Geraldine
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
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).
Platypuschow
Not that you'd know by the cover but Never Hike Alone is a Friday 13th fan film, in fact it's hard to believe since the whole thing looks so darn professional.It tells the story of a guy making a video for his social media site, he's travelling through the forest and comes across the remnants of an all too familiar camp. Before he knows it he's being pursued by everyones favorite hockey mask wearing psychopath.Now again let's be clear this doesn't look like a fan film and if you didn't know better could almost be confused with being an actual entry into the franchise. Standing at around the 50 minute mark with fantastic production quality and including the return of Tommy Jarvis (Played by franchise alumni
Thom Mathews) this is very impressive.As much as I like Jason I've tended to find the Friday 13th series quite underwhelming. For the most part I've never thought they were bad, just not as monumental as most believe themselves. This however is very respectable and I'd love to see the creators get their hands on funds to make a feature movie (Even if it is about Jason).The cast do a solid job, it's well scored and I'd consider it essential viewing for fans of the franchise.The Good:Looks and sounds considerably too good to be a "Fan film"The Bad:Jason was far too smallWeak endingThings I Learnt From This Movie:Recording yourself breaking the law and then uploading it onto your social media page for the world to see makes perfect senseWe need more chokeslams through tables in the movies
jasonisageek
We can all agree that most horror franchises lose a fair amount of steam at some point. Michael, Leatherface, Pinhead and Freddy all suffered from too many bad sequels, and Jason is no exception. Honestly, the last great Friday the 13th film was Part 6: Jason Lives.....31 years ago. Sure, people tend to love some of the others that followed for various reasons, but most certainly not because they're great horror films. Enter writer/director/actor Vincente DiSanti, who spearheaded a Kickstarter campaign in 2016 to fund an originally estimated short 22 minute fan-film. With an enticing teaser trailer and fantastic incentives, it's no surprise that they surpassed their goals, which might explain why it turned into a 55 minute film rather than the original 22. Anyway, here we are in October of 2017, with the film brilliantly being released for FREE all over the world on.....wait for it......Friday the 13th! Amazing. Let's dig in.An avid back country hiker and vlogger, Kyle McLeod, is out hiking on a solo trip when he stumbles upon a deserted camp. He soon discovers that this camp has a brutal history and worse yet, he might not be alone.Never Hike Alone is hands-down one of the best Friday the 13th films ever made. DiSanti and his crew took all of the fundamental elements that made the franchise so great in the first place and puts a fresh spin on it by incorporating the found footage narrative. But wait! Before you roll your eyes, hear me out. I personally can't stand found footage films. I find them lazy. But the way DiSanti incorporates it into Never Hike Alone works brilliantly. It's only a small tool, and thankfully, most of the film is shot traditionally. Even so, the found footage angle is still done surprisingly well, in that it's not shaky- cam nonsense, which was entirely refreshing. And that's another thing I found surprising here. The film itself is visually impressive. In fact, if you were to judge it purely on the camera-work alone, it's a better looking film than any of the last 6 in the franchise, including Freddy VS Jason. But that's just me. On a technical level, it delivers the goods in every single department; from the sound editing, the score, the effects, the stunts and most importantly, the editing. It's a trim 55 minutes that never overstays it's welcome, and utilizes every second to help push the film further along at a brisk pace.On a narrative front, the film packs a punch. While the first half does a good job of setting things up in a timely manner, it's really the second half that delivers the slasher goods, and boy you're in for a treat. Every creative and technical decision DiSanti and his crew make bring the film to life in such a startlingly frightening way, that it makes you wonder why filmmakers today can't make films like this anymore. He doesn't bring anything new to the table, other than the found footage angle, but uses the typical slasher tropes to full effect, and in some instances, enhancing certain elements for a much more visceral experience. I don't want to give too much away before you've actually seen it, but needless to say, Vincente DiSanti did his homework. For example, every single time Jason (DiSanti) took a step, it sounded like a giant dinosaur was walking the Earth. You felt every single step. And that brings me to DiSanti's portrayal of Jason. He does a phenomenal job. The guy is big, and he takes on the role with gusto. I'd have to say it's probably one of my favorite Jason's after C.J. Graham in Part 6: Jason Lives. The makeup department also needs to be commended. I loved Jason's "look" in this. Traditional, yet cleaner. Again, it's more in tune with his look in Part 6 than say his zombie-look in Part 7 and 8.If you've been missing a good traditional slasher, then Never Hike Alone will surely fill that sweet spot. The film was filled with nonstop surprises for me. It's so good in fact that you'll want more. You'll wish they were able to stretch it out for an extra half hour, but trust me when I say that it's a strong 55 minutes and just as long as it needs to be. And wait till you see the surprise at the end. I couldn't believe it. Such a.....awe hell. I'll just let you experience it for yourself. Just a great bombshell in an already great experience. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good this little crowd-sourced film is compared to big budget studio films in general. Only, it's not just good.....it's GREAT!!For more cult cinema please visit www.robotGEEKSCultCinema.com
