Horror Beat: SWEET REVENGE brings Jason back in from the cold with mild excitement

Legacy characters need little introduction to new audiences given how often they pop up in all forms of media. Either through countdowns or retrospectives, and even via video game collabs, it’s not uncommon to see the likes of Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger still dominating discussions on horror’s GOATs. And yet, new blood is always needed to bring these characters into the present in a convincing way to remind audiences they still have much death to give. This is where Jason Universe comes in, Jason Voorhees’s new lease on life.

With an eye to bring to the machete-wielding and hockey mask-wearing maniac back to the big and small screens via film, video games, and any other platform available, Jason Universe is gearing up for a very busy time in the coming year with the new Crystal Lake prequel series and rumors of a new Friday the 13^th movie in the works. Before all that, though, we get a short visit from the killer himself in the form of a short film called Sweet Revenge, a fast and fun 15-minute vignette directed by Mike P. Nelson (director of the Wrong Turn reboot and the upcoming remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night).

The experience is so short that it barely needs much plot to set up or explain. A group of friends rent a cabin in an area that’s steeped in local lore and talk of bloody murder. Shortly after they arrive, every little trope Jason’s been associated with over the years is hastily thrust upon the group to get to the good stuff as quickly as possible. An old and ominous man hints at a dark past, scantly clad people run around jumping into the nearby lake, and then the final girl (played by Ally Ioannides) stumbles upon the first few bodies. Slaughter ensues, and then it ends.

Sweet Revenge’s Jason (played by Schuyler White) is mean, fast, and unstoppable killing machine that moves with a more youthful sense of energy. He picks up weapons left and right and wields them like a pro with years of experience. As a result, kills are brutally gory affairs that go for shock rather than dread. In a sense, this short film is like a quick introduction to the iconic slasher and his signature moves.

The problem with this approach is that it can come across as just that, a profile of the character and his world. The original films understood that build-up played a crucial role in establishing menace and terror. Go too fast and it all just devolves into mindless popcorn horror. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does shortchange the slasher in terms of presence. It makes for a rather unmemorable viewing experience.

Consequently, director Nelson gives little to no time for audiences to get a really good look at Jason and his redesigned mask (which really wasn’t much of a redesign to begin with). The attempt, it seems, was to make a 15-minute version of a full Friday the 13^th movie to tide fans over till the release of Crystal Lake. That’s a tall order, and in the absence of the originals’ pacing and more calculated set piece murder sequences, Sweet Revenge comes across as an underwhelming reminder that Jason’s back.