The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character Jason Voorhees, who was thought to have drowned as a boy at Camp Crystal Lake due to the negligence of the camp staff. Decades later, the lake is rumored to be "cursed" and is the setting for a series of mass murders.

The original Friday The 13th and many of its sequels take place at Camp Crystal Lake. The movie revealed that a young Jason was bullied and teased by other children at the camp, who later pushed him into the water.