Do We Really Want Another Friday the 13th?

I love Friday the 13th, always have, always will. I own all the movies on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, plus I’ve pre-ordered the definitive box set coming out next month. I collect the NECA Friday the 13th figures. So needless to say, im a huge fan. Rumor going around is there might be a new Friday the 13th movie. But do we really want one?

Rumor is the lawsuit regarding the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise is set to be resolved relatively soon, which means a new movie is sure to follow. On the surface, we’re excited and immediately we start thinking about a new movie, But should we be? Jason Voorhees has stalked Camp Crystal Lake, gone to Manhattan, gone to space, squared off against Freddy Kruger and been remade. Can Hollywood really give us a new Friday the 13th movie that we WANT to see? I don’t think they can and what we’ll be given will be a major disappointment.

Hollywood, for all its talent and creativity, seems to stomp out originality. Studios continue to meddle with and change writers scripts, and directors vision. Just look at the popularity of “Director Cuts” of movies. Whomever ends up with the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise needs to find somebody with an original idea for Jason Voorhees and let them go to work. Look what Blumhouse did with Halloween. Danny McBride, Jeff Fradley, and David Gordon Green planned out a 3 movie plot that picks up 40 years after the original 1978 movie. It ignores all the sequels and gives us the carnage we want from Michael Meyers.

Now im not saying that Friday the 13th should copy the Halloween strategy but let’s face it, continuity isn’t a strong feature of the Friday the 13th franchise. The plot is usually the same as well, Hikers and/or campers go into the woods and Jason brutally kills them. Is there a way to find a fresh take on this simple yet mostly satisfying plot? Actually there is ! Vincente DiSanti has written, produced and directed 5 short films featuring Jason Voorhees and Crystal Lake. Never Hike Alone, Never Hike Alone 2, Never Hike Alone 3, Never Hike Alone 4 and Never Hike in the Snow. (Technically that last one is a prequel, and numbers 2, 3 and 4 are yet to be released.) But DiSanti took a simple plot and ramped up the tension and even brought back Thom Mathews as Tommy Jarvis. The first Never Hike Alone was great. We got Jason Voorhees back stalking his woods, the tension of will the hiker survive and Tommy Jarvis is back to foil Jason Voorhees. With 5 short films planned out, I expect the rest of the Never Hike Alone saga to be as good.

I think that might be the answer to our question. Do we really want another Friday the 13th, yes, yes we do. We want someone who loves the franchise as much as we do to write and plan out a multi movie plot. Stop with the goofy bullshit, Bring back fan favorites, jack up the tension and let Jason Voorhees stalk the woods surrounding Camp Crystal Lake.