‘Crystal Lake’ Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane and Stars Linda Cardellini, William Catlett, and More, Discuss The Upcoming ‘Friday The 13th’ Series
FilmSpeak got a chance to sit down with the cast and showrunner of the highly-anticipated series ahead of its release.
Jason, Mrs. Voorhees, and Camp Crystal Lake are finally back after 17 long years, and fans couldn't be more excited. After nearly two decades of rights disputes, public outcry, and other attempts at rebooting the Friday the 13th series, its latest installment is ready to hit our screens. ‘Crystal Lake’ follows Pamela Voorhees (Linda Cardellini) immediately after the death of her son Jason, as she navigates grief, betrayal, and the occasional kill or two. The Peacock series, which was produced in collaboration with A24, takes the story to an entirely new timeline, setting Jason’s death in the 1970s and giving Pam a new and more complex story. Ahead of the series’ release on October 15th, FilmSpeak sat down with showrunner Brad Caleb Kane and stars Linda Cardellini, William Catlett, Devin Kessler, and Cameron Scoggins recently to talk all things Jason.
FilmSpeak: What excites you about the horror genre creatively, and what makes you want to dive into this kind of a story?
Cameron Scoggins: For me, I think horror is one of the only genres that can really push a lot of boundaries. I've always been interested in working in horror things, so to get this opportunity on a project like this, connected to a franchise like this, is incredible. And I also think the franchise itself offers a lot in terms of horror. It covers a lot of ground. Those first two, Part One and Part Two, to me, are really scary kinds of movies. By Part Three, we're introducing different tones, and a little bit of camp, and the kills get a little crazy. That was exciting to work on for me!
Devin Kessler: I am fascinated by how people think. I think fear is a great motivator for a lot of human interactions, and just in general, how we move in the world. So horror, for me, is just a fun playground to watch how people’s fear pushes them into certain situations. I also think that horror’s silly in so many ways. We all have those moments when we'll watch people and we'll go, “why are you going in that direction?” Common sense isn't there, but I'm just fascinated by why people do the things that they do. So when this came across– I was going to say my desk, but it wasn't my desk per se. It was my agent’s! But when this came across, I got really excited by the possibility of delving into this and expanding on what it means to be horrified. Not just blood and guts, but also psychologically, emotionally. How does it affect your heart rate? How does it affect the way that you speak and interact? I could go on and on.
CS: And what young actor hasn’t practised their scared face in the mirror? What other job do you get to do that? Where do you get to hold a fear face?
DK: I definitely practiced mine from Macaulay, so thank you Home Alone!
Brad Caleb Kane: I think horror is the genre where you can most tackle any complicated or thorny issue or topic thematically in the most entertaining way. When I think of something like Obsession, which is just the most entertaining horror movie I've seen in a long time, I think it's the perfect. To me, as a Gen Xer looking at it, it's the perfect metaphor for the millennial dating scene. I can do a whole exegesis on that, but we won't go into it now. But there's a lot there in horror if you're willing to engage with it, which obviously everybody at this table is. I wanted to do a show where it feels like that way too.
FS: (To Linda Cardellini and William Catlett) One thing I'm loving is how impressive your performances have been, specifically on how you almost play off each other, where [Levon] has a hard outer shell and has an inner vulnerability, whereas Pam has more of an outer vulnerability and an inner strength. How important was it to find that balance within your characters, but also play off each other with those kinds of differences?
William Catlett: Well, you know, when you're dealing with someone who won an Emmy…
Linda Cardellini: Oh! I was like, “Who? Oh wait!” I forgot about that!
WC: Linda makes it easy, you know? When you get in there with good actors who know their craft, there's so many gifts that they give. And if you're able to, it's like a tennis match, you're able to catch it. I remember she gave me a note one time on set, she said “Will, you know, sometimes it’s easier to let it be.”
LC: Well, he was torturing himself! I didn’t give him a note, like, “Excuse me!” He was torturing himself, and he was feeling like he wasn't getting it, when he was doing amazing work. I just didn't want you to torture yourself. You didn't need to. So I said, “Can I tell you something? Just let it go, man, you're doing great!”
WC: And you need that, and to answer your question, that's what makes it work. And you gotta be okay with that, so thank you for that.
LC: Oh, please! Thank you. It’s a joy. I think [with] our characters, it's really fun because there's a real push and pull there, and the way Brad wrote it is really fun. She really doesn't want to mess it up, and she really does like him, but at what point would that change for her? And I think that sort of razor thin edge for her is fun to play. And you're the last person she would want to do anything cruel to. But it's all about Jason!
WC: And she’s capable of doing it, too!
LC: She finds out she is!
The series is just as gory as any previous iterations, and features a career-best performance from Linda Cardellini, who brings a palpable humanity and gravitas to such an iconic character. Although often too goofy for its own good, it embodies the spirit of what came before. All eight episodes are streaming at once, making this the perfect Halloween binge.