Review: 'Never Hike Alone' Delivers The Goods With Best Looking Friday The 13th Fan Film Ever

It was on Friday May 13th, 2016 that we first wrote about Womp Stomp Film's Never Hike Alone. The initial trailer that dropped that day showed a uniquely stylized Friday The 13th fan film endeavor that I had never seen before. There have been a lot of fan films released over the years since I began writing about the franchise and they all offer something fun and exciting for our readers to enjoy. However, nothing that has come before looks as clean and professional as this newest fan film.

With technology giving aspiring filmmakers the ability to create a professional looking film with a true cinematic experience, it is beginning to make it difficult to tell the difference between studio films, independent films, and now, even fan films. Womp Stomp Films latest effort, the Friday The 13th fan film Never Hike Alone, illustrates how exceptional a movie can be when newer film technology is utilized by people with great talent and an understanding of what their target audience is looking for.

The film finds an adventure hiker named Kyle, who accidentally stumbles into the remains of the old Camp Crystal Lake. While exploring the camp, Kyle discovers its long, dark secret and his survival skills are put to the test like never before as he encounters Jason Voorhees.

Actor Andrew Leighty does a sensational job as Kyle, basically anchoring an entire film by himself. It's a credit to Andrew's talent to make the entire scenario believable. When the terror ramps up, you can feel how upset and scared the character Kyle really is. It's an emotional and physical part to play and Andrew made me a believer and a character I would like to see return in a sequel.

Jack of all trades Vincente DiSanti, who wrote, produced and directed the film, also plays the chief villain Jason Voorhees. Vincente has a real eye for visuals that kept me interested in every frame as he switched between overhead aerial, wide panoramic, and "found footage" angled shots to create different moods and perspectives that were engaging and brought me into this new take on the Friday The 13th mythos.

Jason Voorhees is imposing in this film and definitely reminds me of Derek Mears portrayal of the hockey masked killer from Friday The 13th 2009. Vincente does not waste any extra movements playing as Jason as he stalks and eventually repeatedly attacks Kyle. Jason is definitely a sleek and motivated assassin in Never Hike Alone and he wants to protect his sacred land no matter what.

I was completely happy with the story as it is was structured, even giving fans a franchise staple towards the end that would have been good enough to conclude the film on it's own merit. However, it is the last few minutes of the film that flips the script completely, leaving me cheering out-loud as the credits roll.

With a very satisfying run time of nearly 53 minutes, Womp Stomp Films' Never Hike Alone is a step in the right direction on how a studio should make the next Friday The 13th film. Ryan Perez-Daple's score gives an updated sound that is welcome and he wisely uses the Ki Ki Ki Ma Ma Ma sound effect throughout to signify the presence of Jason Voorhees. Never Hike Alone is by far the best looking fan film based on the story of Friday The 13th ever made. In fact, it can most definitely be argued that it is THE best Friday The 13th fan film ever. Big congratulations to all of the crew involved.

Never Hike Alone debuts on October 13th at The Telluride Horror Show and online at Youtube and Vimeo. For more information, please visit www.wompstompfilms.com