Posted in: Movies, Peacock, TV | Tagged: crystal lake, Friday the 13th

Crystal Lake: Linda Cardellini Appreciates Show's Pam Vorhees Approach

Linda Cardellini discusses joining Peacock, A24, and Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane's Crystal Lake and taking on the role of Pam Vorhees.

Last month, the word came down that Peacock, A24, and Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane's (yes, the awesome It: Welcome to Derry) Linda Cardellini (Mad Men, Freaks and Geeks)-starring Crystal Lake would be hitting screens on October 15th. Now, we're getting some insights on the upcoming series from Pam Vorhees's real-life alter ego. During a career profile interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cardellini discussed how her career has shifted more toward horror, noting what it was that attracted her to Kane, and the producers' take on Pam Vorhees. "With 'Crystal Lake,' A24, Peacock, and Brad Caleb Kane all came together, and they just had this concept for making this story about Pam Voorhees. And if you watch the original movie, it really operates like a whodunit. Spoiler: at the end, you find out that it was Pam Voorhees," she shared. The combination of Pam Vorhees making a pop-culture impact with little on-screen time and the opportunity to play a female slasher was tough for Cardellini to resist.

"She's only in the movie for the last little bit, but she leaves this impression on the entire franchise. There's so many movies subsequent that you'd think Jason's always been in that mask doing what he's doing. But that wasn't the case. I don't think he gets the mask a few movies down. It just seemed like something that I had never done. I haven't seen that many female slashers like that. To dive into who she might have been, I thought, well, that's something I've never done. When I'm looking for things to do next, I ask myself what's something I haven't done yet. And that was one of them," Cardellini shared, adding that Pam Vorhees has "fertile backstory" that can be tapped.

Crystal Lake Has "Rivers of Blood"; Cardellini "Brilliant": Showrunner

Speaking with EW in December 2025, Kane shared some interesting insights and teases about the upcoming "Friday the 13th" prequel series. "In many ways, it's a psychological thriller. It's a paranoid '70s thriller," Kane offered about the tone and vibe of the series. "It has all of the DNA of a slasher without quite being a slasher. There are rivers of blood in the show. There are very, I think, ingenious kill sequences and deaths and murders, but it's all done in service of character and theme and place and time."

He continued, "I tried to think about Crystal Lake and a Friday the 13th prequel as, 'What era did the first movie come out of?' It came out of the paranoid '70s thriller era. It came out of the mistrust-of-institutions era. It came out of the women's lib era, the National Organization for Women era, this consciousness-raising awakening era in America. I wanted to go and play with all of those themes." As for Cardellini's portrayal of the infamous Pamela Vorhees, Kane makes it clear: folks are going to be impressed. "She's gonna shock and surprise a lot of people. I think she's gonna get a lot of attention for this role," Kane shared. "She's inconceivably brilliant in it. I can't really say any more."

Cardellini is also joined by series regulars William Catlett (Forever, Black Lightning) as Levon Brooks, Devin Kessler (Godfather of Harlem) as Briana Brooks, Cameron Scoggins (Shades of Blue, Nashville) as Dorf, and Gwendolyn Sundstrom as Grace. In addition, Callum Vinson (Chucky, Long Bright River) has landed the recurring guest star role of Jason Voorhees, along with Nick Cordileone (Warrior) as Ralph, Joy Suprano (Fleishman is in Trouble, Best Foot Forward) as Rita, Danielle Kotch (Director's Cut) as Claudette, and Phoenix Parnevik (Bel-Air, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter Is Dead) as Barry.

"From the moment I watched Jason Voorhees squeeze a guy's eyeball out of its socket (in glorious 3D!) at the tender age of 8 years old, I knew my creative path was someday destined to converge with The Man Behind The Mask," Kane shared in a statement when it was announced that he had boarded the project. "Nothing defined my childhood more than growing up in the golden age of the slasher flick, and nothing's defined the genre more than 'Friday The 13th.' I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity to contribute a chapter to this iconic franchise, particularly with such fearless partners as Peacock and A24."

Kane is set to executive-produce Crystal Lake in addition to being the series' creator, showrunner, and writer. Stemming from production banner A24, Marc Toberoff, Victor Miller, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, Stuart Manashil, Tyson Bidner, and Michael Lennox serve as executive producers on the streaming series.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!