Review: Crystal Lake suffers a bit from its obsession with Pam Voorhees
Friday the 13th prequel series based on Jason’s mom drags at first, then hits a vein.
Peacock's series, Crystal Lake, initially fails to evoke the spirit of a Friday the 13th movie, despite its intended role as a prequel to the original film. This review contains spoilers for the original Friday the 13th but refrains from major spoilers for Crystal Lake. Instead, Crystal Lake attempts to create a drama that is part homage and part unexplored territory, while providing a long-awaited backstory for Pamela Voorhees.
The original antagonist in the first film, Pam Voorhees, left audiences in 1980 by suddenly appearing during a violent camp counselor killing spree, confronting the final girl with a Norman Bates-like delivery of the film's chilling tagline, "Kill her, mommy," using the voice of her drowned son Jason.
Linda Cardellini plays Pam Voorhees in Crystal Lake. Credit: via Peacock. While Jason Voorhees, sporting the iconic hockey mask, became the franchise's horror icon, Pam remained an enigmatic figure for fans, knowing little about her. Beheaded in the first film after just 13 minutes onscreen, her spirit occasionally returned in later films, but Betsy Palmer, who portrayed Pam, refused to return, primarily because the character lacked depth.
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