Friday The 13th's Prequel Series Has Cast Jason's Mom, And I Think We're About To See Another Round Of 'Aunt May' Discourse As A Result
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
There are plenty of ghosts, both pleasant and horrifying, waiting for audiences on the 2025 TV schedule. Sometimes those hauntings come from ideas like Peacock's Crystal Lake, the Friday the 13th prequel series that fell on hard times, but has nonetheless persisted.
Now that the series has started to chug along in its current form, it appears that the pivotal character of Pamela Voorhees has been cast, and with an actor who's worked on both sides of the cinematic comic aisle. That choice comes with another facet though, as it's unfortunately ripe to inspire some Crystal Lake questions among the fandom that are similar to ones asked of the MCU's Spider-Man.
As freshly announced by Deadline, it appears that a deal has closed that will see Dead To Me vet and James Gunn collaborator Linda Cardellini playing one of horror's most infamous mothers. Accompanying that news were these notes on how the character will be portrayed in Crystal Lake:
Cardellini's Pamela is believed to be a mother who had given up a singing career to raise a special needs child and takes a dark turn when she loses her son.
Spoilers for those who haven't seen Friday the 13th but have somehow landed on this news: Pamela Voorhees is the original killer in this legendary franchise that helped define the slasher subgenre. It's honestly a twist worthy of a Scooby Doo episode, as new fans usually walk in knowing Jason, but find themselves tripped up by his status in the overall arc of the story.
It sounds like Crystal Lake will be centered around Linda Cardellini's maternal figure, and the reign of terror she visits upon Camp Crystal Lake in the wake of her son's wrongful death. So much like Bates Motel did for Psycho before it, the backstory before the real bloodletting is going to shape what we see. Though whether or not that focus will be the driving force for the entire series is yet to be determined, as this Peacock subscription teaser's plans are still hiding in the New Jersey woods.
Peacock TV: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a yearSadly, you won't find the many kills of Jason (or Pamela) Voorhees on Peacock. But starting at $7.99 a month, you can creatures, killers, and oddities just as unsettling as the presence that haunts any summer camp you could dream of. Of course, if you opt for Peacock Premium's ad-free tier, you can ditch the commercials for non-stop screaming. View Deal
However you don't need to know too much more to realize two things, the first of which is that a largely Jason-less series might rub some fans the wrong way. The second factor is the one we're really here to discuss, as Ms. Cardellini's casting seems almost bound to incur some very MCU flavored discourse ahead.
It's been a little over three years since Spider-Man: No Way Home took out Aunt May Parker, and yet Marvel fans still debate Marisa Tomei's casting as the classic Marvel Comics character. With a lot of spectators seeming to question whether an Aunt May can be 'young and hot,' it's a subject that stalks any message board like Jason Voorhees stalks his prey.
I fear that Crystal Lake is going to come under fire in the same way, as Linda Cardellini's casting breaks the mold in the same sort of manner. You can practically hear keyboards firing up, ready to call out how the No Good Deed star's looks are some sort of disqualifier for playing the more matronly looking Pamela Voorhees - with or without the machete in hand.
As far as I'm concerned, seeing the No Good Deed star cast in another morally complicated role is perfectly fitting. Not to mention if we're really going to call out any cognitive dissonance here, it should be how a former Velma Dinkley will presumably slip on a mask of her own, in the name of dispatching some meddling kids at Camp Crystal Lake. Jinkies doesn't even cut it.
I hope that more horror fans see Linda Cardellini as the new Pamela Voorhees for the win it truly is. Her multifaceted talents have brought her from genre to genre, running the gamut of morality throughout. Though we don't know when Crystal Lake will premiere, it will assuredly be at a date that gives the internet plenty of time to debate. While healthy disagreements are fine and well, my fingers are crossed that the Aunt May-style discourse won't be as long lived as what we've seen out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
Reed Richards Popcorn Bucket For THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Has Fans Doing a Double Take — GeekTyrant
Marvel Studios is stretching into meme territory with its latest movie tie-in collectible. A new popcorn bucket for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has hit the internet, and it features none other than Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic wrapped around the bucket. The container is gripped by Reed's outstretched, stretchy arm. It's a fun nod to his iconic powers and a rare bit of character-focused merch ahead of the movie's release. But of course, it didn't take long for the internet to... notice things. At just the right (or wrong?) angle, the elongated arm clinging to the bucket has prompted some spicy fan interpretations because, well, that's the internet. This is part of a growing line of First Steps tie-in buckets following the giant Galactus one. Thankfully, this Reed Richards version will only run you $39.99, not pocket change, but also not Galactus-sized debt. While the popcorn bucket is stirring conversation online, Pedro Pascal recently spoke to Empire about what drew him to the role of Marvel's most elastic intellectual. 'I see a limitless amount of layers to this character. He does the ultimate version of catastrophising. A brain that has an overview of threats on a mathematical level, but also being emotionally available. It was a fascinating contradiction.' The marketing machine is clearly warming up. Early tracking puts First Steps on pace for a $125 million to $155 million opening, which would be a much-needed win for the MCU. Whether audiences will stretch their arms (and wallets) for the film remains to be seen. In the meantime, check out the Reed Richards bucket and some hilariously suggestive fan-art by Boss Logic. Just... don't stare too long at that arm.
New York Post
20 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Spider-Man' and ‘One Life to Live' star Jack Betts dead at 96
Jack Betts has passed away at 96 years old. The actor starred on the soap opera 'One Life to Live' from 1979 to 1985, appearing in 20 episodes as Llanview Hospital's Dr. Ivan Kipling. Betts' nephew, Dean Sullivan, told The Hollywood Reporter that the star died in his sleep at his house in Los Osos, California, on Thursday. 7 Jack Betts at The Cocktail Hour play opening, LA, California, April 19, 1990. MediaPunch via Getty Images 7 Doris Roberts and Jack Betts arrive at the party celebrating the 200th Episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' on October 14, 2004 at Spago in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images Betts lived with 'Everybody Loves Raymond' actress Doris Roberts before her death at age 90 in 2016. The two would attend events together over the years and Roberts even directed a play written by Betts, about a soap opera, titled 'Screen Test: Take One.' The close pals first met in 1954 at The Actors Studio in New York City in 1954. Decades later, in 1988, Betts accepted Roberts' offer to move from the Big Apple into the downstairs apartment at her Hollywood Hills home. 7 Actor Jack Betts. Columbia Pictures 'We were best friends to the very end, we had wonderful times together,' he gushed following her death. Betts was also known for starring as Henry Balkan – the Oscorp board chair who fired Norman Osborn (Willem Defoe) – in Sam Raimi's 2002 'Spider-Man.' Norman then became the villainous Green Goblin and vaporized Henry and the board. While on 'The Dev Show' in 2020, Betts spoke about filming the Oscorp boardroom shot and how he asked Raimi, 65, if he could add some of his own spin onto the scene. 7 Jack Betts is seen on May 6, 2016. GC Images 'I really looked [Defoe] right in the eye, and I had kind of a smile in my eye — you know, like, 'You're fired, you motherf–ker,'' the actor explained. 'After, I finished it, [Raimi] said, 'That's it. Terrific. Print that one.'' 'My point being is that I wanted to add something just a little different to it instead of doing it the same way over and over and over and over. [Raimi] he was willing to do that. He really was. Wonderful man to work with.' The Hollywood vet was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, before moving to Miami with his family at age 10. The actor received his degree in theater from the University of Miami, and shortly after graduation, relocated to New York to begin acting. 7 Jose Ferrer, Jack Betts in 'Another World.' Courtesy Everett Collection Betts landed his first role as a supporting actor in the 1953 Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'Richard III.' For two seasons, from 1960 to 1962, Betts played detective Chris Devlin in the CBS mystery series 'Checkmate' opposite Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot and Doug McClure. The show, created by Eric Ambler, followed private detectives solving cases in San Francisco with the help of a British criminologist. Betts appeared four times on CBS' Perry Mason from 1961-66 before he met Giraldi about starring in Sugar Colt. He told the director that he could ride a horse and had just won a shooting contest — of course, he had never been on a horse or handled a gun — but he spent the next three weeks learning those skills at John Wayne's ranch before reporting for duty at Cinecittà in Rome. Shortly after, he entered the soap opera world, landing a role on 'General Hospital' from 1963 to 1965. 7 Jack Betts, Barbara Lord, Peter Falk in 'The Bloody Brood.' Courtesy Everett Collection From there, Betts made his mark on the franchises, and along with 'One Life to Live,' he had parts on 'The Edge of Night,' 'The Doctors,' 'Another World,' 'All My Children,' 'Search for Tomorrow,' 'Guiding Light,' 'Loving,' 'The Young and the Restless,' and 'Generations.' Some of Betts most memorable television roles included 'Seinfeld,' 'Frasier,' 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' 'Monk,' and 'Friends.' His last credited series was on the Freeform drama 'Good Trouble' in 2019. 7 Barbara Bain, Jack Betts in 'Silver Skies.' Courtesy Everett Collection When Betts stepped onto the spaghetti Western scene in 1966 as the title character Hunt Powers in Franco Giraldi's 'Sugar Colt,' he was able to turn that film into 15 others until 1973. But Betts didn't get the same credit as a certain fellow western star did. 'In the hotel next to mine was Clint Eastwood,' he recounted in a 2021 interview. 'He'd go up to his mountain and do his Western and I'd go up to my mountain and do my Western. But while his films had distribution all over the world, my films were distributed [everywhere] except Canada and America.' Betts is survived by his sister, Joan – who is set to turn 100 this year – nephew Dean, and nieces, Lynee and Gail.
Geek Tyrant
a day ago
- Geek Tyrant
The Classic THE LAND BEFORE TIME Movie is Finally Getting Funko Pop Drop! — GeekTyrant
Funko has finally given The Land Before Time its moment in Pop form. The 1988 animated classic, a favorite of mine, produced by Don Bluth, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg is getting its first official Funko Pop lineup, and it's a nostalgia-laced dream for fans who grew up with these beloved dinosaurs. The new collection features six core characters from the original film: Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike, plus a 6-inch Super Pop of the menacing Sharptooth. The figures are now up for pre-order at Entertainment Earth, and there's even a special Littlefoot exclusive on the way. If this drop already has you humming that emotional end credits theme or quoting 'Yep! Yep! Yep!', there's more good news: The Land Before Time is back on streaming thanks to Peacock, which has added not only the original film, but also the first two sequels— The Great Valley Adventure and The Time of the Great Giving . So whether you're reconnecting with your inner child or introducing your kids to their first animated dino heartbreak, this is the perfect time to revisit The Land Before Time , and maybe collect a few adorable vinyl dinosaurs while you're at it. The Land Before Time Littlefoot Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure
