WARREN COUNTY, NJ — Horror fans in New Jersey will want to keep an eye out for some familiar set pieces, because an iconic horror prequel, filmed in the Garden State, just got its first teaser.
“Crystal Lake,” A24’s “Friday the 13th” prequel series, has released a trailer after wrapping up filming in Warren County last year.
Viewers are getting a blast from the past 45 years after the original horror flick scared audiences nationwide. The 1980 slasher sparked a 12-movie film franchise, toy production, comic books, video games, and more, making Jason Voorhees not just a horror icon but a pop-culture phenomenon.
The prequel returned to its roots, as the original "Friday the 13th" movie was filmed in and around Blairstown, including at a Boy Scout camp called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick Township.
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Centered around Jason’s murderous matriarch Pamela, played by Linda Cardellini (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Scooby Doo”), the show explores the events that lead up to the infamous rise of the masked killer.
“It’s like someone put a curse on this town. It all started when that kid drowned last summer,” a voice is heard saying in the teaser. “There’s something in these woods, and all it knows how to do is kill.”
Check out the teaser below (contains adult themes):
“Crystal Lake” — What We Know
The prequel series, originally codenamed “Mama’s Boy,” will feature a young Jason Voorhees, before (perhaps after?) he donned his iconic and terrifying hockey mask.
Portraying a young Voorhees is Callum Vinson, who horror fans might recognize from another slasher reimagining - “Chucky” (the 2021 series on SyFy).
Zachary Branch, a New Jersey native, will portray an adult Jason Voorhees.
Other cast members include Danielle Kotch, Nancy Nagrant, and Phoenix Parnevik.
A blunt IMDb description of the show says the series “follows a doomed small town where camp counselors come to die.”
IMDb also listed the titles for most of the series’ eight episodes:
The show is being produced by A24, known for films like “Hereditary,” “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once,” and “Midsommar.”
The series is directed by Michael Lennox and written/produced by Kane and Karl Taro Greenfeld.
Episode one, "The Great Pretender," debuts on Peacock on Oct. 15.
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