Friday the 13th Fan Films Double Feature

Last update, I talked about a shitty Friday the 13th fan film called Legends. Now, I love fan films, and I felt pretty bad that I reviewed something so bad. So here I am going to review two very entertaining and interesting Friday the 13th fan films. The two are very different and unique, and are also very loving to the material they are homaging.
The first one is called The Cold Heart Of Crystal Lake. It starts off with a bunch of weekend warrior-types wrestling Jason Voorhees in the winter mountain. It really reminds you of the paintball players from Part VI. Then we cut to the main story, which deals with three friends, two of them a couple, who are on the woods in the middle of December. Surprise, surprise, Jason shows up, now wearing a military jacket, and kills them off one by one.
This one is shot on traditional VHS and is definitely more grimy and less professional. The acting is pretty damn solid, and the fact that it takes place in the snow is definitely a plus, since it’s an original setting for the killer that hasn’t been tried before. Sadly the murders themselves aren’t very impressive for the most part, with the exception of a disemboweling at the end which is pretty damn cool. Also, Jason seems to be wearing a Halloween mask instead of having any kind of fx work done. But still at fifteen minutes, you don’t exactly get bored and it’s still pretty damn cool.
The second story is called Friday the 13th: The Storm, and is clearly the superior of the two. It starts off with two lesbian lovers on the Crystal Lake. When the main girl goes skinny dipping, the other girl gets herself butchered in hiding. As the girl goes home not knowing the fate of her friend, Jason decides to tag along.
In the first sequence you can already see why this is the superior of the two. First, the cinematography is beautiful all around, and the locations are gorgeous. Also, it has tits! Yes, we have nudity in this one, and she’s hot too! This fan film homages part IV in particular. The look of Jason, and two of the main kills, these being the shadow impaling with a machete and the corkscrew death, are all lifted from the fourth film. And like Part IV, most of the third act takes part in a dark house without electricity during a thunderstorm. But even in it’s short running time, the film is able to create real fear and suspense, and is probably the best thing to bear the F13 name in years. I hope the person who made this short will make an authentic F13 film in the future, since he definitely has what it takes.
Both films are available for free online and come recommended, particularly The Storm. I would say, however, that I would never make a fan film. Why make a movie I could never make any bread out of? I’m a fanboy, but I want to create things of my own.