Never Hike Alone

(This film was featured at the Third Annual Sin City Horror Fest.)

Say the phrase "fan film", and usually it's enough to inspire cringing and lots of eye-rolling responses, especially when they're as awful as they can possibly get. But good news! NEVER HIKE ALONE isn't one of them!

A pleasant diversion from the recent legal SNAFUS entangling the FRIDAY franchise, director Di Santi's "love letter to Jason Voorhees" stars DREW LEIGHTY as social media sensation "Kyle McLeod", whose specialty is taking on the Great Outdoors, and photographing his adventures for his fans in real time. His latest hike takes him into uncharted territory, where he decides to cut his traveling time in half, through an area clearly marked with a "NO TRESSPASSING" sign. (There's Red Flag Numero UNO.) It gets really dicey, once he realizes that the actual place he's ventured into is...the spot where a certain camp was once located, and has been attached to some pretty gruesomely legendary stories...stories which he soon discovers were all too true.

With a minimal cast (including a franchise icon whom fans will love seeing), Di Santi manages to keep the suspense taut and gets maximum scares out of the scenario that don't feel cheap or unearned. He also does triple duty here, not just by writing and directing, but also by putting his own spin on Jason, in a way that other "Jason" actors (especially Kane Hodder) would gladly stamp with their 'Seal Of Approval'. And the ending implies a possible sequel...one I personally wouldn't mind seeing one little bit. New Line could do a lot worse than to give Vincente a shot at doing whatever the next installment in the franchise is...he's certainly proven himself with a film that excels beyond what normally passes for a "fan film".

While the official Friday the 13th movie set for release today was cancelled this is a worthy replacement.

This is the best looking Friday the 13th fan film I've ever seen with some simply stunning outdoor cinematography and extremely well- made sets for a tiny budget fan film.

Having the movie be about one person trying to survive against Jason gives the movie a different feel to the original movies. The one on one survival aspect is what makes the movie worth watching as it isn't just a cheaply made Friday the 13th rip-off like most other Friday fan films it's something entirely different; there's more suspense and a focus on survival instead of sex and partying, a welcome change.

The special effects are great; there's a scene where Jason bleeds through the holes in his mask that made me jump forward in my seat, I can't believe they never did that in any of the 11 Friday movies with the mask.

The few kills were fairly lacklustre, save for one kill that takes place in a dream, but this isn't a body count film and I didn't expect there to be any kills at all. The action is really focused on the fight scenes with Jason which were done better than most of the official movies.

A few things that irked me: Jason's mask was totally white, no red triangles, but I assume this was done for legal reasons as I've seen the mask look different elsewhere before (eg. GTA 5 White hockey mask was updated to no longer look like Jason's mask). Jason's footsteps are very loud to the point where it gets annoying, plus a few other sound effects were pretty annoying; why would an axe make a *shiiinnng* sound when being pulled out of dirt?

Overall a fantastic movie that I would rank higher than some of the official Friday the 13th movies, plus it has a wonderful surprise for Friday fans at the end of the movie that leaves the story open for a potential sequel. This film is a must-see for any Friday the 13th fan.

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!!

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.