46 Years Later, the ‘Greatest Slasher' of 1980 Is Back: Prequel Date and Lead Actor Confirmed

Grab your flashlight and sleeping bag because this 1980s summer camp is coming back…

Peacock announced the fall premiere date for their upcoming Crystal Lake series, a prequel to the 1980 slasher film Friday the 13th.

The original movie launched one of the longest-running horror franchises, spanning 12 films. It follows teenage counselors attempting to reopen Camp Crystal Lake. They ignore warnings from locals and are slowly killed one by one by an unknown killer.

It was directed by Sean S. Cunningham and starred a young KevinBacon, Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, and Harry Crosby.

The low-budget indie brought in $5,816,321 on opening weekend and grossed $59,754,601 worldwide, with a $550,000 budget.

It became an instant classic (despite some negative reviews). Friday the 13th is often cited as one of the greatest horror films ever made. It is featured onRotten Tomatoes'list of "100 Best Slasher Movies."

Now, the 1980 film is getting a prequel. The upcoming series, Crystal Lake, will premiere on Peacock. It stars Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees and will feature William Catlett, DevinKessler, Cameron Scoggins, and Gwendolyn Sundstrom.

Crystal Lake follows Voorhees after she gave up her singing career to take care of Jason, her special needs child.

Voorhees is revealed to be the killer in Friday the 13th. She aims to avenge Jason's death by preventing the camp from being reopened. Her son drowned at the camp 20 years prior to the film, and she blamed the counselors for his death.

In a 2016 interview with the Daily Dead, King shared how monumental this twist was.

"In terms of women not being victims, or a woman being the killer, it hadn't really been done before," she said. "And sometimes I think about if it was accidentally empowering women, or if they just wanted to do something that had a twist. And who would have ever guessed that the killer could have been a woman? A sweet lady, too, Betsy Palmer. No one saw that coming."

Fans of Friday the 13th can see what led up to that fateful day on October 15, when Crystal Lake hits streaming.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 2:23 PM.