A24 and Peacock have released the first teaser trailer for Crystal Lake, an eight episode prequel series built around the Friday The 13th franchise, and it finally gives fans a proper look at Linda Cardellini stepping into the role of Pamela Voorhees, the grief stricken mother who became one of horror's most notorious, and rare, female slashers. Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane is behind the show, which is set in the 1970s and traces the character's origin story long before her son Jason ever put on the hockey mask that made him famous in the original Friday The 13th film.
A Short But Sharp First Look
The teaser itself is short, but it wastes no time setting a grim tone. It opens with a teenager telling a group of kids gathered around a campfire at Crystal Lake, "It's like someone put a curse on this town," before adding, "It all started when that kid drowned last summer." From there the footage cuts to Cardellini's Pam wading through murky water, screaming her son's name as she desperately searches for him. The clip then jumps to a shadowy figure stalking the woods around the summer camp, cuts again to Pam gripping a knife, and finally lands on a close up of her blood streaked face as she breathlessly whispers, "Mommy's here..." It is barely a minute of footage, but it is enough to hook attention, and Cardellini already looks completely in command of the part.
Who Is Pam Voorhees
The official synopsis describes Crystal Lake as following "single mother Pam Voorhees who has been unable to shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in the town lake almost a year before." It continues: "When two strangers arrive at Pam's door digging into her past, a disturbing chain of events are set into motion, leaving the townspeople of Crystal Lake wondering: just who is Pam Voorhees?" That premise sets the show up as much as a slow burn character study as it is a slasher origin tale, built around a mother unravelling in full view of a town that thinks it already knows her story.
The Cast
Alongside Cardellini, Crystal Lake stars William Catlett, Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins and Gwendolyn Sundstrom, with young newcomer Callum Vinson playing a young Jason Voorhees. Newly shared photos from the series show off more of its unsettling 1970s summer camp setting, hinting at the slow creep of dread that surrounds Crystal Lake long before Pam ever picks up a weapon.
When Crystal Lake Arrives
It has been seventeen years since the last Friday The 13th project reached screens, which means this new take on the franchise's mythology arrives carrying a lot of expectation from longtime fans of the series. Crystal Lake is set to premiere in the United States on 15 October, and the series will also stream in the United Kingdom exclusively on Sky and Now TV sometime in October. Whether this prequel turns out to be an absolute killer or lands dead on arrival, it is clear from this first footage alone that Cardellini's take on Pam Voorhees is going to be the show's biggest weapon.
