Never Hike Alone

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.

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!!!

With time to kill and trying to find something to watch on YouTube, I stumbled upon Never Hike Alone quite by accident, but being a "fan film," my expectations were very low. I was however very wrong.

Most fan films I've seen are obviously made with a lot of passion, but with varying degrees of quality. This was one of the best efforts I've seen.

I'm not sure of the films budget, but whatever it was, they certainly put it to good use. It was well shot and edited, the special effects were good and the fight scenes/kill scenes were very well done and the acting (so often the downfall of low budget or fan films) was surprisingly good.

The only minor criticism, I feel the film could have been tighter in terms of pacing, but that aside, its a very entertaining film and well worth a watch. I would go so far as to say that I've seen a lot worse films that have had a theatrical release! Goes to show, I should never pre-judge a "fan film."

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!!

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.