The Friday the 13th franchise began as a gritty slasher film set at a summer camp by Crystal Lake. Its simple premise—teen counselors being stalked by a silent figure—sparked a wave of imitators and cemented a collection of horror conventions still referenced today. Over the next decade the series expanded its mythos, adding a signature hockey mask, a roster of youthful victims, and increasingly outlandish settings, all while moving between theatrical releases and modern streaming homes such as Paramount+ and Peacock. The latest chapter arrives as a television prequel that dives into the origins of the iconic mother, Pamela Voorhees and her son, Jason Voorhees.
