Who Is Pamela Voorhees in 'Friday the 13th' Prequel 'Crystal Lake'?

Crystal Lake, premiering on October 16th on Universal+, series centers on a character who, for over four decades, has remained in her son's shadow. Pamela Voorhees is the mother of Jason, the hockey mask-wearing killer, but her story predates everything the audience knows from the Friday the 13th franchise.

The series serves as a prequel and explores how this woman gave rise to the legend of Camp Crystal Lake.

Who is Pamela Voorhees?

Pamela was created by Victor Miller and first appeared in the 1980 film Friday the 13th, directed by Sean S. Cunningham. At the time, she was played by Betsy Palmer. The character is the camp cook and mother of Jason, a boy who drowned in the lake while those in charge of the camp neglected their duties. Consumed by grief and convinced that the camp was responsible for her son's death, Pamela begins killing to prevent the place from reopening.

The first film holds a twist regarding the killer's true identity, but in Crystal Lake the series picks up from that point to show how Pamela has transformed. She is played by Linda Cardellini.

"Crystal Lake tells the origin story of Pamela Voorhees," he explains. Brad Caleb Kane, showrunner of the series, said: "She is the mother of the killer Jason Voorhees, and the series explores how she became a woman who was no longer willing to endure everything, how she gradually awakened to her true nature, and how she came to find pleasure in the thrill of killing. One of the most important questions for me was: 'Why does Jason kill?' In the films, people invade the camp and Jason continues the work started by his mother. But in our series, we approach it in a slightly different way because Pamela is the protagonist, and we see that she is the one who kills first."

Cardellini comments on what attracted her to the role. "There's something fascinating about her unexplored rage. Things have happened throughout her life that she's never had control over, and suddenly she starts to feel like she can control something. Unfortunately, there's a psychopathy associated with that which leads her to commit unspeakable acts. However, that's her way of trying to understand how to deal with a trauma that was imposed on her under circumstances completely beyond her control. Pam is her own version of a slasher killer."

The actress also highlights the unprecedented nature of a female slasher. "Traditionally, the killers in big slasher films are men. That's why the idea of ​​a female slasher killer is so interesting and remains relatively unexplored territory. Pam has a monstrous side, just like Jason, and the series shows the creation of that monster. But there's also a human side to both Pam and Jason, which is evident from the beginning."

Crystal Lake premieres on October 16th, exclusively on Universal+.