Never Hike In The Snow (Review)
If you've been living under a rock we are still in the midst of a battle, not the kind young teenagers have to face as they get sliced and diced in more fresh and inventive ways from movie to movie, but in of all places a courthouse over rights within the Franchise, emphatically slamming the brakes on the best Slasher Franchise ever and forcing it to a screeching halt over the past 11 years.
If that sounds like a drag, well that's cause it quite frankly is and us Jason fans have had enough of it, but there has been some form of solace we have been able to cling onto as our favorite Slasher has laid dormant for now over a decade, waiting for some new dumb teenagers to come to his lake to defend his territory, but quite frankly at this point Jason would probably welcome it! I mean at this point Jason probably just wishes a Mother F**ker would! And we do too Jason, trust me on this, we do too...
And that solace I speak of is from another movie from the great Vincente DiSanti who has been a pillar in a lot of us Jason fans hearts, why is that you might ask?
Well, he has not just made fan films, he has went above and beyond and has pushed the envelope on not just what a Friday the 13th Fan Film can be, but what a Fan Film can achieve in general, to the point I'm almost not comfortable calling it a Fan Film cause it feels like so much more.
Never Hike Alone was something I stumbled upon on a Lunch break at work and it truly shocked me with the quality and the heights it reached, so needless to say when I heard Never Hike in the Snow was dropping I was locked in to watch it and bust out a review as soon as I could, but was this Hike more of the same? Did it reach even better heights somehow? Or was Vince's first effort a fluke?
Right out the gates the opening absolutely steals the show, the music is really on point, the sound in general is really well done on like a full length feature Hollywood level, the use of the Tracking Shot like they did in Never Hike Alone was a welcome sight back, I'm assuming they're using a drone and it makes the movie instantly look more professional and creates a bit of an uneasiness looking at the vast amounts of woods that Jason can use as his personal Playground.
The Concept in general is what dreams are made of, it's crazy something so simple could be so appealing like adding snow, but I've always wondered the same, why not have Jason in the elements for a change and they finally brought that to life! I mean we got Jason going to space before we saw a speck of snow for Christ sake!
Aside from that being aesthetically appeasing, so is Jason, Womp Stomp didn't miss a beat on bringing Jason back to life (played by DiSanti) as he is just as effective looking giving off vibes of the best variations of 6-8 all while kicking in a touch of 1-4 and making it his own as well and how about that weapon? The Bow and Arrow is something we saw used to great effect in the Remake for a scene, but I'm glad the buck didn't stop there, this is absolutely a great weapon to bring into the fold more frequently and Vince nails it in this opening scene.
I also especially like the creative choice Vince uses with the bow, I don't want to give too much away and it's probably not what you're thinking, but make no mistake, it's not at the expense of Jason being a true marksman, it was deliberately done the way it was done to set up Jason for something a little more personal shortly after.
Some pretty solid Gore effects are here in the few kills we do get, very believable and they do not skimp on the brutality by any means, I don't doubt that you will be entertained by them in the slightest.
We also see Jason taking his anger out on something we are not necessarily used to seeing him take his anger out on and I got a chuckle out of that and then we see the beginning cap with a great shot.
The budget seems a little bigger with this one, although it wouldn't surprise me if Womp Stomp just figured out how to only maximize their budget to another level after the first, they defied the odds last time so why doubt them even for a second here?
Real cool to see Thom Matthews in here, I know he was in Never Hike Alone, but it was like a surprise at the end. He may not even be the lead here technically as it kind of juggles around, but his presence is felt over the 25 minute clip the movie runs at till credits roll.
Speaking on juggling more characters, this is because there's more story to play with here, the first one as good as it was was essentially about one man on a Hike that goes to hell (no pun intended) and you see him battle it out till others are introduced briefly at the end, I'll be honest this initially worried me cause I think part of what made Never Hike Alone so great was the fact that it was more contained to 2 people basically in a cat and mouse game, but surprisingly enough with more story and a shorter run time I believe they handle it pretty well all things considered.
I mean as far as the actors go we obviously don't have Oscar winning performances here, we don't even get that in 99 % of our Hollywood Horror flicks, but for a Fan Film they're nothing to scoff at, showing yet again just how serious Disanti takes this property and as a HUGE Friday fan like myself I honor that through and through, there's even an emotional scene that isn't too bad I must admit.
It's pretty cool seeing Jason on his own without the killing either happening or right around the corner, messing with stuff inside his little evil lair if you will, such a small thing, yet something so little adds a lot to this film.
You get to see a interaction in this movie, that we surprisingly haven't really got to see before that is really interesting, I'm trying hard not to spoil anything, but that's easier said than done, I feel like you can put two and two together, but at least I technically didn't tell you.
There's a few nice call backs in here that are sure to put a smile on your face, especially if you're a big fan of the fan favorite Jason Lives, which I will at least say this much, it's like Part 6 all over again with Tommy (Matthews) trying to warn everybody that Jason is back and once again these people never learn with their turning a blind eye mentality, like here we go again, I especially liked seeing Tommy and Rick having a familiar moment.
They really use Jason in a eerie kind of way at the end with lights being cut off and other things of that nature and I love the way his humble abode is decorated, not only with things that are a must, but things like the tarps hanging everywhere really give it a creepy vibe.
I honestly don't have much negative to say here guys, I don't know if I'll go as far to say that it exceeds Never Hike Alone and I wish there was a little more focus on the Snow aspect and of course wish it was a bit longer, but let's face it, that's also kind of a good thing cause it means that I really enjoyed what I was seeing and wanted more!
Overall guys, this is another great effort from Womp Stomp films, but I think it's a film that when revisited can get an even higher score cause right now I loved everything I saw, but wanted a little bit more of it, when I have more context and what feels like inevitably more awesome entries in the future I think this one we'll hit on a even more grand scale, but make no mistake this is another solid outing from Disanti and Womp Stomp and I'm looking forward to what's to come, my hats off to you guys SERIOUSLY!
Never Hike In The Snow 3.5/5