Jason Voorhees Goes Animated in 'Never Hike Alone: Ghosts in the Fog'

Jason Voorhees makes his animated debut on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. PT, in "Never Hike Alone: Ghosts in the Fog," a 10-minute film streaming free on the Womp Stomp Films YouTube channel.

The short follows three friends whose camping weekend turns gory when they get lost in the fog around Camp Crystal Lake. It's the fourth installment in the independent "Never Hike Alone" series and the production company's first move into animation. More than 46 years have passed since Jason's big-screen debut in the 1980 slasher classic "Friday the 13th."

Who is behind it?

Womp Stomp Films, founded in 2016 by filmmaker Vincente DiSanti, has built a devoted following through its "Friday the 13th" fan films. The saga started with DiSanti's 2017 short "Never Hike Alone," continued with the winter-set prequel "Never Hike in the Snow" in 2020, and reached feature length with "Never Hike Alone 2" in 2023. That sequel brought back two actors from "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives": Thom Mathews and Vincent Guastaferro, reprising their roles as Tommy Jarvis and Sheriff Rick Cologne.

The animation came together with Mako Animation Studio, a Mexico-based company specializing in 2D animation (hand-drawn-style, two-dimensional work). Mako was founded in 2015 by Juan Rivera, who co-directed "Ghosts in the Fog" alongside DiSanti. The studio's earlier credits include the animated YouTube series "John Death."

How does a fan film avoid a lawsuit?

This is the practical question the whole operation hinges on. Womp Stomp Films uses copyrighted characters, settings and storylines from the official franchise, yet it operates independently of the studios that own Jason Voorhees.

The company protects itself with self-imposed rules:

• All films are available to watch for free
• Crowdfunding money covers production expenses only
• The productions turn no profit
• Each film carries an on-screen disclaimer acknowledging that rights holders can challenge it

So far, the franchise owners have not taken action to stop the films.

The crowdfunding model has scaled with the series. Fan contributions have financed increasingly elaborate productions while keeping every finished film free online.

What does this change for the franchise?

"Ghosts in the Fog" lands amid a wave of official "Friday the 13th" activity. Peacock debuted its A24-produced prequel series "Crystal Lake," starring Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees, in October.

On Friday, it was announced that Steve Miner will direct the franchise's 13th feature film, scheduled for theatrical release in 2027. Miner directed 1981's "Friday the 13th Part 2" and 1982's "Friday the 13th Part III." The new movie will mark Jason's first big-screen appearance since the 2009 reboot.

For Womp Stomp Films, the animated short tests whether the fan saga's formula — free access, crowdfunded budgets, no profit — can stretch into a new medium while the official franchise ramps up around it.