Peacock\u2019s \u201cCrystal Lake<\/a>\u201d brings fresh energy to the \u201cFriday the 13th\u201d franchise while reflecting much of the flavor and style of the original film. The prequel series stars Linda Cardellini<\/a> (\u201cDTF St. Louis\u201d) as Jason\u2019s mother, Pamela Voorhees, who suffers a breakdown after the accidental drowning of her son at Camp Crystal Lake. The drama, now streaming, traces her evolution from grieving mother to vengeful killer.<\/p>\n Since my visceral moment with the first film, my relationship to the \u201cFriday the 13th\u201d franchise has been detached. I never really found the movies particularly scary, as they\u2019re anchored by a shaky premise, mediocre scripts, subpar acting and flat characters. Suspense is mostly lacking since Jason\u2019s victims have all but a \u201ckill me next\u201d sign on their foreheads. <\/p>\n I\u2019ve often wondered about the weakness of Jason\u2019s origin story, and how he evolved from a child too weak to swim to a murderous entity with superior strength. His laser-focused blood lust becomes repetitive and one-dimensional. And it\u2019s hard to feel sorry or invested in his often insufferable victims, which diminishes the horror of his mission. <\/p>\n In order to better understand the Jason phenomenon, I tracked down the Shout Factory collection and staged my own marathon, watching all 12 films, including the crossover \u201cFreddy vs. Jason\u201d and the 2009 reboot. The observations are my own. Your actual bloody mileage may vary. The grading system is based on a one to five hockey mask scale, five being best.<\/p>\n Actor Robbi Morgan as Annie Phillips in a scene from the original \u201cFriday the 13th\u201d film.<\/p>\n (Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th\u2019 (1980) Deep cuts: A group of counselors at Camp Crystal Lake are being bumped off in bloody fashion by a mysterious assailant. The killer is revealed to be middle-aged camp cook Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer), who blames the accidental drowning of her son Jason on negligent camp staff.<\/p>\n Die hard: Still the OGG (Original Gruesome Gangster), effectively establishing its grindhouse-flavored formula of gore, violence and gratuitous nudity. Palmer doesn\u2019t appear until the last 15 minutes, but her creepy performance is indelible. Her climatic fight with King is a hoot. And that ending!<\/p>\n Catch and kill: Counselor Jack Burrell (Kevin Bacon, in only his second film role) is lying with his girlfriend post coitus when a hand appears from under the cot, grabs his head and an arrow pierces his throat.<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th Part 2\u2019 (1981) Deep cuts: Set five years after the carnage at Camp Crystal Lake, Jason, who is retconned as never having died, tracks down Alice at her home without the help of Google Maps or GPS and kills her before returning to the camp \u2014 now nicknamed Camp Blood \u2014 to target a new set of counselors.<\/p>\n Die hard: The gore gets bloodier as Jason shows off his implements of destruction, which include barbed wire, machetes, long blades and claw hammers. The nudity is also more gratuitous and the counselors more obnoxious. Palmer and King make cameo appearances.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: Lying on top of each other during a bedroom romp, counselor trainees Jeff Dunsberry (Bill Randolph) and Sandra Dier (Marta Kober) are skewered like shish kabobs by a spear. <\/p>\n Ginny Field (Amy Steel) is the heroine in \u201cFriday the 13th Part 2.\u201d<\/p>\n (Paramount Pictures \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th Part III\u2019 (1982) Deep cuts: Still troubled by her terrifying encounter with Jason at her family\u2018s cabin near Crystal Lake, Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell) revisits the area accompanied by several friends. Jason, of course, is on the loose and on the hunt for fresh blood.<\/p>\n Die hard: The installment, filmed in 3-D, marks the seminal moment of Jason discovering and putting on the hockey mask that will become his trademark. The film ends with Chris \u201ckilling\u201d Jason with an ax.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: A tie. Jason fires a 3-D harpoon into the eye of Vera Sanchez (Catherine Parks), and later crushes the skull of Rick Bombay (Paul Kratka), causing his eyes to pop out.<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter\u2019 (1984) Deep cuts: You can\u2019t keep a masked serial killer down. Jason comes alive in a hospital morgue and resumes his killing spree, stalking a house in the woods filled with sex-hungry teens. Also in harm\u2019s way are neighbors Trish Jarvis (Kimberly Beck) and younger brother Tommy (Corey Feldman).<\/p>\n Die hard: The film was intended by Paramount Studios as a farewell to Jason, who is killed with a machete by Tommy. But the ending hints at the possibility that the spirit of Jason may have leapt into the youngster. <\/p>\n Catch and kill: Weird house guest Jimmy Mortimer (Crispin Glover) murders the art of dance with his jumpy \u201cfrog on a hot griddle\u201d dance moves.<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th: A New Beginning\u2019 (1985) Deep cuts: Haunted by nightmares of Jason, an adult Tommy (John Shepherd) is sent to a rustic halfway house. A series of new murders raises suspicion that Tommy may be the new Jason.<\/p>\n Die hard: While the success of the so-called \u201cfinal chapter\u201d sparked a new film, the result was both a new high and low. The film has a higher body count \u2014 20 kills \u2014 than any previous \u201cFriday the 13th.\u201d (Fun fact: One of the victims is played by Debi Sue Voorhees \u2014 no relation to Jason or Pamela Voorhees.) But the final twist \u2014 an ambulance driver is posing as Jason \u2014 infuriated many fans.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: A lit car flare is shoved into the mouth of an unlucky motorist.<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives\u2019 (1986) Deep cuts: Still traumatized by his memories of Jason, Tommy (Thom Mathews) travels to Jason\u2019s grave to open his coffin and dispose of him once and for all. But instead, he accidentally revives the masked monster, who is now more even powerful and indestructible in resuming his campaign of terror.<\/p>\n Die hard: The film\u2019s writer-director Tom McLoughlin injects a bit of meta humor into the proceedings. The opening credits spoof the iconic James Bond gun barrel signature, with Jason slashing his long blade instead of shooting a gun. A graveyard caretaker wonders, \u201cWhy did they have to go and dig up Jason? Some people have a strange idea of entertainment.\u201d <\/p>\n Catch and kill: Jason twists off the head of an unfortunate counselor.<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood\u2019 (1988) Deep cuts: Jason is accidentally resurrected once again after being trapped under water. His resumption of his killing campaign is met with a new foe: a young woman named Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln) who has telekinetic powers.<\/p>\n Die hard: Producers attempt to rejuvenate the sagging franchise with a return to meat-and-potatoes, filling the film with bloody kills while giving Jason a \u201cCarrie\u201d-style adversary.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: Jason smashes a sleeping bag occupied by a terrified camper against a tree.<\/p>\n They should have called \u201cFriday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan\u201d by a different name: \u201cJason Takes a Cruise With Teens.\u201d<\/p>\n (Paramount Pictures \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan\u2019 (1989) Deep cuts: A graduating senior class from Crystal Lake celebrates with a cruise to New York, unaware that Jason, who has been resurrected from a watery grave, is along for the ride.<\/p>\n Die hard: The more accurate title for this entry would be \u201cJason takes a cruise with teens traveling to New York,\u201d though it would not have fit on the theater marquee. The possibilities suggested by the compelling title are only hinted at when Jason glares at a group of street urchins. Most of the mayhem takes place on the ship (filmed on a soundstage in Vancouver), with only about 15 minutes of the movie set in New York \u2014 and most of that is in a sewer tunnel.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: Jason knocks off the head of a teen boxer. The head rolls into a nearby dumpster.<\/p>\n Allison Smith and Steven Culp in \u201cJason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday,\u201d which wasn\u2019t very final.<\/p>\n (Michael Ochs Archives \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u2018Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday\u2019 (1993) Deep cuts: Jason\u2019s body is blown up during an FBI sting operation. However, his heart survives the explosion and it is in pursuit of a new host body. Meanwhile, a bounty hunter tries to warn surviving members of the Voorhees family.<\/p>\n Die hard: Jason goes to hell, and so does the viewer. The formula veers in a new direction with a dose of social commentary and elements from \u201cThe Evil Dead.\u201d The bloody tedium, which includes a Jason-possessed coroner who shaves one of his victims before killing him, concludes with a tease of Jason\u2019s imminent battle with \u201cNightmare on Elm Street\u201d villain Freddy Krueger.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: A scene showing a young camper being sliced in half while straddling her lover in a camping tent was cut down by the ratings board in order to avoid an X rating.<\/p>\n \u2018Jason X\u2019 (2002) Deep cuts: Set in the year 2455, a cryogenically frozen Jason is aboard a space station, waiting to be studied by a collection of young scientists. They soon regret having him on board.<\/p>\n Die hard: This entry is lost in space, a desperate vehicle with almost no connection to the other films. The masked monster is transformed into a uber Jason with a new metallic body and mask. The mayhem is more sci-fi action than horror.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: Jason freezes the face of a young scientist in liquid nitrogen, and smashes it on a counter. <\/p>\n \u2018Freddy vs. Jason\u2019 (2003) Deep cuts: \u201cNightmare on Elm Street\u201d serial killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) uses Jason, who is stuck in the bowels of hell, as a vehicle to resume his terror campaign on Elm Street\u2018s residents.<\/p>\n Die hard: Heavyweight fright between two horror icons which serves as a sequel to \u201cJason Goes to Hell\u201d and \u201cFreddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare.\u201d Like most highly anticipated bouts, the buildup is more exciting than the final conflict. The CGI-heavy showdown becomes tedious after a while, and the ending is ambiguous, leaving the door open for a rematch. Although fans seemed to like the crossover, the conflict pales in comparison to other monster duels such as \u201cFrankenstein Meets the Wolfman\u201d and \u201cKing Kong vs. Godzilla.\u201d<\/p>\n Catch and kill: Jason slices a stoner possessed by Freddy in two.<\/p>\n Jared Padalecki pumped new life into Jason in the \u201cFriday the 13th\u201d reboot.<\/p>\n (John P. Johnson \/ Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n \u2018Friday the 13th\u2019 (2009) Deep cuts: A group of partiers visiting a cabin near Crystal Lake join forces with a brother who is searching for his missing sister. They soon discover that the legend of Jason is very real.<\/p>\n Die hard: Jared Padalecki of the CW\u2019s \u201cSupernatural\u201d brought some star power to this reboot, which gave Jason more of a backstory with a glimpse of his lair and his connection to a captive he feels resembles his mother. The violence and sex are more graphic. But in the end, it\u2019s like putting lipstick on a hockey mask. It\u2019s still a hockey mask.<\/p>\n Catch and kill: Jason pops up behind a sheriff who is trying to enter a cabin, plunging a fire poker into his eye and through the front door.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Winding up on the floor of a movie theater is never a good thing. But that\u2019s where one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":933728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[242883,64,63,500683,93993,500681,301332,134,1689,39598,29253,500682,193071,121721,344,149888,25093,37487,1547],"class_list":["post-933727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-13th","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-betsy-palmer","tag-counselor","tag-crystal-lake-terror","tag-deep-cut","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-friday","tag-head","tag-iconic-franchise","tag-jason-voorhees","tag-kill","tag-movies","tag-nightmare","tag-tommy","tag-victim","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=933727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/933728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=933727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=933727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=933727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412170_196_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412170_33_.png\")
Grade: Five hockey masks<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412171_534_.png\")
Grade: Two and a half hockey masks<\/p>\n![\"Ginny](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412172_174_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412173_234_.png\")
Grade: Two hockey masks<\/p>\n Grade: Two hockey masks<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412173_247_.png\")
Grade: Half a hockey mask<\/p>\n Grade: Two hockey masks<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412174_219_.png\")
Grade: One hockey mask<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412175_876_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412176_546_.png\")
Grade: Minus two hockey masks<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412177_670_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412177_350_.png\")
Grade: Minus three hockey masks<\/p>\n Grade: Minus three hockey masks<\/p>\n Grade: Two hockey masks<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792412178_677_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n Grade: Two hockey masks<\/p>\n