Friday the 13th sees its first proper television outing with the upcoming prequel, Crystal Lake. If you weren’t aware, the Friday the 13th franchise has been in dire straits since 2009’s reboot. Legal battles over the ownership of Jason Voorhees, multiple projects failing to get off the ground, and waning desire to see the machete-wielding maniac had essentially locked the franchise into purgatory. However, thanks to the combined efforts of Bryan Fuller, Vince Miller, and production studio A24, we can finally return to Camp Crystal Lake once more.
The change in format and the lengthy period between installments have justified the need to start fresh. While Fuller has revealed some details about Crystal Lake, most of what the show will be about is still kept tightly under wraps. Knowing how fast and loose Friday the 13th has been with its continuity and how Fuller handled his own take on the Hannibal franchise, we can’t really know for sure what exactly the show has to offer for fans and newcomers alike. These are questions we hope to see answered.
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Where Will Crystal Lake Take Place?
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Other than the obvious question of “will we actually see Jason Voorhees,” the next biggest question is where exactly Crystal Lake will take place. Yes, because the series is called Crystal Lake, it’ll likely take place in Camp Crystal Lake. But remember that the series has gone just about everywhere you can think of, for better and for worse.
Jason Voorhees has gone Hell and back, to space and back, to the streets of New York, and across the grounds of Camp Crystal Lake, including multiple trips to the depths of the titular body of water.
When speaking about this subject with Fangoria, showrunner and writer Bryan Fuller stated:
This leaves plenty of possibilities for locations beyond the camp.
“Everything. We can use everything. We can go to Hell, we can go to space. That’s not to say that we will do those things … although if we do go 10 seasons, I will be lobbying hard to go to space.”
Will We See Supernatural Elements and Themes?
Friday the 13th stuck its fingers in a lot of different genre pies. Much like how Jason Voorhees eventually started globetrotting, the franchise has featured telepathic children, ceremonial daggers, multiple revivals – as in, Jason Voorhees raising himself from the dead – on top of nano-machines and copycat killers.
The supernatural has always been a part of the series. Whether looking at the first film’s shocking ending, the ghostly visages of Pamela Voorhees, or the existence of an undead Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th films have always been a step above just a regular guy in a mask – minus that one time it was. In many ways, the character of Jason Voorhees is a vengeful spirit in his own right, claiming the lives of others as he haunts the same grounds where he passed, robbing others of life just as he was robbed of his own.
While there’s little chance we’ll see a zombified Jason Voorhees running around in the first season of Crystal Lake, Friday the 13th has always been more similar to Halloween instead of Scream. Jason Voorhees himself is a manifestation of something much more malicious and otherworldly. Whether he’ll show up in his famous hockey-mask attire or something a little more casual, we can hopefully see some form of supernatural phenomenon play a role in his story.
Who Will Be the Main Character?
The biggest question that a “pre-remake-quel” presents is this: who exactly will lead the show? Not to mock the Friday the 13th films, but the franchise isn’t exactly known for its well-written characters.
Being a prequel, two choices immediately come to mind: Pamela Voorhees or Jason Voorhees. We’ve never really received a thorough look at their relationship other than that Pamela would literally kill for her beloved son. At one point, the director of Jason Lives wrote his own prequel that would focus exclusively on Pamela Voorhees, but legal issues have prevented it from reaching a major studio. It’d be interesting to see a closer examination of both characters and their relationship with each other, à la Bates Motel.
A handful of characters could make a return as leads outside the Voorhees family, too. Reoccurring protagonist Tommy Jarvis has led three separate Friday the 13th films – The Final Chapter, A New Beginning, and Jason Lives – with Voorhees being a consistent presence in his life from ages 12 to 18. Could we see young Jarvis leading up to his traumatic events?
Whether we’ll get answers to these questions remains unclear. For now, all we can hope for is future news regarding Crystal Lake’s development. However, if you’re anxious to see Jason Voorhees float around space again, have no fear. That’ll be the plan for season ten.
