There are plenty of ghosts, both pleasant and horrifying, waiting for audiences on the 2025 TV schedule. Sometimes those hauntings come from ideas like Peacock’s Crystal Lake, the Friday the 13th prequel series that fell on hard times, but has nonetheless persisted.
Now that the series has started to chug along in its current form, it appears that the pivotal character of Pamela Voorhees has been cast, and with an actor who's worked on both sides of the cinematic comic aisle. That choice comes with another facet though, as it's unfortunately ripe to inspire some Crystal Lake questions among the fandom that are similar to ones asked of the MCU’s Spider-Man.
Introducing Linda Cardellini As Pamela Voorhees
As freshly announced by Deadline, it appears that a deal has closed that will see Dead To Me vet and James Gunn collaborator Linda Cardellini playing one of horror’s most infamous mothers. Accompanying that news were these notes on how the character will be portrayed in Crystal Lake:
Cardellini’s Pamela is believed to be a mother who had given up a singing career to raise a special needs child and takes a dark turn when she loses her son.
Spoilers for those who haven’t seen Friday the 13th but have somehow landed on this news: Pamela Voorhees is the original killer in this legendary franchise that helped define the slasher subgenre. It’s honestly a twist worthy of a Scooby Doo episode, as new fans usually walk in knowing Jason, but find themselves tripped up by his status in the overall arc of the story.
It sounds like Crystal Lake will be centered around Linda Cardellini’s maternal figure, and the reign of terror she visits upon Camp Crystal Lake in the wake of her son’s wrongful death. So much like Bates Motel did for Psycho before it, the backstory before the real bloodletting is going to shape what we see. Though whether or not that focus will be the driving force for the entire series is yet to be determined, as this Peacock subscription teaser’s plans are still hiding in the New Jersey woods.
However you don’t need to know too much more to realize two things, the first of which is that a largely Jason-less series might rub some fans the wrong way. The second factor is the one we’re really here to discuss, as Ms. Cardellini’s casting seems almost bound to incur some very MCU flavored discourse ahead.
Why Friday The 13th Fans Are About To Invoke “Aunt May” On This Casting
It’s been a little over three years since Spider-Man: No Way Home took out Aunt May Parker, and yet Marvel fans still debate Marisa Tomei’s casting as the classic Marvel Comics character. With a lot of spectators seeming to question whether an Aunt May can be “young and hot,” it’s a subject that stalks any message board like Jason Voorhees stalks his prey.
I fear that Crystal Lake is going to come under fire in the same way, as Linda Cardellini’s casting breaks the mold in the same sort of manner. You can practically hear keyboards firing up, ready to call out how the No Good Deed star’s looks are some sort of disqualifier for playing the more matronly looking Pamela Voorhees - with or without the machete in hand.
As far as I’m concerned, seeing the No Good Deed star cast in another morally complicated role is perfectly fitting. Not to mention if we’re really going to call out any cognitive dissonance here, it should be how a former Velma Dinkley will presumably slip on a mask of her own, in the name of dispatching some meddling kids at Camp Crystal Lake. Jinkies doesn’t even cut it.
I hope that more horror fans see Linda Cardellini as the new Pamela Voorhees for the win it truly is. Her multifaceted talents have brought her from genre to genre, running the gamut of morality throughout. Though we don’t know when Crystal Lake will premiere, it will assuredly be at a date that gives the internet plenty of time to debate. While healthy disagreements are fine and well, my fingers are crossed that the Aunt May-style discourse won’t be as long lived as what we’ve seen out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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