Just when you think all avenues have been explored in the Friday the 13th franchise, a creative mind comes along and shows the world that Jason Voorhees still has a pulse.
Despite an ill-fated attempt at a revival in 2009, it appeared Jason offed his last group of teenage campers and disappeared into the woods forever. That is until Womp Stomp Films came along with a crowd-funded fan film and breathed new life into a series that lost its focus along the way. Never Hike Alone returns us to Camp Crystal Lake with a refreshing look at the iconic series in this inventive, found footage style fan film. A film beautifully shot, raising the bar for all future fan films.
Conventionally, found footage films are an easy way for the movie industry to churn out movies at lower cost with the potential for greater profitability, and I am not a fan of the style. However, Never Hike Alone gets it right. The opening scene, reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s opening in The Shining, and the use of extreme isolation to escalate tension within the story is very effective and shows the filmmakers are true students of filmmaking. The Easter eggs hidden throughout prove that the creators did their homework on the F13 series.
After Womp Stomp released a teaser trailer, a successful Kickstarter campaign funded the project that became Never Hike Alone. Written by Vincente DiSanti, who also dons the iconic hockey mask, it stars Drew Leighty, Kati Schwartz, and Robert DuBois, with a cameo appearance by Thom Mathews. As F13 fans may remember, Thom Mathews played the older Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, the adult version of the role introduced by Corey Feldman in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Never Hike Alone follows a lone hiker who wanders into the deserted remains of Camp Crystal Lake while on a hiking trip. The film strays from the traditional F13 film in style and formula and does not have an increasing body count as it progresses. What it does have is suspense and a new look at an old character which future filmmakers should take note of. Running approximately 53 minutes, this film gets us from point A to point B without the filler.
If you are a fan of the original series, you will love the direction the filmmakers have explored with new concepts within this classic slasher series. I can only imagine what could have been accomplished if their budget was greater. Hopefully, Hollywood is paying attention and we find out soon.
So grab a snack, turn off the lights and click on the link of the full-length feature below – it will not disappoint.
WARNING: CONTAINS LANGUAGE 