Sweet Revenge Is the Ultimate Jason Voorhees Resurrection No One Asked For
Hello everyone. Today we’re talking about Sweet Revenge, the short film from the freshly announced “Jason Universe,” which might just be a fancy way of saying, “We’ve found a new way to keep milking Friday the 13th until the end of time.” And if you thought Jason was immune to change, brace yourself – apparently now he needs a companion piece with “heart.” Yes, heart. In Friday the 13th. That’s like saying Doom Eternal needed more long walks on the beach. But sure, let’s dig into it.
The Premise – A Lake, A Machete, and Symbolism That Smacks You Over the Head
Mike P. Nelson, the writer-director, proudly states that the priority wasn’t about racking up an Olympic medal count in kills-per-minute. Instead, the goal was to tell a “heartfelt” 13-minute story alongside the carnage. Admirable in theory, but in Friday the 13th territory, heart is almost always followed by “stopped beating.” Still, Sweet Revenge tries to give us a fresh take: Eve – our final girl – isn’t just surviving Jason, she might actually be… becoming him. That’s right, instead of running away in tears, she’s reborn with potential Jason-esque powers after an underwater ordeal. Lovely. What the franchise always needed – resurrection fan-fiction merged with body horror.
As if to inject a layer of brainy foreshadowing, we get Eve biting into an apple. Subtle, right? Nothing says “mysterious transformation” like hitting us with biblical fruit metaphors the size of a Crystal Lake canoe. It’s the kind of overt symbolism that makes film students swoon and seasoned horror fans eye-roll into next week.
Jason Remains Jason – But With a Dash of Theatrical Murder Décor
One bright spot: Jason’s portrayal. Schuyler White steps in as our 6’5” slasher, opting for the slow, inevitable walk rather than sprinting like a CrossFit enthusiast-correct decision. Jason is, after all, the original “you can run, but he’ll still get there before you” boogeyman. White also brings in some artistry to Jason’s kills, making sure it’s not just kitchen knives-no, we’re reaching into the drawer for apple slicers now. Because nothing says menacing like appliance-specific murder. Somewhere in Hell’s IKEA, there’s a section marked “For Slaying Camp Counselors.”
The murder setups have a bit of a tableau flair to them, leaning into Jason’s classic style of leaving his victims posed grotesquely for maximum “what-the-hell-happened-here” impact. It’s theatrics, sure, but at least it nods to his old-school creep factor instead of turning him into a brainless gore generator.
The Eve Twist – Final Girl or Final Boss?
Ally Ioannides’ Eve starts out as a soft-spoken pink-plaid wearer – basically a camp counselor who couldn’t intimidate a marshmallow. But as we find out, her transformation flips the archetype: she’s not the traditional Final Girl; she’s a Final Girl who might also be a “Final Monster.” That’s actually one of the fresher beats here – instead of running from Jason, she’s potentially walking the same path he did. We’re teased with the possibility of Jason and Eve understanding each other, maybe even partnering up for some co-op slaughter. Because clearly, what the world needs is Friday the 13th: Two-Player Mode.
Pacing and Payoff
Nelson plays with the pacing by showing us the aftermath of Jason’s kills before the action, making us wait for the Big Reveal. It’s a good way to stretch suspense in a mere 13-minute runtime, but let’s be honest – no matter how patient we are, the reason we showed up is to watch Jason turn a cabin into a meat blender. And yes, we get there eventually, with full-force carnage in the climax. It’s like grinding through two hours of fetch quests before finally unlocking a raid boss – just in miniature horror form. Fun enough, but you do wish there was more of it.
The Ending – Sequel Bait Done Right?
The ending leaves things dangling in a way that feels both satisfying and like a setup for inevitable sequels. Will Jason try to kill Eve out of instinct? Or adopt her as his slasher apprentice? The filmmakers are clearly playing the long game, leaving it to the fans to endlessly debate whether we just met the future Mrs. Voorhees Jr. Hey, as sequel hooks go, this one isn’t bad – and it doesn’t spit all over the original mythology, which is a minor miracle these days.
Final Diagnosis
Sweet Revenge is equal parts fan service, narrative experiment, and franchise bait. It plays with some new ideas without wrecking the core of Jason’s character, and despite my skepticism about “heart” in a Friday the 13th property, the Eve twist is actually one of the more intriguing developments the series has seen in a long time. Still, it’s a short film dressed as a teaser for something bigger, so don’t expect a full-course meal. This is the horror version of a free game demo-you’ll have fun, but it’s clearly there to make you buy the full package later.
Overall verdict: Good enough to get my attention, but if the Jason Universe wants to have real staying power, it’s going to need less symbolism and more machete-to-face moments that made the franchise famous in the first place.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Friday the 13th’ Short ‘Sweet Revenge’ Is a Gruesomely Fun Jason Voorhees Return, https://gizmodo.com/friday-the-13th-short-sweet-revenge-is-a-gruesomely-fun-jason-voorhees-return-2000642076
