Greg Nicotero Stunned as Fans Slam Jason Universe's Jason Voorhees Hockey Mask Redesign

Fan blowback blindsided Greg Nicotero: by the time Jason Universe brought him in to help reimagine Jason Voorhees, the iconic hockey mask was already changed.

Jason Voorhees is turning 45 next year, and the people who own Friday the 13th are using the birthday to reboot the brand in a big way. That includes a new short film, a new look, and a new hockey mask that is already dividing the fanbase. And yes, Greg Nicotero is in the middle of it.

Quick refresher: Jason Universe is a thing now

In 2024, rights holder Horror Inc. launched something called Jason Universe — basically a wide-net initiative that covers everything from film/TV to games, live experiences, merch, and whatever else they can slap a logo on. They even told fans to follow @JasonUniverse13 and the official site for updates.

As part of the victory lap heading into the 45th anniversary in 2025, Horror Inc. teamed with Angry Orchard Hard Cider on a 13-minute short called 'Sweet Revenge.' That short also marked the debut of a tweaked Jason design and a redesigned hockey mask.

Nicotero came in after the mask was already changed

Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead, Creepshow) says he was brought in by a friend whose company has handled merch for some of his past projects. By the time Jason Universe approached him, the new mask had already been designed — complete with a different eye cut shape and face contour. His job was to turn that into a real, wearable piece and then build a full Jason look around it.

He and his team spent months refining the physical mask — testing shapes, nudging proportions — and even sculpted a full Jason bust that nobody outside the project has seen. Still, Nicotero is clear: Jason Universe wanted the mask to match the art they gave him and pushed back on any major alterations. The rest of the character, though? They let him go wild.

What his Jason looks like

One hard rule from the start: this Jason is not a rotting zombie. So Nicotero leaned into an earlier-era vibe, closer to the grounded brutality of Parts 2 and 3. He says he loves the overall character design they landed on. The mask is intentionally a bit stylized — mostly in the eye and face shapes — but he feels it still carries the franchise DNA.

The 13-hole mask, and why it might exist

Here’s the flashpoint: the classic mask had 31 holes. The new one has 13. Fans noticed, loudly. Nicotero admits he’s a little surprised at how polarized the reaction is, because he doesn’t see anything inherently wrong with the design — it’s different, sure, but still Jason to him. He also floated a very inside-baseball reason for the change: tweaking the mask might make it easier to copyright and fully own as a unique design, rather than just being a generic hockey mask.

What Nicotero actually delivered

He handed over the full Jason look featuring their redesigned mask, fabricated twenty physical masks for production use, and that was it for his involvement. He wasn’t part of the 'Sweet Revenge' shoot, even though it uses his Jason design wearing their mask. He also mentioned he’s heard a second short could be gearing up soon, but that hasn’t been announced.

Official line from Horror Inc.

"We strive to maintain Jason's original essence, while continuing to move toward the future with a defined look and feel that takes Jason into his next chapter. We're also working with both familiar and fresh franchise voices to strike that balance. We gave Greg our new 13-hole mask and worked together on this full-body look that embodies classic Jason. He's a strong, towering and terrifying slasher with a machete, his weapon of choice."

What Jason Universe is cooking (at least on paper)

• A multi-platform push: entertainment projects, games, immersive experiences, and merchandise
• A 13-minute short, 'Sweet Revenge,' produced with Angry Orchard Hard Cider
• A new Jason look by Greg Nicotero, built around a pre-existing 13-hole mask design
• Twenty physical masks made by Nicotero for production use
• Hints of another short potentially heading into production (not official yet)

My read on the mask

I get why the 13-hole swap is rubbing people wrong — the 31-holer is sacred. The new one could work, in theory, but what we’ve seen so far (especially in 'Sweet Revenge') looks oversized and a little awkward. Feels like it needs a round of proportion tuning to really click. Different is fine; different and clunky is not.

Where this goes next

We’re in the experimental phase. Jason Universe wants a recognizable but ownable Jason they can build across platforms. Nicotero built them a strong foundation under a mask he wasn’t allowed to overhaul. If they keep iterating — especially on sizing and eye shape — the look may settle into something that pleases more than it provokes. Until then, expect more debate than machete swings.