michaelmcpants
I thought this movie was highly well made. Just from a film technicality side, it has a lot to offer. It has some very gorgeous shots. I thought that the color grading was very well done. Our main character's acting was on par or better than most large budget horror films today. The makeup and effects were all on point. All these components make this feel like so much more than a so-called fan-made film.This take on the Crystal Lake universe should be taken into high consideration for any reboot being considered in the future. I understand there is a legal battle between the franchise and Victor Miller, so that may be a very long ways away (if ever). This is exactly what I was looking for in a reboot film where the past reboot of 2009 fell short in every single way. It threw out any formula that tickled the nostalgia of Jason lovers from generations past. It felt so much more nimble. Which, in turn, made it so much more suspenseful. The nostalgia they did offer up came through a much more organic and fresh take with the usage of the crime scene markers. It gave us a little tour of the notable crime scenes from the past Friday movies. It did, however, have some shortcomings. Some notable con are continuity errors which are a result of poor writing. Like how the ambulance shows up literally out of nowhere with zero explanation as to how it got there. Our protagonist goes blank out in the middle of nowhere and wakes up fully strapped to a gurney without any connection as to how they got out into the woods or how the found him. This introduction of the paramedics came to viewers with very poor acting from the only characters other than our protagonist and antagonist thus far which really makes the pacing come briefly unhinged. Despite all that, the ambulance became a literal vehicle to shift direction in the film from action thriller to psychological thriller. This could have went very wrong, but ended up making for some of the better content in the movie. In this scene, our director Vincente DiSanti also gives a strong nod to Alfono Cuarón's film adaptation of the novel Children of Men through the use of very well executed first-person view tracking shot that adds a tsunami of suspense as the film reseats itself comfortably in this new direction.A few other minor notable pitfalls in production I felt took away from the experience that are worth noting are: the sound mixing-particularly Jason's footsteps. Overuse of the "found footage" solo cam. I understand this film technique was probably to help move the story along while also probably help save on budget for some of the filming. At first, it left me a little confused as what type of movie they were going for. I think it could have done with a little less. Also, the camera frame on the go pro made for a little too obvious of a visual cue for when it was found footage. This is really all semantics when looking at the grand scope of this extremely well executed independent made "fan film." I think if this was given the same budget and backing as the 2009 reboot, this would have made for the best Friday movie since the first 3. Kudos to all involved; most especially DiSanti who not only wrote and directed the film, but also slayed it as Jason (pun intended).
joeyljohnson1
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!!
antiflowers
Horror is the most frustrating genre for me, yet I am completely in love with it, and I keep coming back, desperately wanting it to succeed. When it works, it really works, but most of the time the genre just refuses to produce decent content. I'd say about every four years, there is one or two horror movies worth watching, and as usual, this isn't one of them.I actually had high hopes for this movie (my standard for horror movies these days are way lower than a normal film, unfortunately) judging by the first ten minutes. After I talked myself into getting past the dumb title, I was willing to give this film a chance, and honestly? The acting and camera work seemed better than what you would normally find in a low budget slasher flick. This excitement I had was shattered pretty quickly. The first thing that was completely idiotic? The main character is inspecting a sign/rope with his back toward the villain as he is getting closer in each frame. Okay, fine, all good. Our main character looks down, and now we see that the villain is about five inches away from the guy. Our main character grabs his knife (only recently noticing the footsteps, for some reason) and turns around. Five inches away, people. Guess what? The villain disappears. Into thin air, nowhere to be seen, and there was absolutely nowhere to hide behind but believe it, it happened. Honestly, this was pretty hard to get past, but alas, I powered through, because I was now viewing this film as a comedy. Another thing that was absolutely hilarious was the sound editing. It's bad. Really bad. The killer's footsteps were over-dramatic, unnecessary stomping. I mean, really? Not to mention it was always in the killer's POV, like, we get it, the villain is walking towards the main character. No need to raise the volume to level ten for this. Also, any solitary movement the main character makes is very exaggerated. In another scene, the guy finds an area completely splattered in blood. Guess what? He continues to look around the house. In all of this mess, I will admit, there was something that was actually creepy in here. I don't know what it was. The shots of the bare tree limbs? The main character's expression while looking off into the distant woods? I don't know, but it still couldn't save this movie.This wasn't even a sixty minute movie, and they still managed to make it absolutely terrible. Horror is something that few are willing to put effort in, I guess. It's a shame, and I can't believe I took the time to write a review about this film, out of all the films.
ksfsu7
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!"
