It took nearly two decades and an endless legal mess, but it's actually happening: Jason Voorhees is coming back to theaters. Will anybody care?
The 13th "Friday the 13th" movie (yes, the 13th; someone in marketing must be thrilled) will hit theaters in 2027. Steve Miner is back to direct. He made "Friday the 13th Part 2" and "Part III," and he's the guy who first put the hockey mask on Jason. David Fliegel wrote the script.
The timing isn't an accident, either. "Crystal Lake," Peacock's prequel series about Pamela Voorhees, premiered last month. The reviews were mostly fine, though Peacock hasn't renewed it yet.
Am I excited for this? Not really. The franchise peaked in the '80s, but the character never left pop culture. Jason, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger are the trifecta of iconic horror killers.
The press release promises a return to "the franchise's independent roots," "a deep respect for the fandom," a "fully independent model," "uncompromising genre filmmaking" and "practically-shot" effects. All of that sounds great, but this is also the franchise that sent Jason into space in "Jason X." Several of the later sequels are just flat-out bad movies. These films were never known for their craft.
Now, about Miner. This is where things get a little off for me. Of all the horror filmmakers who've begged for a shot at Jason over the past 17 years, they went with a 75-year-old who hasn't made a feature since "Day of the Dead" in 2008. That was a direct-to-video remake, by the way. He's spent the years since directing episodes of network TV. He's a journeyman, and "Halloween H20" and "Lake Placid" were his last "hits."
Miner is such an odd choice to revive the franchise. Why not hire a hip young director? Picking Miner suggests this could be a nostalgia trip, which is the wrong way to move this franchise forward.
Then again, I expect this to be old-school, à la Roger Corman, to maximize profits. This latest installment will probably be shot fast and cheap, which is why it's coming out next year. Hey, the "Friday the 13th" movies were never meant to be elevated horror.
Of all the horror filmmakers who've begged for a shot at Jason over the past 17 years, they went with a 75-year-old who hasn't made a feature since "Day of the Dead" in 2008.