Jason Voorhees won’t wear his hockey mask in the first season of Crystal Lake, but Callum Vinson got to try it out behind the scenes.
“Brad would give me the machete, and also the makeup team would give me the mask,” the 12-year-old told Entertainment Weekly, referring to showrunner Brad Caleb Kane. With both props in hand, he would chase cast members around the set.
Linda Cardellini, who plays his onscreen mother Pam Voorhees, was among his targets. Vinson described her as one of his favorite set moms, perhaps his favorite.
In the Peacock and A24 Friday the 13th prequel, Vinson plays a boy who wants to fit in but faces bullying because of his appearance. This version of Jason has hydrocephalus and an enlarged cranium.
Kane Hints at a Mask Fans Have Seen Before
Pam was the killer in the original Friday the 13th, released in 1980. Jason took over in Part 2, wearing a cloth sack over his head, before acquiring the hockey mask in 1982’s Friday the 13th Part III.
Kane teased that the series features a mask that may differ from the one viewers expect, but will be familiar to franchise fans. He said the episodes explain its origin and why it is there.
Tom Savini Helped Create a Transformation That Took Hours
The character was called “Jace” when Vinson auditioned, giving him a small clue that he might be trying out for Jason Voorhees. His suspicions grew during casting before the production confirmed the role and told him it would involve prosthetics.
Original Friday the 13th makeup artist Tom Savini helped create the new young Jason design. Kane credited him with realizing the production’s vision while adapting the character’s appearance for a more grounded version of the story.
Vinson’s first complete transformation for a screen test took about four and a half hours. Once filming began, the makeup team had reduced the application process to roughly 90 minutes.
Kane said the creators favored descriptions such as “outcast” and “other” over the cruel labels directed at him.
Vinson compared the excitement of wearing the prosthetics to putting on the masks of superheroes such as Iron Man and Spider-Man.
Pam’s Grief Drives the Story After Jason’s Drowning
Set in the 1970s, Crystal Lake introduces Pam as a cafeteria worker at the local summer camp and depicts Jason’s drowning.
Almost a year later, Pam still has the feeling that her son could be alive. Two strangers arrive at her door asking about her past, setting off events that make the town question who she really is, according to A24.
“In my opinion, everything she does is for Jason,” Cardellini told EW. She said Pam must feel justified every time she kills, even if that conviction exists only in her own mind.
William Catlett plays police officer Levon, while Cameron Scoggins plays his colleague Dorf. Gwendolyn Sundstrom appears as Grace, a young resident, and Devin Kessler plays Brianna. Vinson is part of the recurring cast.
All eight episodes of Crystal Lake will begin streaming on Peacock on October 15th.