Crystal Lake review – Friday the 13th gets unnecessary expansion in gory and goofy series

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Linda Cardellini tries her best but this baffling attempt to add backstory to one of horror’s thinnest franchises is IP stretching at its most pointless</p><p>The unending exhaustion of IP has forced us to ask questions we never really wanted or needed to ask. How did the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/06/grease-rise-of-the-pink-ladies-review-tv-prequel-paramount">Pink Ladies in Grease</a> come to <em>be</em> the Pink Ladies? What would happen if one of The Craft witches <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/28/the-craft-legacy-review-horror-sequel">had a kid who was </a><em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/28/the-craft-legacy-review-horror-sequel">also a witch</a></em>? Why is the yellow brick road the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/19/wicked-review-cynthia-erivo-ariana-grande-wizard-of-oz-stephen-schwartz">colour of yellow</a>? What is Linda Blair <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/oct/04/the-exorcist-believer-review-ellen-burstyn-david-gordon-green">up to these days</a>?</p><p>No one or no thing ever really dies any more, something that has long been true in the world of slashers, where no amount of stabbing, shooting and exploding has stopped masked killers from killing again and again and again. Recent years have seen the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/09/halloween-review-jamie-lee-curtis-is-back-but-this-time-no-tricks-or-treats">timeline of the Halloween franchise retooled</a> so that Michael Myers could regain his head and restart his reign of terror, while <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/12/scream-review-irony-laden-horror-requel-is-starting-to-creak-with-age">Ghostface has resurfaced</a> to stalk the younger relatives of his old frenemies. As Leatherface prepares <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/04/texas-chainsaw-massacre-curry-barker-1236867615/">an A24 comeback</a> courtesy of Obsession’s Curry Barker and dual Nightmare on Elm Street reboots <a href="https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/7/30/warner-bros-and-paramount-are-making-competing-a-nightmare-on-elm-street-remakes-before-their-merger-closess">square off</a>, it’s time to return to Camp Crystal Lake to see what desperate rights-holders can do with Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees, the hockey mask-wearing giant who enjoys slicing and dicing horny youngsters.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/oct/15/crystal-lake-review-friday-the-13th-series">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.