Peacock has unveiled two new posters for Crystal Lake, offering fresh looks at Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees and Callum Vinson as young Jason Voorhees in the highly anticipated Friday the 13th prequel series. Crystal Lake will premiere with all eight episodes on Peacock on October 15, 2026.
You can check out the newly released posters below.
The posters put the mother-and-son relationship at the center of Peacock’s new take on the Friday the 13th mythology. Cardellini plays a younger version of Pamela Voorhees, the character originally portrayed by Betsy Palmer in the 1980 Friday the 13th, while Vinson plays Jason before he became the masked killer fans know from the franchise.
Based on the mythology established by the original films, Crystal Lake takes place before the events of Friday the 13th and explores Pamela’s life as a mother to young Jason. Rather than immediately dropping viewers into the familiar summer camp slasher formula, the series is designed as a deeper exploration of the people and history surrounding Crystal Lake.
The official synopsis reads:
Crystal Lake is a prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise that explores Pamela Voorhees’ life before the events of the original film. The series follows single mother Pam Voorhees, who is struggling with grief nearly a year after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in Crystal Lake. When two strangers arrive at Pam’s door investigating her past, a disturbing chain of events begins. The people of Crystal Lake are soon left wondering exactly who Pamela Voorhees really is.
The new images arrive shortly after Crystal Lake showrunner Brad Caleb Kane promised that the series will eventually deliver the kind of bloody slasher horror longtime Friday the 13th fans are looking for. Kane explained that the early episodes take a different approach, incorporating elements of a paranoid conspiracy thriller and psychological drama before Pamela eventually goes “full Friday the 13th.” He also teased a series of kills designed to satisfy fans of the original movies. The series isn’t simply telling another story about a killer at a summer camp. It’s exploring the woman who would eventually become one of horror’s most infamous murderers and the tragedy that shaped her.
Cardellini has also discussed the challenge of following Palmer’s iconic performance. Rather than attempting to imitate the original Pamela, she said she wanted to capture the character’s devotion to Jason and explore the relationship that eventually leads to the woman audiences meet in Friday the 13th.
The series is expected to be packed with connections to the original franchise. Kane has promised that Crystal Lake will feature numerous Friday the 13th Easter eggs, including some references that go beyond simple background details. “We re-create things,” Kane previously teased, while declining to reveal exactly what fans should expect.
Crystal Lake was originally ordered by Peacock in 2022, with Bryan Fuller attached as writer and showrunner. Fuller eventually departed the project in 2024, with Kane taking over creative duties.
Alongside Cardellini and Vinson, the cast includes William Catlett as Police Chief Levon Brooks, as well as Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins, and Gwendolyn Sundstrom.
The series has also been selected for the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired the series for HBO Max across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, while Sky and Now will carry it in the UK and Ireland.
Are you looking forward to Crystal Lake? Take a look at the posters, then let us know in the comments.