All eight episodes of Crystal Lake are now streaming on Peacock, and the Friday the 13th prequel series gives iconic killer Jason Voorhees a new backstory that is sure to be divisive.
The line in the recent trailer about "what the good people of Crystal Lake would say if they knew who you and Jason really were," along with the shot of what appeared to be a yellow laboratory door, prompted speculation that Jason may turn out to be some kind of failed Government super-weapon.
The mass-murdering mute is traditionally depicted as a supernatural "zombie," but the expanded universe leans into genetic experimentation as an explanation for his apparent inability to be killed.
Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane recently appeared to put the "super-soldier" theory to rest with an Instagram post.
“It’s not the CIA. He’s not a gov’t super soldier or an Eleven. He’s probably just a Chud. Or at worst a Trog. In any case, all will be known Oct. 15. Y’know, they called Copernicus a heretic at first, too. And look how that turned out!"
Okay... except Kane wasn't being entirely honest here!
In episode 7, "Friday," we learn that a pregnant Pamela (Linda Cardellini) was an unwitting test subject for a government program and was given regular injections (cockroach DNA was one of the components) in an attempt to produce a new species of human that could survive a nuclear blast. We are told that this individual could potentially become stronger and experience accelerated growth in highly stressful situations.
This explains how Jason "drowns" as a child and returns just over a year later as a much larger killing machine in the finale, when he murders his father, Elias (guest star Hamish Linklater), before disappearing into the woods as his mother finally loses her last marble.
To be fair, Jason has never really had one definitive origin in the F13 franchise, and is this one any more out there than his soul being taken over by a demonic parasite (or something) in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday?
What do you make of this new backstory for Jason Voorhees? Let us know in the comments.
"A prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise, Crystal Lake follows single mother Pam Voorhees, who has been unable to shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in the town lake almost a year before. When two strangers arrive at Pam’s door digging into her past, a disturbing chain of events are set into motion, leaving the townspeople of Crystal Lake wondering: just who is Pam Voorhees?"