Voorhees: An Epic Gorefest Coming Soon To Youtube

Last night I attended the world premier of the fan film Voorhees at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia. This project has been a long time coming, and the fans, some of whom traveled from as far away as New Hampshire and Arizona, were eagerly anticipating this premier after three long years of waiting.

Voorhees is a solid 90-minute film shot entirely on location with about a dozen actors, which is no small achievement on a shoe string budget (about $20,000 as I'm told, not even enough money to pay the gaffer on a studio film). A look through the ending credits of Never Hike Alone and you'll see a fairly large list of crew members--Voorhees was photographed, directed and edited entirely by Cody Faulk, with a few other assorted cast members, advisors and FX artists filling additional roles as needed over the course of a grueling three-year shoot. This austere approach to film-making is risky and labor intensive, and in this case resulted in several delays. Fans in attendance at the premier were certainly not disappointed by the end result, and rewarded the efforts of the filmmakers with a standing ovation. 

As the rest of the world will see in a few days when it goes live on Youtube, the wait will be worth it. This film is absolutely BRUTAL. It is completely uninhibited in the display of violence and gore sought by most Friday the 13th fans. Faulk and producer/co-writer Chris Plaushin went for the jugular in displaying Jason's homicidal rage in vivid detail. In a sense, this is the gorefest John Buechler wanted part 7 to be, albeit with a smaller budget. Unlike the more meandering Vengeance, Voorhees wastes none of the viewer's time, even dispensing with opening credits so the audience can jump right into this relentless hell ride into the depths of human depravity as Jason reduces a cast of rogues, drunks and cops to hamburger. One particularly gut-wrenching kill in the last third of the film might be one of my favorites in the franchise.

When making a feature length film on a five-figure budget, some very careful decisions have to be made to approximate a studio production as closely as possible. What you can't achieve without a big FX budget or a professional set designer, you have to achieve the old fashioned way with good writing, location scouting, camera-work and editing. In most of the ways this film could have succeeded on so tight a budget, Voorhees really nails it. The writing here is probably better than most of the actual Paramount films. The plot is succinct and well-paced and character motivations are well-articulated without being overly expositional. The dialogue follows the "less is more" school and was artfully edited down for impact. Faulk makes skillful use of inexpensive cinematic tricks like tight shots and dramatic lighting to heighten the tension as the characters realize they are being hunted by an unseen predator. The editing in Voorhees is air-tight and keeps the tension high from the first scene to the last.

To his credit, Faulk also spent a massive portion of his Indiegogo budget on the music (composed by Canadian Adrian Emond). It definitely shows. Rather than using cookie cutter sound effects or stealing Harry Manfredini's gnawing violins, the film took an entirely new musical route independent of previous Friday the 13th films. The score enhances the drama so effectively that the viewer can be forgiven for forgetting he is watching a fan film as Jason stomps towards his prey to the thunder of drums timed to his footsteps with a precision that was never attempted during the Paramount days. Anyone who has seen the un-scored early drafts of Friday the 13th Part 7 can attest to the central importance of music in the franchise, and the lush soundtrack in Voorhees helps to elevate this film to something that feels nearly professional during some of its more dramatic moments.

The actors made great use of the aforementioned tight shots, and Voorhees is full of intense gazes from its many villains, giving this movie a more character-driven feel than your average Friday the 13th. Of course, being a fan film, there are some flubs. There are also a few shaky and out-of-focus moments throughout the film that in some instances diminish the impact of an otherwise great shot. But the film's strengths tend to cover well for its weaknesses. While not as polished as Never Hike Alone, Voorhees exceeds it in some respects--the crumbling structures of the shoot location lends an eerie authenticity to the setting that Never Hike Alone didn't quite achieve; the ultra-brutal kills are more daring and visceral; and the plot is meatier, combining elements of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs with stylistic nods to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and '70s grindhouse cinema.

In the sense of being feature-length, Voorhees is more ambitious than Never Hike Alone, yet manages to remain more focused than Vengeance. Having a smaller budget than both films, it sets a high bar for what can be achieved with very little money if the director, producer, cast and crew are dedicated to creating a film that will, for lack of a better term, stick to your ribs (and your hair, clothing, and everything else). This film brings Jason back to his indie roots and tells a unique, well-crafted story through sharp writing and editing. Everyone involved should be proud of what they achieved. Voorhees will sit comfortably with Never Hike Alone and Vengeance as a testament to the passion and resourcefulness of amateur filmmakers in the slasher space. One can only hope it will inspire further experimentation by fan filmmakers, or at the very least, shame Jason's owners into writing him into better films.

Check out Voorhees when it drops this Halloween night at the Wet Paint Pictures Youtube channel.