“Crystal Lake,” the highly anticipated prequel series to “Friday the 13th,” is now streaming on Peacock, taking fans back to the infamous setting of the iconic slasher franchise. Developed as a new chapter in the long-running horror series, the show offers a fresh perspective on the events and characters that helped shape one of horror’s most recognizable stories, with a chance to explore the franchise’s roots in greater detail.
Set in the town of Crystal Lake, the series follows Pamela Voorhees (Linda Cardellini) before the events of the original 1980 movie, exploring her life as she raises her son, Jason, and navigates the complicated relationships and tensions within the local community. As the story unfolds, the show digs into Pamela’s past and the experiences that help shape the woman audiences will eventually come to know as one of horror’s most infamous killers.
Brad Caleb Kane serves as showrunner, bringing his own vision to the “Friday the 13th” universe. Rather than simply revisiting familiar slasher territory, Kane wanted to flesh out the people and places surrounding Pamela, turning Crystal Lake itself into a character with its own history, secrets and complicated residents. He also uses the show’s longer format to explore Pamela’s psychology and the circumstances that shape her transformation.
I had the chance to sit down with Kane to discuss “Crystal Lake,” where we talked about the unexpected inspiration behind the series, Pamela Voorhees’ backstory and the challenge of exploring the origins of such an iconic horror character.
‘A little bit like a Twin Peaks kind of place’
During the interview, I asked Kane about his approach to making “Crystal Lake” feel like a living, breathing community, rather than simply a backdrop for Pamela Voorhees’ story. We discussed how he wanted to give the town its own history, secrets and distinct atmosphere, including the unexpected influence of “Twin Peaks” on the series.
I also wanted the town to be a character in and of itself. I wanted it to feel a little bit like a Twin Peaks kind of place. So, yeah, that was the intention there.
Brad Caleb Kane
“Well, in the first movie, you meet some of these characters and they really just exist as comic relief or serve a very specific purpose in the story. Dorf is comic relief, while Ralph is the prophet of doom, there to tell the kids not to go to the lake. The benefit of a TV show and long-form storytelling is that you can explore them a little bit more, look at where they came from, how they became the archetypes they are in the movies, and sort of see that journey. I also wanted the town to be a character in and of itself. I wanted it to feel a little bit like a Twin Peaks kind of place. So, yeah, that was the intention there.”
I noted that Pamela has her own little, isolated cabin, but when she wants to push herself out of that comfort zone, there’s also the bar and bowling alley, where she can spend time with people in the community. I think that highlights her isolation compared to her attempts to fit in, even though she knows she doesn’t quite belong.
Kane explained, “Pamela is hiding a little bit. She knows her son is different, and she knows how people feel about her. If they're not treating him like an outsider, they feel sorry for her. And obviously, given the circumstances, she is literally hiding as well.
“But, yeah, there’s definitely an instinct in her to hide, to protect herself and to protect Jason. The townspeople are generally pretty kind, though, and they want her to be part of the community. Levon wants her to be part of the community and to heal. They all mean well, so it's fun to dive into those interactions and see what they bring out in all of them.”
Kane also compares Pamela to someone from ‘Taxi Driver’
Kane also drew a comparison between Pamela Voorhees and the increasingly unhinged protagonist in “Taxi Driver,” Travis Bickle, describing her as a female version of the troubled character. He sees parallels in how both are pushed to the breaking point by the circumstances around them.
“I definitely choose to believe that monsters are made, not born. You might have that switch inside you that just needs to get flipped to turn you into a monster under the right circumstances. But this is definitely a journey about how the monster we know from the first movie, Pamela, is made, not born.
At the same time, the monsters aren’t necessarily Pam so much as, you know, that simple, almost throwaway line: “Hurt people hurt people.” Monsters tend to make other monsters, and it's a cycle that just continues and continues.
But, yeah, at the end of the day, it's not really Pam who's the monster here. I like to think of her a little bit as a female Travis Bickle. In Taxi Driver, Travis keeps saying, “Here’s a man who would not take it anymore.” Somebody gets pushed and pushed and pushed, and at a certain point, that dam is going to break.”
"Crystal Lake" is now streaming on Peacock in the U.S and Sky/Now in the U.K from October 19.