Never Hike Alone

Not that you'd know by the cover but Never Hike Alone is a Friday 13th fan film, in fact it's hard to believe since the whole thing looks so darn professional.

It tells the story of a guy making a video for his social media site, he's travelling through the forest and comes across the remnants of an all too familiar camp. Before he knows it he's being pursued by everyones favorite hockey mask wearing psychopath.

Now again let's be clear this doesn't look like a fan film and if you didn't know better could almost be confused with being an actual entry into the franchise.

Standing at around the 50 minute mark with fantastic production quality and including the return of Tommy Jarvis (Played by franchise alumni Thom Mathews) this is very impressive.

As much as I like Jason I've tended to find the Friday 13th series quite underwhelming. For the most part I've never thought they were bad, just not as monumental as most believe themselves. This however is very respectable and I'd love to see the creators get their hands on funds to make a feature movie (Even if it is about Jason).

The cast do a solid job, it's well scored and I'd consider it essential viewing for fans of the franchise.

The Good:

Looks and sounds considerably too good to be a "Fan film"

The Bad:

Jason was far too small

Weak ending

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Recording yourself breaking the law and then uploading it onto your social media page for the world to see makes perfect sense

We need more chokeslams through tables in the movies

Very surprised at how good this fan film is!!! This is well wrote, shot, edited, directed & acted!!! I have seen some other fan films & this is the only one that is a top notch film!!! Me personally, I think this is better than the franchise movies from part 7 on!! Anyone out there wanting to do their own fan film, watch this one first & see how to do it!! I say this because I watched Return To Crystal Lake before I watched this movie & the first was nothing but a joke!! It's like they just threw together some people and filled in the blanks with those people while filming Return!! That is a very poorly done film!!! Again guys, very well done on Never Hike Alone!!!

Going into this knowing it was a fan made story and shortened I was sure what to expect but it delivered on a fun way of rediscovering the camp. There were plenty of throwback moments and details that made the wandering around the camp suspenseful and the movie does a great job building until Jason arrives.

The lead actor does a good job making you feel the emotion and keeping the tension up. Once Jason is there we get all the things we love about Friday the 13th movies. The interaction and battle between Jason and the lead were good and kept you in the moment.

The ending falls a little short for me and almost feels out of place compared to the explore and survive that the first 45 minutes did a wonderful job storytelling. There is a cool throwback in the final minutes that fans will love but unfortunately I think it actually takes away from how good the first 45 had been.

If your fan of Friday the 13th movies definitely check this one out and remember if you find yourself at Camp Blood "Run!"

This is super unique. I love the concept, and it would have been nice to see the official franchise move in this direction instead of always playing it safe and having a group of 6 or 7 caricatures to kill off. We have a single character, so it's easy to identify with him and genuinely get scared when he's in danger.

That's one of the main reasons this movie works, our feelings of empathy with the protagonist, feeling scared when he's scared, relieved when he's safe, anxious when the tension is building. This film might have been made on a shoestring budget but they put their all into it. Jason is massive, a truly horror invoking presence, and the chase and slash episodes really feel dangerous and painful and destructive; the way the camera moves with and against the actors, the way they move on screen.

This movie is, at the end of the day, just a fan tribute to the slasher series. There isn't much more than chase and hiding scenes after the setting is established. But really, isn't that the way all of the F13 films are? Isn't that one of the reasons we love them so much? It is clear (especially in the incredible end scenes) that the filmmakers made this movie out of a genuine love for the Friday franchise, and it shows in their work. Despite being made on a very low budget and with workers who are inexperienced, this was genuinely a really fun movie. And when taken as part of the F13 entity, it's not only fun, but good as well. When you love what you do, it shines through.

Oh yeah, also the mask looks effing great.

Wow! I have seen a few "fan films" and they can often be fun but amateurish. This flick manages to set the bar very high for any fan films that may follow. If you're a fan of the franchise then you will love this well-made addition. It might not be perfect but it has more heart than a lot of horror movies coming out of Hollywood and deserves accolades. For Jason's sake....give this man a feature film!!