‘Crystal Lake’ changes a controversial ‘Friday the 13th’ scene as creator says ‘no animals were harmed’
The first 'Friday the 13th' (1980) film was a trailblazer in many ways. However, the glorious movie has one taint in its legacy. According to Deadline, a trained serpent was killed during the making of this film. In the original movie, Alice (Adrienne King) finds a snake moving in her cabin and calls her fellow counselors for help. Bill (Harry Crosby) then arrives with a machete and murders the snake. Over the years, the cast and crew have revealed that the snake killed in the scene actually died. The victim was a domesticated bull snake. After the snake's handler discovered what had happened, he was inconsolable, since he didn't know the team's intention.
However, PETA didn't exist back then, and hence no animal protection laws were in place. During a 2012 franchise documentary, Jeannine Taylor (Marcie) expressed regret regarding the situation. Over the years, the team has been criticized for its cruel treatment. Brad Caleb Kane, the man behind the prequel 'Crystal Lake,' doesn't ignore the criticism and, in a surprising turn of events, honors the animal. He dedicates a sequence in the series in tribute to the snake. The creator revealed that a scene where Pamela Voorhees (Linda Cardellini) sets a snake free after finding it in the pantry is “a direct nod” to the innocent animal.
Kane explained that he saved the snake, instead of killing it, to highlight the difference between the two movies. “But [Pam’s] a different person in the first episode than the kids are [in the movie],” he explained. “Yes, it’s a direct nod, but then it goes to the place of the first movie.” This suggests some killing may be involved, but Kane assures fans that no animals were harmed during the prequel's making. “But we don’t actually kill a snake in ours. No, no animals were harmed in the making of Crystal Lake. Some hippies might have been harmed in the making of Crystal Lake, but no animals.”
The prequel focuses on Pam, who is struggling after her son, Jason, drowned the summer prior. Fans will recognize Jason as the franchise's main antagonist. He terrifies and kills the kids in the camp. Fans also know Pam as the camp cook who becomes a killer in the original movie, where she is played by Betsy Palmer. The prequel will follow a younger version and release on Peacock on October 15, 2026.
