Peacock’s Friday the 13th prequel series, Crystal Lake, got off to a rocky start. But when Linda Cardellini came aboard to star as Pamela Voorhees, the vengeful mother of the future hockey-masked maniac, it felt like the show was finally on the right track. With a premiere date on the calendar (October 15) and a few early glimpses now out in the world, the next tidbit for horror fans is Cardellini herself lifting the lid a tiny bit on what drew her to the project.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, she said she didn’t do much horror early in her career but is thrilled to be exploring the space more now because “sometimes they’re just really great roles for women.”
That includes Crystal Lake. “With Crystal Lake, A24, Peacock, and [creator] Brad Caleb Kane all came together, and they just had this concept for making this story about Pam Voorhees,” Cardellini said. “And if you watch the original movie, it really operates like a whodunit.”
The character only appears on camera at the very end of 1980’s Friday the 13th; that’s when the audience learns who’s been picking off a group of camp counselors hoping to get the place up and running despite a certain tragic incident in its past. But she’s very memorable all the same, elevated by Betsy Palmer’s wonderfully creepy performance.
“She leaves this impression on the entire franchise. There’s so many movies subsequent that you’d think Jason’s always been in that mask doing what he’s doing. But that wasn’t the case,” Cardellini said.
What’s more, Crystal Lake “just seemed like something that I had never done. I haven’t seen that many female slashers like that. To dive into who she might have been, I thought, well, that’s something I’ve never done. When I’m looking for things to do next, I ask myself what’s something I haven’t done yet. And that was one of them.”
And as Cardellini pointed out, “They let her son drown! There’s fertile backstory there!”
Negligent counselors beware! Crystal Lake arrives on Peacock October 15; here’s hoping we get a trailer for the series soon.
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