Prizmi Tripathi
Set eight years before the blood-curdling events of the 1980 film, Peacock’s ‘Crystal Lake’ is a slasher horror drama series that delves deep into the lore of the seemingly idyllic town and the horrors that haunt the townspeople. Yet another entry into the cult ‘Friday the 13th’ franchise, the main events in the prequel unfold in 1972, a year after the unfortunate turn of events at Camp Crystal Lake apparently resulted in the drowning death of Jason, the son of the devoted single mother Pamela Voorhees. Still reeling from the devastating loss, the grieving mother refuses to believe her son passed away in a fatal accident in the lake, especially as his remains were never recovered.
As the town moves past the tragedy, Pamela is stuck in the past, clinging to the hope of her son’s return. She strikes a connection with Levon Brooks, the Chief of Police, who even pushes her to become part of the community to keep herself occupied. However, things change when the town is marred by bizarre deaths one after another, leading Levon to seek assistance from his sister, Briana, a fierce journalist. As the truth begins to unravel, Pamela becomes the center of the investigation, with suspicions looming over her thirst for vengeance for her son. Created by Brad Caleb Kane, ‘Crystal Lake’ heightens its atmospheric dread through visuals that capture the growing sense of unease surrounding the close-knit town with buried secrets.
Crystal Lake Filming Locations
‘Crystal Lake’ was filmed primarily across New Jersey, particularly in Passaic County, Newark, Blairstown, Oakland, Boonton, Rockaway Township, Morristown, Keansburg, Atlantic Highlands, Jersey City, and South Orange. Principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the slasher series got underway in June 2025 under the working title ‘Mama’s Boy’ and wrapped up after about four months in October of the same year. In honor of the wrap-up party, Creator Brad Caleb Kane took to Instagram and expressed his gratitude to the cast and crew for their efforts in bringing the project to life. “I’m madly in love with and totally in awe of this stellar bunch of artists and humans. A fella couldn’t ask for a more talented and wonderful group of collaborators. S1 (almost sorta not quite) done and dusted. More please and thank you,” he wrote.
Passaic County, New Jersey
Many pivotal sequences for ‘Crystal Lake’ were reportedly lensed in several areas in Passaic County, including the West Milford township. Since the production team couldn’t utilize the original camp from the original 1980 film, they set up camp at Camp Ocawasin, located at 625 Macopin Road. During a conversation with Radio Times, creator Brad Caleb Kane compared it to the original location, stating, “The lake is certainly bigger, and we were able to get more of a vastness. We wanted the lake to feel like there’s an inlet where his body could have been swept out, so it would be harder to find him in the shallower ends.”
In early August 2025, the cast and crew members were spotted taping several indoor and outdoor scenes in and around Rutt’s Hut at 417 River Road in the city of Clifton. Within the township of Wayne, the filming unit utilized the premises of William Paterson University at 300 Pompton Road, the Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business at 1600 Valley Road, and the Dobco Group building at 1 Geoffrey Way (which was formerly the headquarters of Toys R Us). Numerous key portions were also reportedly recorded at The Ties at Woodford Hall at 4 Woodhull Avenue in Little Falls Township, Ramapo Station Fire Tower in Wanaque, Skyline Lakes Clubhouse at 101 Skyline Lakes Drive in Ringwood, and the property at 256 Hawthorne Avenue in Hawthorne.
Newark, New Jersey
The county seat of Essex County, Newark, also served as a prominent production location for the Linda Cardellini starrer. The amenities of the Newark Film Studios, located inside the historic National Newark Building at 744 Broad Street, helped the makers to bring the suspenseful tale to life. For the purpose of shooting, the filming unit of ‘Crystal Lake’ took over Dayton Street Public School at 226 Dayton Street, Robert Treat Hotel at 50 Park Place, Grace Church at 950 Broad Street, and Sharpe James/Kenneth A. Gibson (Ironbound) Recreation Center at 226 Rome Street. Moreover, Essex County Courthouse at 50 West Market Street, Branch Brook Park at 115 Clifton Avenue, and the PSE&G Plaza at 80 Park Place feature in a few important scenes.
Other Locations in New Jersey
To depict the scenes set in downtown Crystal Lake, the makers utilized the locales of the township of Blairstown in Warren County. To be specific, the Blairstown Museum at 26 Main Street and the surrounding streets appear multiple times throughout the show. In the aforementioned interview, Brad Caleb Kane talked about scouting New Jersey locations. “All the buildings are still the same. We didn’t really have to do much to any digital work to make it look like it looked 45 years ago. There was a little bit of cleanup, maybe a little change on practical changing on signage, but the town looks the same, and we were able to recreate some of those things that people know and love…” he explained.
Brad added, “The trees, you know, feel a certain way in that part of the country, in that part of the world, in that state, and we really wanted to get that. I wanted vibe over this whole thing.” Additional portions for ‘Crystal Lake’ were reportedly filmed in the former Camp Tamarack area in Oakland, within Bergen County’s Ramapo parklands. In Boonton, the cast and crew members shot pivotal sequences in and around Elks Lodge at 125 Cornelia Street and the property at 314 Main Street.
Key exterior shots were taped at Lewis Morris Park at 270 Mendham Road in Morristown, Keansburg Fishing Pier in Keansburg, Camp Winnebago at 102 Timberbrook Road in Rockaway Township, and the village of South Orange. The production team set up camp in St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church at 103 Center Avenue in Atlantic Highlands. In order to shoot scenes under a controlled environment, the filming unit set up camp at Cinelease Studios – Caven Point at 21 Caven Point Avenue in Jersey City. Home to three purpose-built sound stages, the film studio also includes production offices, support spaces, parking, and other amenities necessary for filmmaking.
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