Linda Cardellini Steps into Pamela Voorhees’ Shoes for ‘Crystal Lake’ Prequel
Big news for horror lovers—we’ve got a familiar face joining the ‘Friday the 13th’ world. According to Variety, Linda Cardellini, known for her standout roles across TV and film, is taking on the part of Pamela Voorhees in Peacock’s upcoming series ‘Crystal Lake.’ This prequel dives into the story before Jason Voorhees became the machete-swinging killer we all recognize, and I’m already excited to see how it unfolds.
Pamela Voorhees isn’t just a side character here. If you’ve seen the original 1980 ‘Friday the 13th’ movie, you know she’s the one behind the bloody rampage at Camp Crystal Lake. Driven by grief over her son Jason’s drowning, she takes out her anger on the counselors she blames.
That film, made on a tiny budget of $550,000, raked in close to $60 million at the box office, kicking off a franchise that’s given us eleven more movies, from ‘Jason X’ to the 2009 reboot. Jason didn’t pick up his iconic hockey mask until the second film, but Pamela’s revenge set it all in motion.
Cardellini’s no stranger to the screen. She’s earned three Emmy nods—one for her work on ‘Mad Men’ and two for the dark comedy ‘Dead to Me.’ I’ve loved her since her days on ‘Freaks and Geeks,’ and she’s popped up in everything from ‘ER’ to ‘Bloodline.’
On the movie side, she’s tackled roles in ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ played Velma in the live-action ‘Scooby-Doo’ films, and even joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Laura Barton. Right now, she’s also busy filming ‘DTF St. Louis,’ an HBO series with Jason Bateman and David Harbour, which sounds like another wild ride.
‘Crystal Lake’ has been brewing for a while. Peacock gave it the green light back in 2022, and A24 is teaming up to bring it to life. The project hit a bump when original writer Bryan Fuller stepped away in May 2024, but Brad Caleb Kane jumped in as creator, writer, and showrunner by August.
Kane’s no stranger to creepy tales—he’s also working on ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ for Max. He’s thrilled to add his own chapter to the ‘Friday the 13th’ legacy, and with Victor Miller, the original film’s writer, still on board as an executive producer alongside Marc Toberoff, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, and Stuart Manashil, the team’s got some serious horror cred.
We don’t know much about the plot yet, but it’s clear ‘Crystal Lake’ will explore Pamela’s story before Jason took over as the franchise’s star slasher. Cardellini’s got the talent to make this role her own, and with A24 and Peacock pushing the boundaries, I’m betting this series will give us a fresh take on a classic tale. Can’t wait to see how it all comes together.