More than 25 years after the release of Friday the 13th, horror fans are still obsessed with Jason Voorhees. With Crystal Lake, Creator Brad Caleb Kane has taken it upon himself to fill in the mystery surrounding the famed cinematic killer’s mysterious origins. The Peacock series gives viewers a glimpse of Jason’s (Callum Vinson) quiet life with his devoted mother, Pamela Voorhees (Linda Cardellini), before the tragic summer camp accident that supposedly took his life. After Jason “drowns,” Pam never gives up hope that he’s still out there, and she does what she has to do to protect him from the forces that threatened him.
Crystal Lake introduces a wide array of new characters to the franchise, including the town’s police chief, Levon Brooks (William Catlett), his journalist sister, Brianna Brooks (Devin Kessler), and his deputy/ local Dorf (Cameron Scoggins). Together, the three form an unlikely team that comes together towards the end of the gripping eight-episode season. They join forces to confront Elias Voorhees (Hamish Linklater), Jason’s father and an important figure at the sinister Bellflower Corporation, who has tracked Pam down years after she escaped his clutches.
Though Kessler is a self-proclaimed “scaredy-cat,” Catlett and Scoggins grew up watching the iconic Friday the 13th series. “Growing up, I went to a lot of summer camps,” remembered Scoggins. “The legends of Jason are always around those places, no matter where you are.” While Catlett didn’t go to summer camp, he spent every Friday of his youth at the movie theater where he would watch the latest installments of the franchise. “I was kinda surprised when this script for Crystal Lake came to me because it felt so full circle,” said Catlett.
Catlett, Kessler and Scoggins stopped by the Decider studio to talk about their new series, to describe working with the “seasoned” Cardellini, and to reveal their favorite Friday the 13th easter eggs, and more.
DECIDER: Does each of you remember your first exposure to the Friday the 13th franchise? Are you horror fans?
CAMERON SCOGGINS: I’m the youngest of four brothers, and my big brothers would always scare me with stories about Jason. Growing up, I also went to a lot of summer camps. The legends of Jason are always around those places, no matter where you are.
DEVIN KESSLER: Conversely, I did not go to summer camp because my mom saw Friday the 13th [laughs]. She was like, “That’s not happening.” So, I’m the scaredy-cat of the group.
WILLIAM CATLETT: I grew up watching the films. I went to the movie theater every Friday night. I was kinda surprised when this script for Crystal Lake came to me because it felt so full circle. I’m like, “Wow, you’re really gonna star in Friday the 13th.” It’s a whirlwind for me, being in this franchise.
The heart of the series is obviously Linda Cardellini and her gutsy, sensitive, and terrifying performance as Pamela Voorhees. What was it like to have her as #1 on the call sheet?
DK: She’s such a master at her craft.
CS: She sets the best energy, too. She really is one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever gotten to work with. She has this switch where she can just turn it on.
WC: Most people don’t know that Linda was coming from another show, DTF St. Louis. She still brought it every single day. She’s a seasoned actor and a pleasure to work with.
William, unlike the townsfolk, Levon isn’t as enchanted by Crystal Lake. Does he see his role as Police Chief as a fresh start or a reluctant new beginning?
WC: It’s both. His move to Crystal Lake was a fresh start. Though he didn’t want it [laughs]. It’s a reluctant new beginning because Levon is still grappling with things that happened in Newark that he’s not really sharing. How can it be a fresh start if you haven’t let go of your past?
Devin, Bri is the plucky reporter that every newspaper should want to have on staff. What does she think of her brother’s checkered past?
DK: First of all, I like the word “checkered.” It is a great word to describe Levon’s past. She’s just really concerned about her brother. She wants to make sure he’s okay. She doesn’t know much because he won’t tell her much. They are very protective of each other. Where does her passion for journalism come from? DK: She very much wants to make a mark on the world. She wants to be a part of something. The ‘70s were a turbulent time with a lot of mistrust. Bri’s driven by the truth, so she’s itching to be the one to break something big. She can feel the momentum of the period.
Cameron, Dorf might technically be a legacy character by name, but we see him develop in a meaningful way over the course of the 8 episodes. What was the biggest challenge you faced bringing him to the screen?
CS: Our series creator, Brad [Caleb Kane], and I had a lot of conversations. Humor has always been important to the film franchise. On the page, Dorf could be very, very, very big. He’s part of the comic relief of the show, but I was interested in finding Dorf’s vulnerability. He wants to be respected. He’s the small kid who grew up in this town, whom everybody knows. Now he wants to be known as a man and a good police officer. He also wants to learn from Levon. Weaving all of those elements into Dorf really helped the character expand a lot.
William, Levon is a widower who is drawn to Pam Voorhees. Is she the first woman he’s been interested in since Alma passed? Does this connection with Pam begin after Jason’s passing?
WC: Like, let’s get into it! [Laughs] Oh Lord, it’s been a while, as Brianna brings up. It has been two years, but there’s a special connection when two people are suffering from the same thing. In this case, they’re both battling grief. There’s something when you look in a woman’s eyes and the way she looks at you back… “It’s like, okay, maybe there’s something here,” but you’ve got to keep watching to see if something happens.
Devin, in the series, Bri is the first character to interact with Elias, Pam’s husband, played by Hamish Linklater. Was his casting in the series kept as a surprise to you like it was for the audience? What was it like filming that scene at the pier?
DK: It was a surprise! I don’t think I found out until like a week before. His mom is the iconic Kristin Linklater, so I was familiar with his family’s legacy. I was very excited to be able to delve into a scene with someone who respects the craft of acting as much as he does. Hamish is brilliant. He’s a wonderful actor.
You never know what he’s about to do, but everything he does is from a place of truth and curiosity. He’s just got this spry energy about him. There was this one take where he was eating popcorn while he was answering my character’s question, and he offered me the popcorn mid-take. I remember looking at him like he was crazy. His character is just terrifying [laughs]! He’s just an electric actor to work with.
William and Cameron, Levon has a standoff with Elias in the police station which Dorf interrupts and to help even the odds. How long did that sequence take to film? What was Hamish like in full menacing mode?
WC: It took us two days to film that scene. There were 38 setups. Hamish, he’s off-beat. He’s not playing to a rhythm that’s expected. There was one time when he grabbed Linda’s face in character, and it really upset me. You love it when you feel those real emotions in the moment. But yeah, it took two days.
CS: That was a wild time. 38 set-ups in two days are a lot. Plus, that tension between the characters was in every take. Linda and Hamish can both change the temperature of a room just by walking into it. With those two in charge, we were just along for the ride.
WC: I don’t know about along for the ride, because I was pretty much killing it [laughs]. The way our director, Q [Quyen Tran], blocked the scene was brilliant. Dorf comes in, jumps over the table, throws his ninja star, and has his hero moment. It’s a true western standoff, so it was amazing.
My favorite Easter egg is when Jason reveals himself to Elias and Pam, and he is wearing the burlap bag from Friday the 13th: Part 2! Did you have a favorite nod from the OG franchise you can share?
CS: Bag Head Jason is one of my favorites Easter eggs. I feel like a lot of people will be very happy to get different iterations of Jason besides Kid Jason. I also love the reference to the first movie when our character, Willow, walks through the town. The time we spend with her in our series is the same amount of time spent with the Annie character in the first movie. I just think that’s such a cool Easter egg. Brad was so excited to shoot that.
DK: That was one of my favorites too. I also think it’s really dope that we filmed in Blairstown, New Jersey, where the original movie was filmed. The series couldn’t do justice to the movies if we didn’t go to where it all began. We were in the same woods as they were. That really helped set the tone.
WC: Something else that was nice was the young love between the campers [laughs]. Plus, those football analogies. Those were all really great scenes.
CS: And a part of the franchise, too. The franchise always had that sex, kill, sex, kill, sex, kill pattern.
At the end of the season, Levon is wounded, Bri is reeling from the Bellflower revelation and Dorf is in pursuit of Elias and Pam. What are your hopes for your characters if there is a season 2?
CS: I want to keep exploring the relationship between Levon and Dorf. By the end, Brianna’s is in the mix. Is Bri gonna be in Crystal Lake forever? Is she staying with her brother?
DK: I would love to have a season 2 [laughs]. Listen, I’m a scaredy-cat, but I also really, really like blood. It’s a Scorpio thing, which is my rising sign. Anyway, I wanna see Brianna interact a little bit more with blood.
CS: Get you to find a body!
DK: [Laughs] Yeah, I just want to see her sink her teeth more into things. I know Brad has many ideas.
WC: I just want Levon to figure out how to solve this case [laughs]. If we get a Season 2, Levon will hopefully be healed up and ready to take the case back from the FBI. I want to really get back in there and see what is going on. Is this real? Is this mystical? I need answers.
All 8 episodes of Crystal Lake are now streaming on Peacock