The popular Friday the 13th fan film Never Hike Alone is becoming a web series, and the crowdfunding campaign for the next installment is now live. To celebrate Friday the 13th, the team behind Never Hike Alone has announced their plans to continue the series with a prequel and three sequels. In a campaign video for the next installment Never Hike in the Snow, writer and director Vincente DiSanti explains Womp Stomp Films’ next steps for the series, describing each of the upcoming installments as short films lasting 20-30 minutes long. You can take a look at the video below.
Never Hike in the Snow is described as a prequel to Never Hike Alone, taking place three months before the events of the fan film. As the title suggests, it’s set during the winter time, finally bringing Jason Voorhees into the snow. It follows the strange disappearance of Crystal Lake resident Mark Hill, who went hiking in the dead of winter in Crystal Lake and was never seen again. Fan favorite actor Thom Mathews will also be returning as Tommy Jarvis after first reprising the role in Never Hike Alone. Mathews’ Jason Lives co-star Vinny Guastaferro will also be reprising his role as Sheriff Rick Cologne. Additionally, former Jason Voorhees actor Douglas Tait will be playing Ghost Jason; Tait played Jason in the iconic final scene of Freddy vs. Jason.
Related: Jason Lives Actor Returning as Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Fan Film Sequels
As described at Indiegogo, three Never Hike Alone sequels will follow Never Hike in the Snow to give closure to the web series. Never Hike Again, Jason Takes Crystal Lake, and The Final Hike will planned to release after the upcoming prequel, with the final installment arriving in the winter of 2020/2021. Now with multiple stars from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives appearing in the web series, the project feels even more like a true sequel to Jason Lives, even if they are fan films. Because the first fan film was very well-received by fans of the franchise, there’s already a lot of buzz generating about the project, and donors have already chipped in thousands of dollars for its budget.
Because the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise are still tangled up in a bitter lawsuit for the foreseeable future, there’s no telling when Jason Voorhees will return to the big screen. In the meantime, it’s quality fan films like Never Hike Alone that help keep Jason’s spirit alive for the horror fans who love the series. As Jason Lives is one of the most beloved Friday the 13th installments of them all, many fans are happy to see Mathews back as Tommy Jarvis, properly providing some closure for his storyline as well as the character was never used in the movie series again. With Guastaferro and Tait now on board as well, chances are DiSanti may have a few other surprises in store for fans.
Along with the announcement of the Never Hike Alone web series comes a brand new music video from Womp Stomp Films. Titled “Disappear,” the video features original music from Trevor Vaughan and is set to Jason rising from the lake and embarking on a new killing spree. You can take a look at that video below courtesy of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyTIfXh50UM|Womp Stomp Films on Youtube, and you can contribute or read more about Never Hike in the Snow over at Indiegogo.
