In August, Jason Universe and Angry Orchard brought Jason back! While it was not a feature-length film, it was gastro horror adjacent, which of course means I lost my mind. Not only did I call my local Bevmo and grocery store for the Angry Orchard Thriller packs and tall boys (which I did eventually find), but I also immediately watched the short film, Sweet Revenge.
In Sweet Revenge, “a group of friends staying at the Cabins at Crystal Lake find themselves stalked by a masked killer.”
In its brief 15-minute runtime, Sweet Revenge packs a punch. We get some new Crystal Lake lore, a ton of gore, and obviously, apples! If I’m honest, my biggest gripe was that there wasn’t enough gastro horror. I understand that they didn’t want this to feel like a commercial (it absolutely doesn’t in my opinion), but I really wanted them to lean even more into it. That said, I still think it’s worth watching because of the cool things it does do.
After my initial viewing, so many thoughts spun into my head. For example, were they really trying to connect things to Jason Goes to Hell, my all-time favorite Friday the 13th movie? Could we have had more gastro kills? I knew I needed to dig more into Sweet Revenge. Fortunately, for me and you, my dear readers, the director and co-writer, Mike P. Nelson, was willing to answer some of my questions!
- How did you balance making Sweet Revenge both a Jason short film and a promotion for Angry Orchard without making it feel too much like a commercial?
The cool thing was, no one wanted to make a commercial! From Angry Orchard to Jason Universe to my team, we all wanted the same thing: make a wicked little Jason short that was a nod to the original 7 films, was bloody and violent, and did a little something new.
- Were there any gastro kills you would have liked to have added but couldn’t?
This is by far my favorite question I have ever been asked. Look, we got the apple slicer in there, which honestly came from a much crazier idea involving a character making a pie and Jason using the slicer to actually slice pieces of face off and bake it in the pie. As I have said to others before, Jason is an artist.
(Editor’s Note: I, for one, would have LOVED to have seen Jason bake someone into a pie.)
- Did you take inspiration from any specific movies outside of the Friday the 13th franchise for Sweet Revenge?
Wes Craven’s Deadly Friend, which is just amazing, underrated, yet terrible, warm John Hughes copycat material gone horror. There’s definitely a nod to Kristy Swanson’s Samantha when it comes to Eve’s design.
- Was Eve’s “turn” building off the foundation of Jason swapping bodies ala Jason Goes to Hell?
What I love about the Friday the 13th films is [that] we are to this day still trying to figure out how Jason came back. Is it supernatural? Was he even dead? I mean, people write essays online on the subject, and I think that is one of the cool things about this franchise, people use their imagination to fill in the blanks. Jason Goes to Hell is a perfect example of a filmmaker who loved the series, doing something bonkers he thought could happen within the world. As for me, I wanted to witness someone else go through what Jason may have gone through. Eve drowns just like Jason, and just like Jason, she comes back because she has been wronged. She’s given a chance to get revenge, just like Jason. Does Crystal Lake hold a secret? Is it in the water? I played with this idea a little bit in my V/H/S/85 segment “No Wake”. I think there is something special about Crystal Lake. I wanted to explore that…even if for just 13 minutes. And what if Jason found himself face-to-face with someone else like him who has been given this ability/curse? And yes, I have definitely thought about where it could go from the last moment of Sweet Revenge. In my mind, the story continues. As does the body count.
- I appreciated the main character, consuming apples/cider, and turning evil, being named Eve. Did you initially know you wanted that sort of biblical connection?
Absolutely. She’s the first final girl of the new chapter, but with a sinful twist. The apple iconography was there. Even separate from Angry Orchard, I think it’s an interesting visual language to play with, considering the path she takes. Adam and Eve eating the apple in Genesis gave them knowledge and power, but also death. It does the same for Eve. And now she has to figure out what to do with that power. There’s a lot of fun to be had. There’s almost a body horror aspect that I think could be a lot of fun to play with. Overall, for me, it was exciting to let the lore of the Friday the 13th films still live, while playing with a new angle that could be a clue as to what really happened back in 1957 in Camp Crystal Lake.
Thank you to Mike for taking the time to answer my questions! Sweet Revenge is available to view on YouTube. Whether you’re a Jason fan or a lover of all things gastro horror, this is a fun little short and a great addition to the Friday lore. If the Jason Universe continues down a path like this, I’m totally on board. If you want to see more of Mike P. Nelson’s work, you won’t have to wait long because his remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night just played Fantastic Fest and will hit theaters this December.
