The Crystal Lake trailer reveals why Jason Voorhees has held the Friday the 13th franchise back.
In the official trailer for Crystal Lake, Linda Cardellini plays Pamela Voorhees, the mother of future serial killer Jason Voorhees. Set eight years before the events of Friday the 13th, Crystal Lake explores the origins of how Jason’s drowning in the lake shaped Pamela’s future, which involved grief and a whole lot of revenge.
One thing missing in the Crystal Lake trailer is Jason Voorhees in the hockey mask. Jason didn’t become the hockey mask-wearing killer until Friday the 13th Part III. Crystal Lake can inject new life into this franchise that relied too heavily on Jason and his signature mask.
Crystal Lake shows how much Friday the 13th can offer beyond Jason Voorhees
Jason’s hockey mask is one of the most iconic trademarks for a movie character. However, the mask is becoming a crutch in the franchise, as it relies too heavily on the same thing: a masked Jason shows up and kills people. That sounds like an oversimplification, but it’s pretty much the gist of every Friday the 13th movie since the third installment.
If you remember, the first Friday the 13th featured Pamela, not Jason, as the film’s villain. That movie has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score—71%—in the franchise. The unpredictability and the surprise reveal of the villain certainly played a factor in its critical score.
Friday the 13th has become a stale franchise. Jason Voorhees is a legendary villain who will return in his hockey mask one day. Why not try something different? Peacock‘s Crystal Lake presents a fresh opportunity for a new story.
Plus, the trailer teases Jason’s presence. Series creator Brad Caleb Kane told Polygon that the show won’t feature the hockey mask, but it will go into “mask territory,” and Jason will be seen.
If Crystal Lake succeeds, then more stories without a mask-wearing Jason can be told, which is a great thing for this franchise.
