CRYSTAL LAKE Takes Place Eight Years Before FRIDAY THE 13TH and Rewrites Jason’s History

Camp Crystal Lake is getting a new history, and longtime Friday the 13th fans are going to notice some major changes to Jason Voorhees’ infamous origin story.

The upcoming Peacock and A24 series Crystal Lakewill take viewers back to the early days of Pamela and Jason Voorhees, with the story unfolding eight years before the events of the original Friday the 13th.

The official trailer revealed that young Jason drowns at Crystal Lake during the summer of 1971. That’s a significant change from the original Friday the 13th mythology, which placed Jason’s drowning in the late 1950s.

Now we have a clearer picture of how the new Friday the 13th timeline works. According to Empire, Jason’s drowning happens in 1971, while the majority of Crystal Lake takes place in 1972.

That means this prequel series is reworking the franchise chronology rather than trying to squeeze its story perfectly into the timeline established by the 1980 movie.

Brad Caleb Kane, showrunner of the series, explained what life at Camp Crystal Lake looks like before everything goes horribly wrong:

“Pam is a cook at Camp Crystal Lake, Jason is an eleven-year-old camper participating in all activities despite his physical limitations, and his mom is absolutely intent on making sure he has a normal summer outdoors with other kids… but with ultimately tragic consequences.”

The series will explore what happens to Pamela following the death of her son and how she eventually becomes the killer fans met in the original film. Kane teased:

“Things take some twists and turns on the way to Pam’s total psychotic break and subsequent bloody rampage.”

Linda Cardellini stars as Pamela Voorhees, while Callum Vinson, who previously appeared in Chucky, plays the young Jason Voorhees.

The story follows Pam nearly a year after Jason drowned. The single mother remains consumed by grief over the death of her young, sickly son when two strangers suddenly show up at her door asking questions about her past.

Their arrival triggers a disturbing chain of events throughout Crystal Lake, with the people living there beginning to question exactly who Pamela Voorhees really is.

Knowing that Crystal Lake takes place eight years before Friday the 13th also gives the series plenty of room to chart Pamela’s transformation and build toward the murderous events that eventually hit Camp Crystal Lake.

All eight episodes of Crystal Lake premiere October 15 on Peacock.