It’s been 16 years since Jason Voorhees last graced our screens, and while we still don’t have a new “Friday the 13th” feature, on Wednesday, we were gifted the next best thing in the form of a vignette called “Sweet Revenge.”
Written/directed by Mike P. Nelson, the short film resurrects the Crystal Lake killer for 13 minutes of carnage with a sprinkling of product placement and a lot of apple-related imagery courtesy of Angry Orchard Hard Cider, which sponsored the vignette. But if you’re thinking having a brand wrapped up in a “Friday the 13th” vignette means they held back on the gore, think again. They even managed to squeeze in a few apple-themed kills.
The short stars Ally Ioannides (“Into the Badlands”) as Eve opposite Schuyler White (“Haunt”) as Jason. Natassia Wakey, Toussaint Morrison, Tim James White, and Chris Carlson round out the cast.
It also featured two die-hard “Friday the 13th” fans, who were scouted on social media and transformed into grisly victims and can be seen on-screen in the aftermath of their “deaths,” marking the first time a brand has “killed” a fan (probably).
“This time of year, our fans are craving hard cider and a good scare,” said Matt Withington, senior director of marketing at Angry Orchard. “Both Angry Orchard and Jason have fiercely loyal fans, so to celebrate this collaboration, we wanted to create a moment they’d never forget – or come back from – by letting them become part of horror history. And what’s more unforgettable than coming face-to-face with the most iconic horror slasher of all time?”
Calleigh Kearns, a fan of both Angry Orchard and slasher films from Barnegat, New Jersey, and Gio Contreras, a Jason Voorhees superfan and horror enthusiast from Agoura Hills, California, were selected to participate in the filming of “Sweet Revenge.”
“This is just the beginning of Jason’s return,” said Robbie Barsamian, executive vice president of Horror, Inc. “Partnering with Angry Orchard helped us give fans something unexpected—but completely in line with the franchise. It’s bold. It’s bloody. And it’s only a taste of what’s to come.”
The premiere of “Sweet Revenge” kicks off part of a larger collaboration between Horror Inc.’s Jason Universe and Angry Orchard Hard Cider for the 45th Anniversary of “Friday the 13th,” which includes a new Jason-themed ‘Thriller Pack’ of Angry Orchard.
