2025 marked the 45th anniversary of the release of one of the most popular horror movies ever made, Friday the 13th, the movie that launched my favorite franchise. The previous year, the Friday the 13th franchise rights holders at Horror Inc. announced that they were launching the Jason Universe, which would encompass “new Friday the 13th activations that will span a wide range of platforms from entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more to be announced @JasonUniverse13 on social media or by visiting the official Jason Universe website.” At the center of the celebration was a 15 minute short film called Sweet Revenge, which was released through the Jason Universe YouTube channel and through a site hosted by Angry Orchard Hard Cider back in August… Then, the short vanished at the start of December. Now, director Mike P. Nelson has finally addressed the disappearance of Sweet Revenge.
Sweet Revenge Refresher
The release of this short film was a big deal, because it was our first official piece of live-action Friday the 13th entertainment in sixteen years. Ever since the release of the Friday the 13th reboot in 2009, the franchise had been bogged down by development hell and legal issues. Now, Jason Voorhees was finally back – and even if he was wearing a questionable new hockey mask, it was good to see him again.
Written and directed by Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn), this vignette was said to be part of “a larger collaboration” between Angry Orchard Hard Cider and the Friday the 13th franchise (you can see the drink and merch tie-ins HERE), and was produced by franchise owner Horror, Inc. Here’s the official description: Fans will drop into a chilling weekend in the woods filled with blood-soaked surprises only Jason can deliver. Ally Ioannides (Into the Badlands) starred alongside stuntman Schuyler White, who plays Jason.
It wasn’t received with overwhelming positivity (our reviewer Tyler Nichols gave it a 4/10 review), but it represented the franchise making some progress after spending sixteen years in the dumps.
And now, it’s gone, as all traces of Sweet Revenge have been scrubbed from both the Jason Universe and Angry Orchard YouTube channels. Not only is the short gone, but even the trailer for it has vanished. It’s as if it never existed, and Jason Universe and Angry Orchard haven’t said a word about it.
Nelson Speaks
During an interview with Slash ‘N Cast, Nelson was asked about Sweet Revenge being removed from YouTube. He answered, “I believe it has everything to do with the promotional period. I know that’s not as sexy of an answer as I think everybody wants, but that’s what I believe it came down to, just promotion with Angry Orchard. I foresee it being reposted at some time, but as for now, that’s where it’s at. … It definitely was a bummer when it happened, and I didn’t even know that it happened. Somebody messaged me on Instagram, ‘Where did Sweet Revenge go?’ I was like, ‘What?’ … I was able to talk to the people over at Jason Universe and what it came down to was that it was the end of a promotional period. That doesn’t mean that it’s officially gone, it just means that they need to work some stuff out to bring it back.“
You can watch the interview clip in the embed at the bottom of this article.
What do you think of Sweet Revenge vanishing without warning? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
