The Friday the 13th films have been a horror staple for decades, but we haven’t had a new feature-length movie since 2009. Now, the franchise’s most infamous killer is the subject of a rebranding attempt that has been dubbed the “Jason Universe.” Unfortunately, this rebranding is absolutely terrible, and it’s currently tarnishing Jason’s image while frustrating fans by giving them everything except what they want.
Let’s start with the obvious question: what, exactly, is the Jason Universe? According to Horror, Inc. President Robert Barsamian, he is working with Marc Toberoff and Vic Miller (writer of the original Friday the 13th) to “develop new ways to watch, interact and engage with the Jason Universe.” Don’t expect to engage with Jason in the old way, though: thanks to some intense behind-the-scenes legal drama involving Friday the 13th director Sean Cunningham, the Jason Universe will likely be unable to produce any new films in the franchise despite implications to the contrary.
That’s why much of the Jason Universe marketing has been focusing on the upcoming Crystal Lake prequel show. This series would seemingly focus on Pam Voorhees, which meant that it was already going to be a hard sell for fans wanting more of Jason’s hockey mask horror. However, the show was originally being developed by Bryan Fuller, and his great work on Hannibal and other shows was enough to generate some serious buzz for Crystal Lake.
But Fuller got fired from showrunner duties (as has happened to him on other shows), and Scream writer Kevin Williamson later walked away from the project. Now, the new showrunner is Bradley Caleb Kane, who is arguably best known for providing Genie’s singing voice in Disney’s Aladdin (no, really). He’s got plenty of production credits and will likely do a serviceable job, but for this horror fan, losing both Fuller and Williamson killed any real enthusiasm I had left for Crystal Lake.
Still, as a guy with a huge Jason tattoo on his arm, I had high hopes that the Jason Universe would have some other cool stuff to offer. I was wrong, though: one look at their website reveals almost nothing but hype for Crystal Lake and tepid teasers for things like Jason’s new look (basically the same as the old look) and the killer’s appearance at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. The new “Sweet Revenge” short is admittedly cool, but so far, the Jason Universe has been busier marketing its collaboration with Angry Orchard hard cider than Voorhees’ new film.
That alcohol collab underscores the real problem with this Jason Universe rebranding: it is shamelessly focusing on turning horror’s biggest icon into just another bit of content amid a crowded landscape of slop. Horror, Inc. keeps making big announcements about things like a possible sequel to the 2009 Friday the 13th movie, but as near as anyone can tell, the film rights for this franchise are still in legal limbo. For the foreseeable future, you’re far likelier to see Jason in your supermarket aisle hawking hooch than to see him on the big screen, slashing his way through co-eds.
Now, this is one of those occasions where I’d love for time to prove me wrong. The “Sweet Revenge” short is great, and I’d be a happy camper (happier than those kids at Crystal Lake, at least) if we get more and more such films. And if Horror, Inc. can somehow bring Jason back to the big screen after all these years, I’ll be eternally grateful. So far, though, the Jason Universe branding seems like weak sauce being served up by empty corporate suits, which is quite apparent when Horror, Inc. GM Sheri Conn weirdly refers to their upcoming content as “Jason Universe activations.”
Again, the Jason Universe has the potential to change for the better. Until it does, though, this rebranding will remain the worst franchise failure since Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
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