Hell of a Summer

I went to the theaters to see this one when I was bored on a Monday. I just got back from the theaters before writing this one. This movie isn't good

So basically, the movie is about a masked killer who terrorizes a bunch of counselors at summer camp. Our protagonist is Jason, a 24-year-old manchild who keeps going to summer camp after he's outgrown it. There are about 10 counselors (or thereabouts, I think)

The biggest issue is that none of the counselors are likable. In a failed attempt at humor, the filmakers make nearly all of the counselors annoying idiots and/or detestable jerks. Rather than charming or fun-to-hate, these characters are just plain irritating and not fun to watch. I rolled my eyes or grew impatient at some of the low-IQ dialogue or character actions

The movie is a comedy/horror, and it truly fails at both ... none of the movie's comedy hits the mark. The jokes are lazily written and delivered. All of the jokes are either juvenile / crude stuff or a simple "hey, look how dumb or rude these characters are." I did not laugh or smile at any time during the film.

Likewise, the movie's horror falls just as flat. The masked killers don't appear enough in the movie, and the big reveal about the killer's identity and motivations feels random and unsatisfying. I actually think the film should have tried one or the other -- go all the way as a slasher film, or go all the way as a comedy in the vein of Scary Movie. It seems the film tries to play both comedy and horror, with the effect that it achieves neither

The movie's one redeeming quality centers on the characters Jason and Claire. Unlike all the other characters, they're not annoying; and the scenes where they're alone might be the most watchable portions of the film; their relationship is nice to see. The actor who plays the Jason character is smooth. With some good writing in a better film, he might've given us something worth seeing.

3.0/10.

This a Gen Z film and cast try to retry the Camno Horror genre with flat results. Finnland as a director set to create an original retake, was just another imitation.

It features a young cast, but most of characters didn't deliver the humor, that film critics claimed that the film had. Gore effects are minimal with most of killing off screen.

As an independent film, it feels very weak, could have really challenge the genre's tropes. Some critics has compared it's story to Scream and Sleep away Camp franchises.

Other claimed that the characterization hasa modern twist on 80s era antics, I didn't see them.

It now makes more sense to me why it took until 2025 to release this 2023 movie. It's just not good. Below average in every category. End of review.

Fine, I'll say more. I normally enjoy the horror-comedy tone they were going for, but the comedic attempts at their best only made me smirk. The cast is extremely weak. The dialogue and story is as basic as it gets.

There is a decent opening scene with a cool kill. But then the kills are offscreen. Why? This is a slasher. I ended up quitting the movie after 45 minutes (about halfway through). But apparently most of the kills are offscreen. Just a baffling decision.

(1 viewing, 4/22/2025)

Hell of a Summer wants to be Scream meets Sleepaway Camp, but ends up feeling like the pilot of a slasher show too scared to kill off its cast. The characters are cartoonishly dumb, the kills are mostly offscreen, and the gore is weirdly tasteful for something clearly inspired by '80s splatter.

There are a few fun editing choices-some clever transitions, a grill-sizzle jump scare-but the film leans too hard on its actors' charm and not enough on actual suspense or style. The killer reveal is predictable, the comedy's uneven, and the whole thing feels too safe to be a parody and too shallow to be satire.

Compared to recent slashers like In a Violent Nature or Heart Eyes, this one's just stuck in neutral. Not terrible, just a bit of a shrug.

Hell of a Summer is a playful entry into the "camp slasher" genre, written and directed by Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard. Rather than leaning into the darker, grittier aspects of traditional slashers, this film feels more like a tongue-in-cheek homage-a lighthearted parody that embraces the tropes with full self-awareness. While some moments initially felt like weaknesses, they ultimately came across as intentional nods to genre clichés. It's not a horror film that takes itself too seriously, and that's part of its charm. Despite some of the criticism it's received, I had fun with it-and sometimes, that's all you need. Video review available on my YouTube channel.