From writer/director Vincente DiSanti comes Never Hike in the Snow, the follow-up to the highly successful 2017 fan film Never Hike Alone. Although it seems there are more and more Friday the 13th fan films announced weekly, DiSanti, along with his independent production company Womp Stomp Films, is still breaking new ground.
Never Hike in the Snow is a prequel that gives us a glimpse at what happened between Jason Voorhees (played by DiSanti, with stunts by co-star Bryan Forrest) and Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) prior to Never Hike Alone. This time around, a teenager named Mark (Courtlan Gordon) is the lead that comes face-to-face with the slasher, but he won’t be the only one venturing into Jason’s hunting grounds.
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While Never Hike Alone focused more on camp exploration and a cat-and-mouse chase, Never Hike in the Snow goes straight for the jugular. It doesn’t shy away from showing us what Jason is truly capable of, especially his lack of mercy. At a runtime of roughly 30 minutes, we not only get brutal bloodshed and an emotional family tie-in, but pieces of the Voorhees saga that I would rather not spoil.
Just as we saw with Never Hike Alone, the film features top-notch cinematography, with beautiful shots of the snowy landscape. The scenes were further enhanced with a great score and superb FX. The performances matched the high-caliber production, as Courtlan Gordon and Bryan Forrest were excellent in their roles as hiker and deputy, respectively. There are also two fan-favorite franchise vets that reprise their roles: Thom Mathews as Tommy and Vincent Guastaferro as Sheriff Rick Cologne. It was great to see the actors share scenes together, and drop some Jason Lives Easter eggs for fans.
If you are feeling the Friday the 13th void while the lawsuit continues, Never Hike in the Snow (and, if you have yet to see it, Never Hike Alone) should help remedy that a bit. Both films are free (legally!) on YouTube now, so check it all out below!
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