The set is available for pre-order now.
The Big Picture
- NECA’s Crystal Lake Accessory Set is a must-have for horror fans, featuring iconic pieces from the
Friday the 13th
franchise. - The set is available for pre-order now.
- Despite setbacks, interest in the
Friday the 13th
franchise is reignited, with potential sequels and reboots on the horizon.
When it comes to horror, no fanbase has been through as much as with the Friday the 13th franchise. There hasn’t been a new installment for 15 years and, just last week, the A24 prequel series that was set to debut later this year, Crystal Lake, lost its showrunner, Bryan Fuller. However, in between the misery of the last decade, the one bright spot for the long-running slasher series and Jason Voorhees has been the merchandise. Particularly the action figures that have been made by NECA. Now the popular toy company has unveiled their new Crystal Lake Accessory set.
The set is packed to the brim, so any horror fan can stay at the cursed campgrounds in killer fashion. This includes a seven-inch long version of the iconic Camp Crystal Lake sign, a dock base that stands 11-inches tall, and a rock and sign base with a chain that can be attached to Jason. The latter of which is a recreation of the slasher villain’s ”death” in Part VI: Jason Lives. This set is to scale with NECA’s previously released line of seven-inch Jason figures, but they’re sold separately. The company has made an “Ultimate” action figure of every appearance of the character. From “Bag Head Jason” in Part II to his undead zombie appearance in Part VI, each Jason is covered in their collection. Even the copycat killer from Part V: A New Beginning is in plastic form thanks to NECA.
The History of Camp Crystal Lake
When Friday the 13th debuted in 1980, like Halloween before it, the slasher completely changed the sun-genre and shaped the identity of horror for the next decade. Its summer camp setting was perfect for a high body count and Paramount responded with an endless sea of sequels. From 1981 to 1989, there were seven sequels that always found a new way to bring Jason back. This included a trip to New York City in Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, which was the final nail in the coffin for the killer’s initial run. The rights for the series would then be picked up by New Line Cinema, prompting two more sequels in the 90s.
However, Jason’s biggest claim to fame after the 80s was his crossover with A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2003, Freddy vs. Jason. The last film the character appeared in was the 2009 remake. It’s considered an underrated gem in the franchise now, but it was panned by critics and fans alike upon its release. While there wasn’t a film in the 2010s, Friday the 13th: The Game was what every horror fan was playing when it was released in 2017. However, the game was forced to stop producing updates due to a nasty rights dispute between the first film’s original writer Victor Miller and producer Sean S. Cunningham. That also halted any attempt to get a new Friday the 13th film made.
The first eight Friday the 13th films are currently streaming on Max. With the legal battle over, there has also been new-found interest in the franchise. Cunningham revealed early last year that he was developing a potential sequel and the head of Blumhouse, Jason Blum, has shown interest in rebooting the franchise. In addition, despite Crystal Lake’s recent setback, the series hasn’t been canceled and is being reworked. As for NECA’s Crystal Lake Accessory Set, the piece is up for pre-order now on their website for $34.99. The set will be up for pre-order until Monday, May 27 at 11:59 PM EST. It’s set to ship in October 2024, which is just in time for the spooky Halloween season.
Friday the 13th
- Release Date
- May 9, 1980
- Director
- Sean S. Cunningham
- Cast
- Betsy Palmer , Adrienne King , Jeannine Taylor , Robbi Morgan , Kevin Bacon
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Victor Miller , Ron Kurz
- Production Company
- Paramount Pictures, Georgetown Productions Inc., Sean S. Cunningham Films
This article was originally published on collider.com