The creators of theFriday the 13thfan filmNever Hike Aloneare teasing new sequels with Thom Mathews as Tommy Jarvis. Mathews famously portrayed the character inFriday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, which is considered to be one of the best installments of the series. He reprised the role inNever Hike Alonewhen the fan film debuted on YouTube in 2017, meeting his old nemesis Jason Voorhees once again. The ending left room for a sequel, leading to fans hoping for an official follow-up movie to continue the story. On Monday, the Womp Stomp Films Twitter account tweeted that they are going to bring back Mathews for more fan films, with more news on the next installment to come in a few months.
“To hell with the lawsuit, who’s ready for theFriday the 13thshow down of the century? Ghost Jason vs Tommy Jarvis will happen in theNever Hike Alonesequels! Official Announcement coming this fall!”
Funded entirely byFriday the 13thfans,Never Hike Aloneis one of the most popular fan films to be found on the internet. The 53-minute movie has accumulated over 855,000 views as of this writing, and its reception with viewers has been overwhelmingly positive. It stars director Vincente DiSanti as Jason Voorhees and Andrew Leighty as Kyle MacLeod, an outdoorsman who foolishly makes the decision to venture into the abandoned Crystal Lake campgrounds. His adventure turns into a harrowing fight for survival against the the unstoppable force that is Jason Voorhees. By featuringThom Mathewsas Tommy Jarvis in a special cameo appearance, the movie can be considered a sequel toJason Lives, even if it’s not an “official” movie.
As for why we haven’t seenJason Voorheesin theaters since 2009, it comes down to a never-ending legal battle over the property rights. Original director Sean Cunningham sued screenwriter Victor Miller to retain complete control of the franchise rights with the company Horror Inc., and a recent appeal will drag that process out even longer. With the rights to the series still under question legally, no studio will move forward on trying to produce a newFriday the 13thmovie. Perhaps disheartened by the lack of progress being made towards a resolution, Womp Stomp Films chose a good time to announce their intentions on making new fan films. Clearly, passion projects likeNever Hike Aloneare going to be the closest we’re going to get to a new Jason movie.
In addition to starring inNever Hike Alone, Vincente DiSanti and Andrew Leighty will also appear in the meta-slasher movie13 Fanboy. Many various stars of theFriday the 13thseries will be playing themselves in the movie, with an obsessed psychopath murdering each of them one by one. The movie is directed byFriday the 13th Part V: A New Beginningstar Deborah Voorhees, and other fan favorites from the franchise like Kane Hodder, Corey Feldman, C. J. Graham, and Adrienne King have also been attached to the cast. Thom Mathews, who appeared in bothJason LivesandNever Hike Alone, will be playing himself in the movie as well.
We might have to wait until this fall to find out full details on Womp Stomp Films' plans for the nextNever Hike Alonemovie. Given Mathews' involvement and the quality of the original, it’s needless to say there’s going to be a lot of anticipation from Jason fans for its release. If you have yet to watch the first movie, you can do so below, courtesy of Womp Stomp Films.
