It was déjà vu all over again as Main Street in Blairstown once again became the town of Crystal Lake, New Jersey, home of that lovely Voorhees family.
Over the weekend leading up to Monday, Aug. 11, movie crews transformed Main Street into a vintage version of itself to host the production of “Crystal Lake,” a prequel TV series to the 1980 horror/slasher classic, “Friday the 13th,” which was also filmed on Main Street in Blairstown, as well as in neighboring Hope and Hardwick.
The filming caused minimal disruption to businesses on Main Street, most of which are closed on Monday anyway. The production company, A24, worked well with the stores and offices, said Lisa Amon, the treasurer of the Blairstown Enhancement Committee and owner of Sundae’s ice cream parlor.
“As BEC treasurer, I find it great, because they support our town, but also people get to see the beauty in our little town,” Amon said. “They could have done this anywhere, but they chose to come back and do it here.”
For the past decade or so, Main Street has become the bright center of the universe for horror fans whenever Friday the 13th rolls by on the calendar. On those days, such as this past June 13th, the historic village of Blairstown, population 493, welcomes several thousand visitors over the weekend, many sporting Jason’s trademark hockey mask or fully decked out as Jason from the movies. Jason, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and many other horror icons freely roam the streets, restaurants and bars of the village.
Among the regular visitors returning to watch Monday’s chronicling of the Voorhees family was the Rodriguez family of South Amboy, New Jersey.
Ten-year-old R.J. Rodriguez explained that his dad wore just a mask rather than his whole Jason outfit Monday.
“I always like coming here, but my Dad usually comes in full costume, but it was so hot today,” he said.
R.J. said his dad has allowed him to see parts of the movies but not the scenes that would make him want to “hide under the blanket,” in his words.
Among the other “Jasons” watching the film setup was Blairstown’s own Jason-in-Residence Matt Keller, who is widely credited with helping to jump-start the interest in Blairstown and its connection to the movie, which had jump-started the horror/slasher movie.
“This is great, seeing this all come back to where this started,” Keller said.
The series, which is intended to be more story- and character-driven than the slasher-thons into which the later movies evolved, will air on the Peacock streaming network in 2026.
Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
