Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake is a prequel to the 1980 film Friday the 13th, set in the 1970s, eight years before that movie per Bloody Disgusting. It tells the backstory of Jason Voorhees through his mother, Pamela. Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane told Entertainment Weekly in December 2025 that it is a paranoid '70s psychological thriller with the DNA of a slasher, rivers of blood and elaborate kill scenes.

Official synopsis, as released by Peacock and A24: Pam Voorhees is a single mother who cannot shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason drowned in the town lake almost a year before. When two strangers show up at her door asking about her past, a disturbing chain of events begins, and the people of Crystal Lake start to wonder who Pam Voorhees really is.

The full trailer, released September 13, 2026, traces the curse on Crystal Lake back to Jason's drowning. It shows a group around a campfire in the dark and a shrouded body with long dark hair wheeled out on a stretcher, and it opens with a creepy children's chorus. The full story, including who dies, had not been released as of mid-September 2026.

The main cast around Pam includes William Catlett as Levon Brooks and Devin Kessler as Briana Brooks, plus Cameron Scoggins as Dorf and Gwendolyn Sundstrom as Grace. Callum Vinson plays young Jason. Recurring players include Nick Cordileone as Ralph, Joy Suprano as Rita, Danielle Kotch as Claudette and Phoenix Parnevik as Barry. TVmaze lists Cordileone's character as "Crazy" Ralph Neeley, the same name as the town doomsayer in the 1980 film.

Episodes

Season 1

Release & Reception

• Status: Upcoming. All Eight Episodes Premiere on Peacock on October 15, 2026.
• Runtime: 8 episodes, each around an hour long (Deadline)
• Budget: Not announced for the version that was made. TheWrap reported the earlier Bryan Fuller version was planned as an $85 million season at about $9.6 million per episode.
• Distributor: Peacock (United States). Sky Atlantic and Now (United Kingdom and Ireland). HBO Max (Europe, Africa and the Middle East).

Peacock released a teaser trailer and first-look photos on July 13, 2026, and set the October 15 date. The full trailer and more photos followed on September 13, 2026.

All eight episodes premiere on Peacock on October 15, 2026. Sky bought the series for Sky Atlantic and Now in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2025. The Hollywood Reporter reported on July 31, 2026, that HBO Max picked it up for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The series was picked for the Primetime program at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The premiere episode is set to screen at New York Comic Con in October 2026, and there are Beyond Fest screenings. The American Cinematheque lists an October 2, 2026, double bill of Crystal Lake with the 1980 Friday the 13th.

Reviews were not out yet as of mid-September 2026.

Cast

Crew

Production

Sean S. Cunningham first talked about a Friday the 13th TV show at the Maniafest convention in September 2003, about teenagers living around Crystal Lake. In October 2005 he called the idea Crystal Lake Chronicles, a coming-of-age show in the style of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek and Smallville, with Jason in the background.

In April 2014, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films and Crystal Lake Entertainment announced an hour-long series about people at Crystal Lake dealing with Jason's return. By August 2015 it was in development at The CW with Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle writing. The CW passed in 2016. Network president Mark Pedowitz said the pilot was well written but darker than they wanted and not something they thought could last as a series.

TheWrap reported that A24 offered Bryan Fuller the show in December 2021, before the rights were settled. Victor Miller had won the domestic rights to Friday the 13th in 2021, and A24 made a deal covering the rights held by Miller, attorney Marc Toberoff and another producer. On October 31, 2022, Peacock ordered Crystal Lake straight to series, with Fuller as showrunner and Fuller, Miller, Toberoff and Rob Barsamian as executive producers. Fuller told Fangoria the streaming deal let them use anything from the whole franchise.

A development room with Fuller, Jim Danger Gray and several writers started in January 2023. It was planned as a six-week stint and kept getting extended. Kevin Williamson was set to write an episode set entirely on a frozen Crystal Lake, with the camp cabins buried in snow. Wikipedia also describes a Fuller episode as an hour-long chase on the frozen lake. Adrienne King was reported cast in a recurring role. The room stopped on May 2, 2023, when the Writers Guild went on strike. According to TheWrap, each season was planned as a deconstruction of the first four Paramount films, with eight episodes a season, at about $9.6 million an episode. The show was set in the aftermath of young Jason's drowning. Charlize Theron was eyed for Pam, Vincenzo Natali and Kimberly Peirce were lined up to direct, and A24 had put a $300,000 deposit on sound stages in Canada. Sources told TheWrap that A24 wanted to cut the per-episode budget in half.

In May 2024, three months before filming was to start, A24 removed Fuller and Gray. TheWrap's sources disagreed on why. Some blamed unpaid writers, inexperienced A24 executives and budget confusion, while people close to A24 blamed the showrunners and scripts that were behind. Williamson left too. Nick Antosca was reported as a possible replacement.

On August 19, 2024, Deadline announced Brad Caleb Kane as the new showrunner. Linda Cardellini was cast as Pamela in March 2025. Kane opened production offices in April 2025, and interior sets were being built by May. William Catlett joined on May 28, 2025. Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins and Gwendolyn Sundstrom were added as regulars on June 13, 2025, when Deadline also named the directors. On July 18, 2025, Variety announced Callum Vinson as young Jason plus recurring guests Nick Cordileone, Joy Suprano, Danielle Kotch and Phoenix Parnevik.

Filming started in New Jersey on June 20, 2025, under the working title Mama's Boy. The crew shot in Jersey City and West Milford, and at Rutt's Hut in Clifton from August 1 to 8, 2025. Production then moved to Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Blairstown, the camp used for the 1980 film. Filming wrapped in October 2025. On April 15, 2026, Kane posted that the final sound mixes for all eight episodes were done.

Kane told Entertainment Weekly he asked what era the first film came out of. His answer was the paranoid '70s thriller, the distrust of institutions and the women's liberation movement, and he wanted the show to play with all of those themes.

As of October 3, 2026, A24 and Peacock had announced Crystal Lake's creator, cast, eight-episode order and October 15 premiere, but no composer, score album, soundtrack or Blu-ray, DVD or 4K release.

Filming locations

• Jersey City, New Jersey: Location filming, 2025
• West Milford, New Jersey: Location filming, 2025
• Rutt's Hut, Clifton, New Jersey: Interior and exterior filming, August 1 to 8, 2025
• Production returned to Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Blairstown, New Jersey, turning it into Camp Crystal Lake again. The same camp was used for the 1980 film.

Production and Release

• A24 and Peacock confirm the October 15, 2026 premiere.
• Peacock’s July 2026 first-look photographs identify Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees and show the camp sign, a lakeside boat and a counter.

Trailers & clips

Gallery

Film Stills