Summary
Although Bryan Fuller’sCrystal Lakehasn’t been completely canceled, I’m still heartbroken to hear that the showrunner’s ambitiousFriday the 13thseries is being retooled.TheFriday the 13thfranchisehas been in turmoil for decades now, but I’ve never given up on Jason’s potential. The series started strong with 1980’s originalFriday the 13th, a cheaply made summer camp slasher that combinedHalloween’s formula with a Giallo twist. The villain was kept a mystery untilFriday the 13th’s endingrevealed it was Pamela Voorhees, the mother of a child who drowned at the campsite.
In the years that followed, Pamela’s son, Jason Voorhees, took many different forms as he repeatedly returned to life, murdered a new group of interchangeable young characters, and was defeated by another final girl. Jason was central to the success of theFriday the 13thseries, visiting Manhattan, going to space inJason X, and even receiving a remake in 2009. However, despite the financial success of that outing, the character hasn’t been seen onscreen in the fifteen years that followed. That seemed like it was finally set to change in 2022 when A24 announcedCrystal Lake, a prequel series.
Friday The 13th Full Movie Franchise Timeline Explained
Friday the 13th is one of the most iconic slasher franchises of all time, but the order of events in Jason Voorhees' murderous life is confusing.
A24’s Crystal Lake Sounded Like The Perfect Friday The 13th TV Series
The Ambitious Prequel Involved Some Top Shelf Horror Talent
Hannibalshowrunner Bryan Fuller planned forCrystal Laketo explore the backstory of Jason Voorhees, and every new announcement about the series made it more exciting. However, it was revealed in May 2024 that Fuller had left the series due to creative differences, and a recent report fromThe Wrapextensively chronicles the issues the show’s pre-production process faced. Understandably, Fuller stepped down given the multi-faceted problems the show had, but the more I read aboutCrystal Lake, the sadder I was to let go of the showrunner’s vision.
According toThe Wrap’s reporting,Fuller’s version ofCrystal Lakewas an incredibly ambitious horror series that would have enlisted the talents of directors likeCube’s Vincenzo Natali andBoys Don’t Cry’s Kimberly Peirce. One episode was written by the legendaryScreamscribe Kevin Williamson. Additionally, the creators were eyeing Charlize Theron for the role of Pamela Voorhees, andCrystal Lakebroadly sounded like a sincere attempt to humanize Jason Voorheesand give him a compelling origin story. I would have loved to see this come to fruition.
Charlize Theron’s Potential Pamela Voorhees Casting Proves Crystal Lake’s Potential
The Oscar Winner Could Have Made Jason’s Mother More Sympathetic
WhileJason Lives!director Tommy McLoughlin’s prequelThe Secret Diary of Pamela Voorheesalready explored the backstory of Jason’s mother,Crystal Lakehad an incredibly high-profile star in mind for the role. FromMonstertoDark Places, Theron has managed to humanize numerous morally grey protagonists, and the actor could have brought a new level of insight into the internal world ofFriday the 13th’s original killer. The very fact thatCrystal Lakewas seeking out such a major star for this role proves that the series wanted to expand on Jason’s backstory in an emotionally resonant way.
Attempting to get Theron on board shows thatCrystal Lakewas committed to humanizing Pamela and, by extension, her hulking, murderous son. The recentsubversive slasher movieIn A Violent Naturewas praised for deconstructingFriday the 13th’s basic setup by focusing on its killer instead of their victims, butCrystal Lakecould have taken this further. By making one of the oldest icons of slasher cinema into a more relatable human figure,Crystal Lakecould have illuminated the humanity present in even the most implacably evil villains. This was an unabashedly ambitious vision I was excited to see realized.
Crystal Lake’s Best Unmade Episode Fulfilled A Decades-Old Franchise Promise
The Show Would Finally Have Offered A Winter-SetFriday the 13thStory By Kevin Williamson
As if the potential of Theron’s role wasn’t enough,Crystal Lake reportedly had an episode written by Kevin Williamsonthat would have finally brought a majorFriday the 13thfranchise promise to life. Williamson’s episode was calledCrystal Lake’s “Red Wedding” by those close to the production, and the ambitious outing would repeatedly have taken place entirely on a frozen Crystal Lake. For decades, the series has failed to explore the obvious potential of the eponymous location during winter, when the isolated summer camp is empty, lonely, and frozen over. To me, Williamson’s episode sounds like a dream come true.
This would have marked the first time that the screenwriter, who penned acclaimed slashers likeScream,Scream 2,I Know What You Did Last Summer, andSick, worked on aFriday the 13thproject.
The fact that none of theFriday the 13thmovies have touched on this idea is bad enough, but what makes it worse is Williamson’s involvement. This would have marked the first time that the screenwriter, who penned acclaimed slashers likeScream,Scream 2,I Know What You Did Last Summer, andSick, worked on aFriday the 13thproject.Seeing Williamson joinCrystal Lakewould have been a full-circle momentafterScream’s opening scene saw its self-referential killer taunt an early victim for not knowing the identity of Pamela Voorhees. It’s an opportunity that I’m sad to see wasted.
Friday the 13th’s TV Show Was Set To Deconstruct The Franchise
Natali Called Crystal Lake A “Hannibal-Level Reinvention”
According toNatali,Crystal Lakewas a “Hannibal-Level reinvention” that could have been “simultaneously beautiful, sad, poetic, funny and horrifying.” WhileCrystal Lake’s production felt cursedand its problems would have been tough to overcome, this co-sign makes it clear that the legendary showrunner was on the right track. As such,the death of Fuller’s version ofCrystal Lakeis a major loss for fans of the franchise, horror viewers, and anyone interested in a new take on one of the genre’s most familiar faces.
What Went Wrong With Crystal Lake’s Production
The Expensive Series Was Plagued By Behind-The-Scenes Problems
According toThe Wrap, the end of Fuller’s version ofCrystal Lakecan be attributed to the same issues that have doomed many ofFriday the 13th’s earlier canceled follow-ups. Bad decisions by executives, conflicts with writers, and fights between executives and showrunners all earn a mention in the report, and the ballooning budget and scope of the series also come into question. While new seasons of shows likeStranger ThingsandHouse of the Dragonhave similarly huge budgets, horror-exclusive projects can be a harder sell to viewers.
Crystal Lake’s New Showrunner May “Jettison” The Show’s Plans
A Fresh Start Could Be Good For The Troubled Project
I would have shown up for Fuller’s take onCrystal Lake, but it is hard to be certain that the series would have been a financial success. A24 is now reportedly hoping forChannel Zeroshowrunner Nick Antosca to take over the project, althoughit is believed that Antosca would “jettison” Fuller’s plans if he takes overCrystal Lake. To be fair to Antosca, starting over sounds better than trying to replicate a project that was too ambitious and ending up with a small-scale imitation. MaybeCrystal Lake’sFriday the 13thspinoff is just too good to be true.
Crystal Lake
Cast
Crystal Lake explores the origins of the infamous Crystal Lake killer, set against the backdrop of a quiet, lakeside community. The series delves into the dark history and secrets that haunt the fictional town, intertwining past and present narratives. This prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise promises to shed light on the events leading to the horror saga, providing a deeper understanding of the eerie and sinister locale.
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is a horror-slasher film by director Sean S. Cunningham and follows a group of camp counselors who are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer known to be the site of a child’s drowning and a grisly double murder. The film began a decades-long franchise that would eventually lead to the creation of Jason Vorhees, one of the most popular horror icons of all time.
