2025 marks 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. Last 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.
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.
Sweet Revenge No More
In recent days, fans have noticed that 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.
Fans were never warned that Sweet Revenge would only be available for a limited time. It just disappeared, with no explanation. We can only assume, as the folks at Friday the 13th: The Franchise do, that “the contract with Angry Orchard has ended. Strange to just pull the video from online channels, but 2025 will be remembered as the Angry Orchard Saga.” It would have been nice to get a heads-up that the contract would be expiring in December, but that information (if that is the reason for Sweet Revenge‘s disappearance) was kept under wraps.
What do you think of Sweet Revenge vanishing without warning? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below. While we ponder this mystery, Horror, Inc. is developing a new Friday the 13th feature film and the prequel series Crystal Lake is on track for a 2026 premiere.
