.
Pally’s Baking Show Stress and Podcast
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(00:52:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Pally found The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Halloween Edition intensely stressful due to harsh judging and numerous production rules, contrasting with his more relaxed health podcast, Staying Alive.
  • Summary: Pally admitted that The Great American Baking Show was stressful, empathizing with June Diane’s reported anxiety over the harsh judging and complex rules, including cooking outdoors. His podcast, Staying Alive with Gabris, offers a lighter approach to health and wellness, featuring both experts and fellow comedians.
Loneliness of Extreme Wealth
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(00:58:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Extreme wealth does not eliminate existential loneliness, as demonstrated by the example of the older man at the Jeff Bezos wedding.
  • Summary: The speaker posits that even immense wealth cannot prevent moments of profound loneliness, referencing a scene from The White Lotus and the Jeff Bezos wedding as examples. Historically, extreme wealth allowed retreat from society, but now billionaires seek popularity and validation through public displays of wealth on social media. This behavior suggests a desire to outrun their past selves and achieve immortality through popularity.
Critique of Health Industry Fads
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(01:00:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Many health industry solutions, like restrictive diets, are inherently flawed because they demand total life overhaul rather than promoting simple restraint and exercise.
  • Summary: The podcast often reveals the snake-oily nature of the health industry, particularly concerning fad diets. The speaker suggests that sustainable health comes from basic principles like moderate exercise and restraint, not extreme, all-consuming lifestyle changes. These restrictive programs are often built to fail, leading individuals to fall back to previous habits.
Praise for Male Friendship Content
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(01:01:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Pally’s travel show with Gabris, 101 Places to Party Before You Die, is lauded as an effortless demonstration of male friendship addressing the modern loneliness epidemic.
  • Summary: The How Did This Get Made? hosts are praised for making expert discussions approachable by framing them through the lens of two regular guys trying to figure things out, contrasting with standard interview formats. Pally’s travel show is highlighted as excellent content because it showcases genuine male friendship, which is often lacking in contemporary media discussions about male isolation. This normalizing of open conversation about health and friendship is considered a positive contribution.
Next Movie Announcement
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(01:03:56)
  • Key Takeaway: The next film to be dissected on How Did This Get Made? is John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars (2001), which holds a low 23% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
  • Summary: The next movie selected is John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, starring Jason Statham and Ice Cube, set 200 years in the future on Mars where a police unit encounters possessed inhabitants. A critical review from Entertainment Weekly described the film as having a “prepubescent understanding of horror,” though the hosts express excitement to discuss the movie despite its poor reception. The film is available to stream on The Roku Channel, Criterion Channel, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime.