Friday The 13th superfan Peter Anthony makes his directorial debut in Rose Blood: A Friday the 13th Fan film. It wasn’t until I saw Jeremy Brown’s Vengeance A Friday The 13th Fan Film a few years ago that I started taking fan films seriously.
Anthony uses a similar approach that Brown used for Vengeance and makes an unofficial sequel to a fan-favorite Friday film. Anthony’s film is a follow-up to Friday The 13th VII: The New Blood. If you need a refresher, the seventh Friday film, The New Blood, is often called Carrie meets Jason. Tina (Lar Park Lincoln), our final girl, has telekinesis and does some damage to Jason.
While Tina’s attempt to kill Jason fails, she summons her father’s spirit, who drags Jason back into Crystal Lake, chaining him again. Tina and her love interest, Nick (Kevin Spirtias), and Tina are taken away by ambulance the following morning.
Decades later, the infamous Camp Crystal Lake Research Facility holds Tina Shepard captive. While she has better control of her powers, Tina still has visions of her former psychiatrist, Dr. Crews (Terry Kiser). The audience then goes back on a journey as a young Tina (Jessica Hottman); memory flashes back to 13 months after her encounter with Jason.
All Tina wants to do is reunite with Rick. She is studied by the military, who want to use her powers for evil. However, things start to look up when she meets Rose, with similar abilities.
While I’m sure many Friday fans have seen the film since its release, I want to keep my review as brief as possible to avoid spoilers. Remember that this is a fan film for new fans, so the acting reflects that style. Not that we ever watched the Friday The 13th films for award-worthy acting
Anthony has put together a cast that successfully conveys horror movie character tropes. I was elated to see one of my favorite characters from the franchise make a return to his youthful days.
Part of the joy of the film is all the small tidbits that Anthony includes that will make fans crack a smile.
As for Jason Voorhees, Jason Brooks returns to the role towards the film’s end and delivers another gold slasher-worthy performance. In addition to a reveal in the third act, the end credits set up a possible sequel. Here’s hoping that Anthony sets up another crowdfunding campaign so I can give my support.
After the credits rolled on the film, two things were apparent: Peter Anthony has a bright future in film. Secondly, more screenwriters and directors should take on franchises they are passionate about.
Final Grade: B+
Rose Blood: A Friday the 13th Fan film is available to view On Youtube
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