‘Sweet Revenge’ – Jason’s Return Vignette Is Better Than You Might Have Expected [Review]

The last time Jason Voorhees graced the screen, Barack Obama had just taken office as president, Michael Jackson was still alive, and Scream and Evil Dead were only trilogies.

A lot has changed since 2009, but the demand for a new Friday the 13th movie has only grown more fervent over the past 16 years. At long last, the man behind the mask is back… with an asterisk.

The horror icon returns in Sweet Revenge, a short film from Jason Universe — the recently launched multi-platform expansion of the Friday the 13th franchise spearheaded by rights holders Horror Inc. — produced in conjunction with Angry Orchard.

It’s no surprise that the initial announcement was met with skepticism, as the vignette could have been little more than a cynical cash grab. With a 15-minute runtime, however, the project is more substantial than the glorified commercial many feared it would be, and the hard cider’s integration is no more egregious than your average movie product placement.

Paramount to Sweet Revenge‘s success is the filmmaker at the helm. Writer-director Mike P. Nelson — who previously rebooted Wrong Turn in a refreshing way, did some of the most interesting work in V/H/S/85, and has a remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night coming later this year — drew from a lifetime of slasher fandom to deliver a love letter to Friday the 13th.

Reminiscent of the prologue to 2009’s Friday the 13th reboot, Sweet Revenge streamlines the summer camp slasher formula into a fast-paced vignette that leaves you wanting more. A group of friends — Eve (Ally Ioannides, “Into the Badlands”), Dana (Natassia Wakey), Kyle (Toussaint Morrison, V/H/S/85), and Troy (Tim James White) — rent a cabin in the woods by Crystal Lake, and it’s not long before Jason strikes.

Nelson doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but the fresh spin he adds to the lore has the potential to reinvigorate the franchise moving forward. Although there are some Easter eggs sprinkled throughout, he doesn’t waste time on cheap fan service. Instead, the production is imbued with the spirit of a vintage Friday movie that feels more organic than the many fan films that have attempted to fill the void in recent years.

Production values are strong throughout. Shot by Nelson’s regular cinematographer Nick Junkersfeld (Wrong Turn, V/H/S/85), even the lighting evokes the 1980s Friday installments, where you can actually see what’s happening at night in the pale blue moonlight. Composers Matthew Compton (Palm Springs, The Last Stop in Yuma County) and Michelangelo Rodriguez fully embrace the textured orchestral scores of Harry Manfredini.

Presented as something of an urban legend, with the area’s troubled past alluded to without any specifics, Jason is played with menace by stunt coordinator Schuyler White (who previously portrayed a masked killer in Haunt). Not unlike Derek Mears‘ ruthless take on the character from 2009, this version of Jason harkens back to his early appearances as a lean killing machine rather than a hulking, undead monster.

In addition to his trusty machete, Jason’s signature inventiveness with weaponry is on display with the likes of an outboard motor and an apple corer. The kills are, gleefully, accomplished with practical special effects courtesy of Ryan Schaddelee (Wrong Turn, I Am Not a Serial Killer) and Beki Ingram (Tusk, The Strangers: Prey at Night).

Jason’s new mask, designed in part by special effects legend Greg Nicotero (whose KNB EFX Group worked on Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday), has been condemned by fans since its reveal. While criticisms like eye holes being too square and a top chevron resembling a unibrow may seem petty to casual viewers, they’re validated by 45 years of history in which hardcore fans have invested.

I don’t place a great deal of importance on the look — this is coming from a guy who loves Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers despite its bastardization of another of horror’s other most iconic props — but Jason’s new mask looks leaps and bounds better in action with cinematic lighting.

If you’re able to set aside your preconceived notions, Sweet Revenge is a promising step in the right direction that should restore any lost faith in the franchise. Beyond tiding viewers over until Peacock’s “Crystal Lake” prequel series, the vignette begs for expansion. With Sweet Revenge as his calling card, Nelson is a strong contender to helm Jason’s long-awaited return to the big screen.