After a long 16‑year wait, Jason Voorhees is slicing his way back into our lives, and it starts with a badass 13‑minute short called Sweet Revenge. This is the first official return of the masked legend since the 2009 Friday The 13th reboot.
Director Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn, Silent Night, Deadly Night reboot) is the mind behind Sweet Revenge, a short‑form horror vignette premiering on the Jason Universe YouTube channel August 13, 2025. It’s being billed as “the centerpiece of the franchise’s bold 45th anniversary campaign.”
Nelson says: “I am so grateful that the team at Horror, Inc. saw something in Sweet Revenge and wanted it as a part of the Jason Voorhees story! And to think 30 years ago I was trying to secretly watch these movies on VHS when no one was looking.
“To have the opportunity to write and direct one of these stories is surreal – not to mention having an amazing team led by Chad Villella and Brianna Lee Johnson help me bring it to life! Not only is the vignette a new take on the beloved IP, it is a comforting, gory hug, reminding us why we fell in love with these movies. Much gruesome fun awaits you!”
Marketing head Sheri Conn said: “We were beyond excited when Mike Nelson came on board and Angry Orchard sponsored production to help us bring this to life in a wickedly unexpected way… honoring the heritage of the franchise while delivering something fresh and thrilling for a new generation.”
Marc Toberoff from Friday 13th LLC put it like this: “Jason has always been a force in pop culture, and the 45th anniversary felt like the perfect moment to do something truly unexpected… exciting to see the franchise evolve with such creativity while staying true to what makes Jason iconic.”
The man behind the mask is Schuyler White, an actor and stuntman who had already played Jason in a short by Mike P. Nelson. He’s officially the first to don that legendary hockey mask since the 2009 reboot.
Sweet Revenge kicks off the broader Jason Universe, a sprawling celebration across media for the franchise’s 45th anniversary. We’ve got NECA collectibles, a Halloween Horror Nights haunt at Universal, and the Crystal Lake prequel series from A24 and Peacock, which just started filming.
Sweet Revenge will launch the modern Jason Universe, a tight, bloody thrill ride helmed by a fanboy director who literally grew up obsessing over these films. It’s fresh yet faithful, oddball sponsorship aside, and shades of that nostalgic VHS‑level chill mixed with a pulse‑pounding edge.
Get ready, Jason is back, and this time, he’s coming to reclaim his spot in pop culture with a vengeance. Check out the trailer below!
