JASON UNIVERSE: SWEET REVENGE (2025)

Jason’s back—in short film/cross promotional for Angry Orchard cider form!

SWEET REVENGE is the first real FRIDAY THE 13TH content since settling lawsuits and setting up “Jason Universe.” The link is below (but you can only watch it on YouTube due to age restrictions cuz of violence/gore). Written and directed by Mike P. Nelson, the 13-minute short stars Ally Ioannides, Schuyler White, Natassia Wakey, Toussaint Morrison, Tim James White and Chris Carlson.

My thoughts will follow…

It’s…okay! At best.

SWEET REVENGE feels like a glorified fan film. There’s some decent gore F/X that put it above those FRIDAY THE 13TH fan movies, but not much else besides the budget is that different. I will give credit (and a bit of a side eye) to using the language of romance to presage Jason’s rampage and slaughters; it’s a clever bit that winks somewhat too much but is still inventive.

It’s a pretty tepid foray into a new era for Jason/FRIDAY THE 13TH. But I do think a bunch of fun shorts by promising horror auteurs would be a cool way to inject life into the renewed slasher property. Does this have me amped for what’s to come? Not especially. But I can see the potential.