There’s a new Jason movie! Well, kind of. It’s a short film titled “Sweet Revenge” and it stands as our first official look at the new iteration of our beloved homicidal hockey mask wearing slasher. At least that’s what I’ve read from confusing reports across several horror movie sites, which attempt to explain why this short movie was created in the first place. I’m at a loss when it comes to figuring out the reason, but since it seems to be our first look at Jason in this new Friday the 13th world, I thought it would be appropriate to watch and give my two cents. Hell, the entire thing is less than fifteen minutes long. How bad could it really be?
The best way I can describe this reboot is as if someone filmed a Jason movie in one day using a phone for all the shots, and their closest friends as the cast. The intro itself set the stage for a sour taste in my mouth, with an immediate rehash of everything we’ve seen from these movies’ openings time and time again: young people driving to a campsite. To make matters worse, the use of 80s music and fonts on the intro tries to date the film to that period, despite the modern timeline. Then we stumble on yet another cliché, the creepy older guy who’s there for exposition and perving on all the girlies. At this point, I started to wonder if these filmmakers just wanted to stroke their own egos by recreating the same scenes we’ve seen a million times before, or if they truly cared about making a fresh entry into this cherished franchise.
The sound design was abysmal as well, with many of the musical cues coming in and out at awkward times, and overtly creepy music used to force an eerie vibe. Not to mention the abuse of such a sacred sound effect, you know the one I’m talking about, the one everyone thinks of when they think of Jason Voorhees. The original sound was a play on the original film saying “Kill her Mommy,” which turned into “Ki-ma” or “Ki-ki-ki-ma-ma-ma.” I’m not sure if these filmmakers were even aware of that, but you’d assume they would at least do their research or have someone in production mention it before creating a new effect of “CHH CHH CHH AHH AHH AHH,” which totally abandons the subtle intent of its catchy predecessor.
As for the kills and thrills, they were surprisingly entertaining. Jason had some great moments popping out of nowhere, and there were some really solid death scenes throughout the short span. The use of the boat motor was a great set piece, capped off by a lovely little ninja toss of a propeller blade to finish off one of his last victims. I also found it hilarious that one of the bodies was cut in half and hung neatly on a clothesline outside. I’m aware Jason has his fair share of absurd kills, but imagining him taking his sweet time to neatly hang these body parts with clothespins is just downright hilarious. All that aside, there was one aspect of this little movie that I absolutely loved more than anything else it had to offer.
The first girl to get attacked by Jason becomes a sort of zombie-type character who cannot be killed, and later poses a challenge to Jason before the movie ends. This was a brilliant use of something fresh we have yet to see on the big screen, and I truly hope they explore it in whatever iteration comes next. Granted, you’d imagine Jason could just as easily cut her head off and leave her to rot in the woods, but he’s been bested by many with and without any supernatural abilities before. So this could be up there with part seven in terms of pinning Jason against someone who might not match him in sheer terrifying undead ability, but could surely give him a run for his money.
Whichever path the franchise takes from here, I hope it is one filled with fresh ideas to keep our curiosity in check. The majority of this short film was just boring rehashed plot points we’ve seen too many times to count. If the studio’s plan is to generate as much interest as possible, taking a fresh approach might be the best way to keep fans both old and new coming back for more machete-driven mayhem in the future. Oh, and there is one tiny detail that needs to be addressed as well.
Jason looks terrible. Almost as if someone broke into a Spirit Halloween and stole one of those knockoff costumes labeled “Hockey Mask Killer” to film his scenes. He was not intimidating, creepy, or downright dreadful to look at, as he has been in prior films. Even the Platinum Dunes remake from 2009 gave us a more imposing Jason. So that is another major element that needs to be addressed before they continue whatever it is they plan to do next. It could be worse, I suppose. At least they aren’t sending Jason into outer space again! Even so, I would prefer to watch that movie over this one, which speaks volumes about just how much work is needed to successfully satisfy Friday the 13th fans and slasher enthusiasts.
