‘Crystal Lake’ Showrunner Shuts Down Jason Experiment Theory: “He’s Not a Gov’t Super Soldier or an Eleven”

Okay, we can put the government-experiment theory to bed.

Crystal Lake creator and showrunner Brad Caleb Kane has taken to Instagram to reassure fans that Peacock’s upcoming Friday the 13th prequel isn’t turning Jason Voorhees into a government-created weapon. Or Eleven from Stranger Things.

And yes, I was among the people wondering where the hell this was going.

As I discussed in our breakdown of the full trailer, a character confronts Pamela Voorhees with an ominous warning about her and Jason’s true nature. Combine that with a shot moving down a hallway toward what looks like some sort of laboratory door, and it’s pretty easy to start connecting dots that might not belong together.

Were we about to learn that Jason was an experiment? Was Crystal Lake taking the Voorhees family into Stranger Things territory?

Apparently not.

Posting a Mr. Freeze “EVERYBODY CHILL!” meme, Kane wrote:

“It’s not the CIA. He’s not a gov’t super soldier or an Eleven. He’s probably just a Chud. Or at worst a Trog. In any case, all will be known Oct. 15. Y’know, they called Copernicus a heretic at first, too. And look how that turned out! 🤔 Well, bad for him, I guess. Nevermind. Enjoy!!! #NotRoy #NotDemonicParasite #NotSpaceX”

The Chud and Trog cracks read as Kane having fun with the speculation, so let’s not immediately launch another theory about Jason being a sewer monster. The clear takeaway is that he’s ruling out the government-super-soldier angle while keeping the actual explanation to himself.

Fair enough. That trailer gave us a lot to chew on, and I’m happy to cross one possibility off the list.

It still leaves plenty of questions about Jason’s role. As , Kane has already promised that the season eventually brings Jason into slasher territory. How that fits alongside Pamela’s story remains one of the things I’m most curious to see.