Never Hike Alone

Director - Vincente DiSanti (Last Broadcast, Never Hike in the Snow)

Starring - Drew Leighty (The Exchange, Submission), Vincente DiSanti, and Katie Schwartz (Rag Doll, Batgirl: Retribution)

Release Date - 2017

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "A Friday the 13th fan film"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     October is the best time of year for horror fans and most companies that release movies know this.  They save some of their best releases for October which makes this month pretty expensive for movie collectors.  Most of the horror community is up with excitement at Scream Factory's Friday the 13th box set.  This release includes the much sought after gore effects that was gut out of part 2.  While I was waiting on my set to arrive I decided to get in the Friday the 13th spirit and continue my horror movie binging.  I decided to check out the fan film Never Hike Alone.  I some how ended up with a copy of this one on blu but I can't figure out where it came from.  Regardless, I wanted to give it a spin while I waited. 

     The film follows a hiker who vlogs his outdoor experiences for his social media followers.  While hiking through the woods he comes across the remaining structures of Camp Crystal Lake along with the mutilated remains of an animal.  He takes it outside to bury it and begin his journey again when he comes face to face with the iconic hockey masked slasher, Jason Voorhees.  

     I learn a lot about indie horror from the various movie collecting groups I'm in.  Most indie productions can't afford to advertise so word of mouth is their best way to get their films out there.  When this film was released I recall so many people in these groups losing their fucking minds over the blu.  In fact, once they stopped offering the blu I remember seeing people selling their copies for $80 plus.  That is what made me so curious about this fan film.  Was it really that impressive?  Well, after finally watching it I can quickly tell you that it's not.  In fact, I struggled to actually finish it.  The acting in this one is pretty solid.  Jason had his now legendary movements down pretty well with director DiSanti taking over the role of the iconic slasher.  Leighty was solid as well as the hiking social media personality.  He was genuine in front of the camera and did a solid job.  The last portion of the film witnesses the introduction of several new members of the cast including Friday the 13th's Thom Mathews returning as Tommy Jarvis.  He wasn't in the film nearly enough.  The story for this one would be pretty solid as a short but stretching a guy hiking in the woods alone for 50 minutes was pretty boring in my opinion.  Cutting that run time down to 30 or so minutes would give the story way more impact.  Instead, we paitently watch one man walk, record himself, and walk some more.  Not that fun.  Also, the portion with Jason is very anti-climatic.  You toss in a Friday the 13th film for a body count which we don't get here.  Finally, the film has some blood and a fantastic looking animal carcas but if you are looking for graphic slasher deaths you will surely be disappointed.  The kills that make a Jason flick so much fun are nowhere to be seen.  Overall, Never Hike Alone is a solid idea but poorly executed.  I can see why Friday the 13th fans like it but it didn't have feel like a Friday the 13th movie to me.  The last 10 minutes were fun but the remainder of the film was a tough one to sit through.