New Friday the 13th prequel show Crystal Lake includes as many, if not more, gruesome kills and gory moments as any other franchise entry, but showrunner Brad Caleb Kane says the line was drawn at nudity.
"I tried. That’s America. You can give the kids the violence, but God forbid they see some breasts," said Kane to TheWrap. "Sometimes you get overruled in these things."
Aside from Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, the bulk of the Friday the 13th franchise shows a lot of skin, playing on that classic horror trope where having sex immediately puts you on the killer's chopping block. Although Crystal Lake has its fair share of sex scenes, some of which might make you want to turn down your volume if you have others in the house, we don't ever really see any bits and pieces, bar a bum or two.
Although Kane didn’t specify who overruled him, it sounds as though Kane would have continued the franchise's naked trend if he was able. But that isn't to say that the more mild intimate scenes have a negative effect on the show. Personally, I can take or leave sex scenes in horror movies. They often don't add a lot of substance, and many times are only there to entertain randy horror fans.
But what Kane was able to do is go ham with the violence and gore. From bursting blood bags to a deep-fried head, Crystal Lake doesn't hold back on the gore. Starring Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees, the show explores Pam's relationship with her son and her grief when Jason is taken in a freak accident. But somewhere along the way, Pam's despair turns into revenge, leading her to do some questionable things.
When we asked Kane where he gets his kill inspiration from, the showrunner told GamesRadar+, "I just have a deep bench of kills in my head… at the end of the day the creative process is very mysterious. You sit down, and you go, 'How do we top the kills in the movies? How do we connect them to character and emotion? What will make the kills hit the hardest?' And that's kind of how you conceive them."
Kane already has ideas for new kills for a possible Crystal Lake season 2, though. And the goriest scene to film? For Cardellini, that was "The first scene where you see me covered in blood, that was really for me personally, was my goriest," says the star to GamesRadar+.
Crystal Lake is out now on Peacock in the US and on Sky and NOW in the UK. For more, check out our Crystal Lake review, and keep up with new TV shows on the way.
