October seemed to be all about horror adaptations made for television and/or streaming. Early in October, Carrie was the talk of the town, and already the following week, Crystal Lake moved into the spotlight. Although I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to, I ended up liking both shows quite a bit. They both manage to breathe new life into the worlds of the stories, but whereas Carrie made a modern retelling of the classic story, Brad Caleb Kane’s Crystal Lake is designed as a kind of prequel to the original film, meant to give us a new understanding of Jason Voorhees’ mother, Pamela Voorhees, a key character from the original Friday the 13th, whose involvement in that film is a famous trivia question. Kane’s series, released on Peacock in the US (but on HBO Max in my region), isn’t a safe one; it boldly reframes our understanding of the iconic monster and mother who raised him. It is a mixed bag, but an entertaining one.

Continue reading “Crystal Lake – Season One (2026) | TV REVIEW” →