Horror Obsessive
The Friday the 13th franchise went silent for the better part of two decades. Between a 2009 remake and a rights dispute that kept Jason Voorhees locked out of new productions, there was a gap that felt like it might never close. In Summer 2025, the Jason Universe broke that silence with Sweet Revenge, a 13-minute short film described as a “vignette” but functioning as something more: the first official Jason Voorhees film project in over 15 years. The film disappeared from YouTube after its initial Angry Orchard Hard Cider promotional run, but it is back online now on the Jason Universe YouTube channel for anyone who missed it the first time.
The return matters beyond access. Sweet Revenge was released alongside Jason Universe-branded Angry Orchard beverages and 12-packs during the 2025 Halloween season, framed as a brand launch for what Jason Universe intends to build. The short film introduced a fresh redesign for the Jason Voorhees character and established the Jason Universe as the active steward of the franchise’s future. Seeing it now, well after the partnership promotion concluded, is seeing what the creative foundation actually looks like without the marketing layer around it.
The Creative Team Behind Sweet Revenge
Director Mike P. Nelson, known for the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise, helmed the short. Actor and stuntman Schuyler White plays Jason in Sweet Revenge. Casting a stunt performer as Jason is the right call for a short film that presumably prioritizes movement and physicality over the broader character work a longer production would require. The Jason Voorhees character is defined by how he moves through space: the inexorable walk, the sudden burst, the physical weight of the hockey mask and costume in motion.
The 13-minute runtime means Sweet Revenge has to establish a new version of Jason quickly. According to the Jason Universe, the short reintroduced the character as the freshly designed version they plan to carry forward, which is not a small creative decision. The redesign signal suggests Jason Universe is not just maintaining the existing visual iconography: they are making deliberate choices about what this version of the character looks and feels like.
What This Signals for the Franchise’s Future
The source article mentions the Crystal Lake prequel series with a note to “expect more real soon.” That phrasing suggests whatever is coming is closer than a distant announcement. If Sweet Revenge was the franchise’s reintroduction and the Crystal Lake project is next, then the Jason Universe is moving through a deliberate rollout: establish the new Jason on screen, generate fan engagement, then deliver the larger project. Bringing Sweet Revenge back to YouTube now fits that timeline. New fans discovering Crystal Lake will want to see where the redesigned Jason debuted.
For horror fans who have been watching the rights situation around the Friday the 13th franchise with something between frustration and resignation, Sweet Revenge back on YouTube is a small but concrete signal that the franchise is actually in motion again. Watch it on the Jason Universe channel and then hold tight for whatever comes next.
Quick Takes
- Sweet Revenge is a 13-minute short film released in Summer 2025 as the first official Jason Voorhees project since the 2009 Friday the 13th remake.
- The film was part of a partnership between Jason Universe and Angry Orchard Hard Cider and was pulled from YouTube after the promotion ended.
- It is now streaming again on the Jason Universe YouTube channel.
- The short is directed by Mike P. Nelson and stars stuntman Schuyler White as Jason Voorhees.
- Jason Universe teased that more content, including the Crystal Lake project, is coming soon.
