Crystal Lake is more than a Friday the 13th Origin Story

It was quite the head-to-head competition between Mike Flanagan’s Carrie and Brad Kane‘s Crystal Lake. The two iconic shows were premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and FERNTV happened to get tickets to the latter. And let me tell you that Crystal Lake does not disappoint.

Linda Cardellini stars as Pamela Voorhees as we go back in time to Camp Crystal Lake, where she works and her son, Jason, attends. The series, set to premiere on Peacock, begins by showing the loving relationship between her and her son. Despite Jason being physically different and having some health issues, single mother Pamela Voorhees sticks with him through thick and thin.

Until that one day when the original Friday the 13th and all its sequels examine Jason’s iconic drowning. Creator Brad Kane documents this moment in the Voorhees family, which haunts Pamela, Crystal Lake and all of Jason’s victims for years to come. Pamela still believes that her son is still alive and well. While the community begins to move on from Jason’s death, Pamela can’t.

At this point, some are trying to support her loss and grief, like Officer Brooks played by William Catlett, and the swinging single Rita played Joy Suprano. But there is another universe circulating Pamela Voorhees that we are totally unaware of. This is the dimension that the true fans want to see.

Same Friday the 13th Themes, Same Horror Fun

What FERNTV liked about Crystal Lake, despite only watching the first two episodes are all of the thematic elements of what made Friday the 13th successful as a franchise. Themes such as sex having major consequences or nothing gets past the cops stand out again in Crystal Lake. Creator Brad Kane installed these little goose eggs into Crystal Lake, making the audience have those “A-HA” moments.

The icing on the cake has to be Linda Cardellini, who exemplifies this innocent, loving Pamela Voorhees, in which lures the audience to become immersed in her story especially after the first Friday the 13th. She is a savage in this film in which the audience gets rooting for Team Voorhees. This series wouldn’t be able to develop without her as she spearheads Crystal Lake into fine horror form. Let’s go Peacock! Bring it!