By Jamie Miller
Jason Voorhees is one of the most iconic horror villains of all time. You show someone a hockey mask, and there’s a good chance he’ll come to mind. But what many people don’t remember is that he wasn’t the original killer of the “Friday The 13th” franchise, no. That would be his mother Pamela, a forgotten female icon of the slasher genre. And thanks to Peacock, she’s no longer forgotten. Now she has her own TV show!
“Crystal Lake,” which dropped onto Peacock on Thursday, Oct 15, tells the origin stories of both Pamela and Jason. As a single mother, Pamela works as a cook at Camp Crystal Lake to support herself and young Jason. However, after Jason seemingly drowns due to the inattentiveness of the camp counselors, Pamela finds herself losing her mind as the ghosts of her past come looking to haunt her future.
The series stars Linda Cardellini of “Scooby-Doo” and “Freaks and Geeks” fame as Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s doting mother with a closet full of skeletons. Callum Vinson, known for roles in the likes of “Chucky” and “The Night Agent,” plays the part of young Jason Voorhees, Pamela’s beloved son who was born deformed. William Catlett, known for roles in the likes of “Black Lightning” and “Constellation,” stars as Levon Brooks, the police chief of Crystal Lake who is drawn into Pamela’s orbit. Also along for the ride are Gwendolyn Sundstorm as Grace, a troubled young girl who was Jason’s only friend and who Pamela becomes obsessed with protecting, and Devin Kessler as Briana Brooks, Levon’s younger sister who works as a reporter.
Now what did I think of this show? I really liked it.
Cardellini plays Pamela really well, a mix of sympathetic and frightening at the same time. Everyone played their parts pretty well, and Vinson actually made me feel sorry for Jason, which is impressive considering I literally grew up watching the character brutally cut down innocent teenagers movie after movie.
However, I also feel like it made a similar mistake to Rob Zombie’s take on “Halloween,” that is, it tried to explain everything, like how Jason survived his drowning, how he got so big and strong, etc. And while that’s all well and good, especially the survival part, as that has always bothered me, I feel like it comes at the expense of some of Jason’s mystique. Not everything needs an explanation. Sometimes the mystery builds the character, not to mention the show creates a few plot holes for the franchise. That being said, it’s all in all a good show, with some great effects.
I give it eight and a half torches out of 10, easy.
All episodes of “Crystal Lake” are streaming now on Peacock.
