In the Friday the 13th film franchise, the first film is set at Camp Crystal Lake. The 1980 movie follows counselors preparing to reopen the New Jersey summer camp, which has a disturbing history involving the drowning of a boy named Jason Voorhees.
Camp Crystal Lake became one of the most recognizable locations in slasher cinema. Although the first film centers on the counselors and Jason’s mother, Pamela Voorhees, the camp’s name remained closely connected with Jason in later entries. Several sequels return to the area or use it as part of the series’ mythology.
The setting is sometimes confused with Jason Voorhees himself. Jason is not the killer in the original movie; Pamela is revealed as the murderer. Jason becomes the main killer beginning with the second film, while Crystal Lake continues to serve as the franchise’s signature location.
The fictional camp is located in New Jersey within the story. The movie’s outdoor camp scenes were filmed primarily at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick Township, New Jersey, a real Boy Scouts camp.