Horror fans have every right to feel protective of Friday the 13th. The 1980 film, directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by the late Victor Miller, is one of the foundational texts of the slasher genre. To date, it’s sparked a 12-part film series, video games, comics, novels, countless Halloween costumes, and more—including multiple TV shows.
While the Jason Voorhees faithful hold onto hope that the hockey-masked maniac will one day return to the big screen after 17 years and counting, a fresh take on Friday the 13th arrives this week on Peacock: Crystal Lake, a prequel series centered on Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s mother. io9 watched the full series ahead of writing this spoiler-free review.
As splatter hounds have known for decades, Pam is revealed as the villain at the end of Friday the 13th, having launched a gruesome killing spree targeting the Camp Crystal Lake counselors she blames for her son’s drowning death. So going into Crystal Lake, we know what Pam’s future holds. Across eight episodes, however, the show digs into Pam’s past, going all the way back to her pregnancy but mostly focusing on that fraught year between the tragic loss of Jason and her descent into darkness.
Purists will have to accept that Crystal Lake plays fast and loose with the established Friday the 13th timeline. In the original movie, Jason’s accident happens in 1957, and the first murders take place in 1958. Then, the movie picks up in 1979, when Camp Crystal Lake is readying to reopen in spite of its macabre reputation.
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