Why Crystal Lake Is Leaving Friday The 13th Fans Furious
Contains spoilers for "Crystal Lake" Season 1, Episode 8 — "The Final Chapter"
The "Friday the 13th" prequel series "Crystal Lake" is out to make waves among the horror fandom. Unfortunately, not all the buzz around the show is positive, and it's easy to see it becoming one of the stranger and more divisive chapters of Jason Voorhees' (played on the show by Callum Vinson) path from unfortunate child to invincible slasher villain who's sometimes a demon and sometimes a cyborg.
The problem here lies within the show's revelation of Jason's true nature. A big late-game twist on "Crystal Lake" reveals why he was always a bit different, and the same explanation plays a massive part in making him such a durable figure who keeps returning to terrorize victims. Jason is actually a genetic experiment by Bellflower corporation, overseen by his father and and Pamela Voorhees' (Linda Cardellini) ex-husband Elias Wittering (Hamish Linklater). Specifically, Jason is infused with cockroach-like DNA in order to create a super-strong, ultimate survivor.
Based on Jason's track record, the experiment was certainly successful ... but are fans really ready for their beloved hulking hockey mask enthusiast to be known as a bioengineered mutant, or is this twist destined to become one of those dumb things in the Friday the 13th franchise that everyone ignores?
Jason has been a lot of things over the years
From the aforementioned space cyborg in "Jason X" to various other iterations, Jason has worn a lot of proverbial hats — and literal masks — during his tenure as a legendary slasher villain. In this sense, the mutant revelation is business as usual, controversial as it may turn out to be.
"Crystal Lake" is still fresh out of the oven, so fans are still formulating their opinions at the time of writing. However, those who have learned about the cockroach-inspired reveal have not exactly been impressed. "Well ... I've had the twist spoiled for me and ... let's just say I'd rather take 'Jason Goes To Hell's' explanation," redditor u/99MilesOfBadRoad wrote, referring to 1993's "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" and its depiction of Jason as a demonic, possessed heart that can only be destroyed by a family member.
Regardless of what happens, the entire Friday the 13th story just got a new, extremely strange chapter. Only time will tell how well the "Crystal Lake" interpretation of Jason Voorhees' backstory will measure up to previous versions.