NBC’s Hannibal was and will remain one of the most gorgeous and genre-savvy approaches to retelling a well-established horror tale, with creator Bryan Fuller and his creative team pulling out all the stops on a broadcast network scale. Now, Fuller is bringing his talents to the Friday the 13th universe for a brand new Peacock streaming series from A24, titled Crystal Lake, marking some of the best Halloween Day news (in)humanly possible that isn’t the long-desired Hannibal Season 4.
Interestingly enough — though perhaps not surprisingly for anyone who has paid attention to the Friday the 13th legal battles over the years — Crystal Lake is being described as an “expanded prequel series,” with details currently being kept under lock and key far beneath the lake’s surface. But it seems likely that fans shouldn’t expect to see the mask-wearing Jason Voorhees that has long been part of the Big Three in slasher films.
Perhaps the second most interesting member of the creative team behind Fuller would be fellow executive producer Victor Miller, the screenwriter and rights owner specifically of the elements within the first Friday film’s screenplay. If the idea that Crystal Lake is a prequel wasn’t already a big indicator, Miller isn’t publicly known to have the ability to tell any stories using the adult version of Jason, and also can’t necessarily use the well-established hockey mask that came into the series later on.
It wouldn't be impossible for such a thing to occur, but it would take some legal agreements between Miller and director Sean Cunningham to make it happen, and it seems more likely for Freddy Kreuger to show up instead. (Not really, but hyperbole is key here.) The idea of Pamela Voorhees' story being explored further, as well as other elements of the camp's history, will no doubt be part of it all. Betsy Palmer's iconic character and performance predated Jason, after all, so I definitely hope to see more of her twisted psychology on display.
All of which is to say that hardcore fans shouldn't feel as if Crystal Lake is going to be anything but great, regardless of all things Jason. A24, which has been behind some of the most acclaimed and thought-provoking genre fare in recent years, will be behind the new prequel, which matches right up with Bryan Fuller’s visually and mentally captivating fare. He’ll serve as the writer and showrunner, as well as an executive producer. So while I certainly wouldn’t go on a limb and say that anyone could do justice to a Friday the 13th prequel, Fuller is easily one of a small handful of TV creators who I’d put all my trust in with such a project.
Fuller had some Halloween fun with the news, too, showing off a most fabulous Pamela Voorhees costume on Twitter.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST https://t.co/GwTnBj5ZDb pic.twitter.com/TbJPn4BZf7October 31, 2022
In Peacock’s announcement, Fuller also shared the following statement, speaking to how he came to love the franchise.
I discovered Friday the 13th in the pages of Famous Monsters magazine when I was 10 years old and I have been thinking about this story ever since. When it comes to horror, A24 raises the bar and pushes the envelope and I’m thrilled to be exploring the camp grounds of Crystal Lake under their banner. And Susan Rovner is simply the best at what she does. It’s a pleasure and an honor to be working with her again.
While waiting for more updates on what the new Crystal Lake series will bring to horror fans with Peacock subscriptions, check out where to find all the Friday the 13th movies in order for your streaming pleasures as the Halloween season turns into a more festive vibe.
