Jason Rising: A Fan Film Review

 

I just finished a second watch of Jason Rising, a fan film I've been anticipating for the last year or so. Directed by James Sweet and co-written by Never Hike Alone's Vincent DiSanti, this film has had a couple of spooky trailers that definitely left me wanting more.

Jason Rising seems to take place after the events of Part 4, and Jason's crude grave is a clear homage to Tommy's dream from the opening of Part 5, though most of the film takes place in present day. While burying Jason following Tommy's machete work, the frustrated police realize that Jason just isn't killable, and have resorted to chaining him into a coffin and burying him alive. He remains in the ground for more than thirty years until trespassing fugitives disturb the old camp property and inadvertently awaken the headless corpse of Pamela Voorhees, who exhumes her son. Mass murder, and hilarity, ensue.

The movie is wonderfully atmospheric right from the opening sequence, and makes effective use of lighting, fog and camera filters, at times rising to Hollywood-quality cinematography. Jason looks GOOD. The team seems to have modeled him off the version hallucinated by Tommy Jarvis in part 5, although he's now somewhat zombified. Some shots even seem like a deliberate homage to Part 5. This version of Jason (played by Dan Kyle) is quick, decisive and brutal, and there are some decent kills throughout. Though none of them were extremely well executed, there was one that was at least pretty inventive, and I'll give the writers credit for taking Jason into some new territory with this film.

The acting was solid and casting choices were made smartly; in particular, Alexandria McCormack pulls off a young Betsy Palmer (Mrs. Voorhees) extremely well. The soundtrack by Gabe Johnston and James Sweet was particularly strong, with no shortage of the familiar "ki ki ki..." hook we usually hear in Friday the 13th films.

On the negative side, some of the story elements strain the imagination--like why a manhunt for three wanted fugitives who have recently committed murder would have only two U.S. marshals on the job. There is also an overuse of the jump scare fake-out. It was a decent gimmick in the 1980s, but feels outdated and weakly executed here. There also seemed to be a tone shift that I found disappointing: the foreboding atmosphere of the first half gives way to some campiness in the second, and I found some of the battles later in the film to be a little too funny for my taste.

Lest I get too critical, I want to acknowledge the limitations of the film do feel like they are mostly stemming from predictable budget constraints. For example, in the latter part of the film, it does feel like a few shots are missing, creating some minor narrative "hiccups." Fans of the franchise won't likely be terribly disappointed with these minor flaws and there are quite a few Easter eggs throughout, including an original screen-used prop from one of the Paramount films. So keep an eye out.

Overall, I'll give this a 7 out of 10. The film is fun, gory, fast-paced and daring, sometimes to the point of absurdity. Worth a watch!