The final time Jason Voorhees graced the display screen, Barack Obama had simply taken workplace as president, Michael Jackson was nonetheless alive, and Scream and Evil Dead have been solely trilogies.
Lots has modified since 2009, however the demand for a brand new Friday the thirteenth film has solely grown extra fervent over the previous 16 years. At lengthy final, the person behind the masks is again… with an asterisk.
The horror icon returns in Sweet Revenge, a brief movie from Jason Universe — the not too long ago launched multi-platform enlargement of the Friday the thirteenth franchise spearheaded by rights holders Horror Inc. — produced at the side of Angry Orchard.
It’s no shock that the preliminary announcement was met with skepticism, because the vignette may have been little greater than a cynical money seize. With a 15-minute runtime, nevertheless, the undertaking is extra substantial than the glorified industrial many feared it will be, and the arduous cider’s integration isn’t any extra egregious than your common film product placement.
Paramount to Sweet Revenge‘s success is the filmmaker on the helm. Writer-director Mike P. Nelson — who beforehand rebooted Wrong Turn in a refreshing approach, did among the most fascinating work in V/H/S/85, and has a remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night coming later this yr — drew from a lifetime of slasher fandom to ship a love letter to Friday the thirteenth.
Reminiscent of the prologue to 2009’s Friday the thirteenth reboot, Sweet Revenge streamlines the summer season camp slasher method right into a fast-paced vignette that leaves you wanting extra. A gaggle of mates — Eve (Ally Ioannides, “Into the Badlands”), Dana (Natassia Wakey), Kyle (Toussaint Morrison, V/H/S/85), and Troy (Tim James White) — hire a cabin within the woods by Crystal Lake, and it’s not lengthy earlier than Jason strikes.
Nelson doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel, however the contemporary spin he provides to the lore has the potential to reinvigorate the franchise transferring ahead. Although there are some Easter eggs sprinkled all through, he doesn’t waste time on low cost fan service. Instead, the manufacturing is imbued with the spirit of a classic Friday film that feels extra natural than the numerous fan movies which have tried to fill the void lately.
Production values are robust all through. Shot by Nelson’s common cinematographer Nick Junkersfeld (Wrong Turn, V/H/S/85), even the lighting evokes the Nineteen Eighties Friday installments, the place you’ll be able to truly see what’s taking place at evening within the pale blue moonlight. Composers Matthew Compton (Palm Springs, The Last Stop in Yuma County) and Michelangelo Rodriguez totally embrace the textured orchestral scores of Harry Manfredini.
Presented as one thing of an city legend, with the realm’s troubled previous alluded to with none specifics, Jason is performed with menace by stunt coordinator Schuyler White (who beforehand portrayed a masked killer in Haunt). Not not like Derek Mears‘ ruthless tackle the character from 2009, this model of Jason harkens again to his early appearances as a lean killing machine reasonably than a hulking, undead monster.
In addition to his trusty machete, Jason’s signature inventiveness with weaponry is on show with the likes of an outboard motor and an apple corer. The kills are, gleefully, achieved with sensible particular results courtesy of Ryan Schaddelee (Wrong Turn, I Am Not a Serial Killer) and Beki Ingram (Tusk, The Strangers: Prey at Night).
Jason’s new masks, designed partly by particular results legend Greg Nicotero (whose KNB EFX Group labored on Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday), has been condemned by followers since its reveal. While criticisms like eye holes being too sq. and a prime chevron resembling a unibrow could appear petty to informal viewers, they’re validated by 45 years of historical past during which hardcore followers have invested.
I don’t place an excessive amount of significance on the look — that is coming from a man who loves Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers regardless of its bastardization of one other of horror’s different most iconic props — however Jason’s new masks appears to be like leaps and bounds higher in motion with cinematic lighting.
If you’re in a position to put aside your preconceived notions, Sweet Revenge is a promising step in the appropriate course that ought to restore any misplaced religion within the franchise. Beyond tiding viewers over till Peacock’s “Crystal Lake” prequel collection, the vignette begs for enlargement. With Sweet Revenge as his calling card, Nelson is a robust contender to helm Jason’s long-awaited return to the massive display screen.
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