Every year that we go without another appearance by Jason Vorhees is another that makes me sadder at the loss. Sure, we got a great box set by Shout! Factory this year, but the lawsuit has kept a new film from hitting theaters.

Luckily, there are some really innovative fans, like writer/director Vincente DiSanti and Womp Stomp Films.

Set three months before 2017’s Never Hike Alone, this prequel explains what happened to Jason Voorhees (DiSanti with stunts by co-star Bryan Forrest) and Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews, the very same actor who played Tommy in the sixth installment and Freddy in Return of the Living Dead) before that cat and mouse film. But Jarvis isn’t the only character to return from the original films, as Vincent Guastaferro returns to play former Deputy and now Sheriff Rick Cologne, also from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.

This film does not shy away from brutal gore and gets the stalk and slash part of the equation right. It really does feel like it could fit into the series and it’s a true shame that there’s not a chance that we’re getting anything new for a while. Until then, this will more than do.

You can watch this on YouTube.