Hell of a Summer

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.

I saw the trailer for this film some months ago and it looked pretty good. As the horror fanatic I am, when I noticed that this film was out, I went ahead and watched it... It was not good at all.

The plot is the most generic thing that you can think off, a slasher in a camping in the middle of the woods. It also decided to throw away some Scream elements in there, which wasn't ideal, only making the film more predictable. The deaths are extremely bad and lack any sort of creativity. Also, for some reason, every one of them except two or three including the opening sequence are off screen. I mean, if you are going to make a bad slasher film, at least try to have some good kills, if not, it loses a lot.

The humor is flat, and the ending is predictable too. There's just nothing going for this, don't watch it.

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.

With newer horror movies we can expect them to be more graphic but this movie really disappointed in this sense. I liked the story but the kills were pretty boring. After watching the trailer I thought it was going to be similar to the video game The Quarry, with it being at a summer camp and the scenery is very similar. This got me excited to watch it. Pretty sure I'm the only one that thought this, because I didn't see it on any other reviews. Sometimes it tried too hard to be funny but most comedy/horrors do, but this wasn't as corny as some of the other movies are. Overall, it's a solid 6 due to the lack of gore and excitement.

I acknowledge that this movie isn't going to be for everyone. Some may find the very Gen Z characters, humour, and "style" of the film somewhat grating (quick editing, a very self aware smart you-know-what vibe). The pacing does feel a *tad* off, with a lot of time spent on the characters (which I do ultimately believes is the film's best aspect, but more on that later). There are awkward shots here and there I think the actual camp where this film takes place could've been shown a bit more, at times, the cinematography feels a bit too restrictive and small.

That all is to say though, this movie otherwise rocks. Hell of a Summer is probably the best slasher I've seen in years, because it focuses on something most films in this ilk forget about: the characters. The best thing about slashers is seeing how interesting, funny, sometimes awful, people react to a terrifying, but utterly believable situation. This film nails that aspect, giving us a hilarious ensemble, well-written ensemble cast and tight script to maximize the setting and premise.

I feel like everyone here was absolutely amazing for their roles; Finn Wolfhard and Billy Byrk have incredible natural chemistry and comic timing, but they aren't really the stars of the show here (well, not entirely). Fred Hechinger's leading man Jason (reference intended) is perfect for the role, same with Abby Quinn as Claire. They both just "understood the assignment" as the kids say. Everyone did, really. I can't gush enough about how awesome this cast and the writing for these characters were. This is one of the few horror movies I can say generally portray humanity in a mostly positive way and has a lot of heart and warmth.

It's a nice change from what we usually expect from these movies and honestly, I loved it. I think back to Scream VI (sorry, still not over it) and how cynical, stupid, and lazy that film was and it makes me appreciate Hell of a Summer even more. This is a slasher with a purpose. I really hope it can be seen by as many people as possible, because I can totally see this being a cult classic.