Where Fans of ‘Crystal Lake’ Can Turn Next for Slasher Tension and Small Town Dread

‘Crystal Lake’ is the new ‘Friday the 13th’ prequel series from A24, and Peacock is releasing all eight episodes on October 15, 2026. The story follows single mother Pam Voorhees, played by Linda Cardellini, who cannot shake her grief after her sickly son Jason drowned in the town lake almost a year earlier.

Anyone looking for shows like ‘Crystal Lake’ will find that the best matches share a few traits. These include small towns with secrets, camp or lakeside settings, and killers with a troubled past. The selections below range from direct slashers to prequels and genre blends that echo different parts of the series.

‘Chucky’

Peacock points to this slasher series based on the ‘Child’s Play’ movies as a natural companion, since it is also set in a small New Jersey town with secrets bubbling under the surface. It is a Peacock Original, so it sits in the same corner of the streaming library as ‘Crystal Lake’.

The story begins when teenager Jake Wheeler buys a doll at a yard sale, unaware that it is possessed by serial killer Charles Lee Ray.

‘Bates Motel’

This contemporary prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ chronicles Norman Bates’ slow descent from affable teen to unhinged killer, along with the dysfunctional home life that fuels it. It is the most direct thematic cousin to a series built around a killer’s origins.

The show centers on a young Norman Bates and an obsession with his mother that leads to multiple deaths. Viewers drawn to the mother and son dynamic at the heart of ‘Crystal Lake’ will find plenty to chew on here.

‘Yellowjackets’

The series moves back and forth between 1996 and the present, slowly revealing the fight for survival after a plane crash and the lasting consequences of what happened in the wild. The past fills in the blanks as the story goes along.

It does not bother with a supernatural entity, relying instead on human behavior, which gives its horror a grounded and uncomfortable edge.

‘Slasher’

This anthology style Canadian export is brutal, bloody and grim. The 2016 Netflix series is regarded as an enduring show that knows how to shock and scare.

Its first season follows a young woman who returns to the town where her parents were murdered, only to find the killings have begun anew, while the second centers on former camp counselors who are targeted when they return to their old stomping grounds. That second premise is about as close to the camp slasher tradition as television gets.

‘Scream: The TV Series’

This MTV series is based on Wes Craven’s genre redefining 1996 film, and its reimagined Ghostface stalks victims using all manner of techniques, including social media. The update gives the familiar mask a modern set of tools.

One retrospective described it as a better series than many people expected. It remains a useful entry for those who like their slashers wrapped around a whodunit.

‘Hannibal’

Bryan Fuller’s psychological horror thriller has earned a cult following since its 2013 release and is still considered one of the best horror shows available. It leans on atmosphere and character more than shock value.

There is also a direct connection to ‘Crystal Lake’. The prequel was first announced as a project from A24 and ‘Hannibal’ veteran Bryan Fuller, and Brad Caleb Kane later stepped in to steer the production.

‘American Horror Story’

JustWatch lists this anthology among the best slasher series available. Its seasons vary widely, so viewers can pick the tone that suits them.

The ‘Asylum’ season stars Sarah Paulson as journalist Lana Winters, who enters the Briarcliff Mental Institution and finds a storm of demonic possession, alien abduction and a demented in house serial killer. A new season premiered on FX on September 24 with a three episode roll out.

‘Harper’s Island’

The plot follows family and friends who travel to the title location for a destination wedding, only to learn that there is a killer among them. The island was the site of murders years earlier, which gives the story a past that refuses to stay buried.

The show was cancelled after one season in 2009, though critics later called it a cult favorite. Its thirteen episode run builds toward a reveal of the killer, so the story has a clear endpoint.

‘Scream Queens’

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, the series follows the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority, which is targeted by a serial killer disguised as the university’s Red Devil mascot. The killings reignite a twenty year old murder mystery, a hook that will feel familiar to anyone who knows how Camp Crystal Lake’s history keeps resurfacing.

It leans into satire and dark comedy rather than the grief and dread of Pamela Voorhees’ story. Does a slasher built on dark comedy belong on the same shelf as ‘Crystal Lake’, or does Pamela’s story deserve the more serious company of ‘Bates Motel’ and ‘Hannibal’ in your watch queue?