My quick rating – 5.0/10. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if Scream, Wet Hot American Summer, and a PG-13 afterschool special had a lovechild—and then immediately abandoned it in the woods—you’d probably still end up with something slightly more frightening than Hell of a Summer. More fitting words for this are “competent” and “average,” which I doubt are anything any aspiring creator is shooting for.
We meet Jason Hochberg (Fred Hechinger), a 24-year-old man-child who returns to Camp Pineway as a counselor, even though he clearly hasn’t matured past camper. Jason’s main struggle is connecting with the teen staff, who all seem like they walked off the set of a bad TikTok series. And if you thought Jason Voorhees was the biggest threat to summer camp, well… buckle up.
Hechinger’s portrayal of Jason is so whiny and awkward that it makes you want to root for the killer just to shut him up. I know I was. And maybe that was the point? If so, bravo, Fred—mission accomplished. If not, well, somebody needs to apologize to the audience.
Directors Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard (yes, that Finn—Stranger Things’ resident spooky kid turned indie auteur) attempt a meta-slasher send-up with a retro 80s vibe, but forget one crucial thing: slashing. The kills mostly happen offscreen, probably because the killer was too embarrassed to be seen with this script. And when you do get some action, it’s over quicker than Jason’s ability to hold eye contact.
Instead of gore, scares, or even suspense, the film serves up a buffet of overcooked personalities. Every character is a walking cliché: the jock, the shy girl, the try-hard, and of course, the guy who makes you question why you’re watching this at all. There’s a twist reveal, but it’s delivered with the subtlety of a whisper in a hurricane. Blink and you’ll miss it. Don’t blink? You’ll wish you had.
Wolfhard’s involvement both behind and in front of the camera is the biggest flex here, but even he seems like he’s doing a high school project that accidentally got picked up for distribution. The movie wants to be Scream but lacks the self-awareness, the blood, the boobs, and, frankly, the budget.
There’s a nostalgic slasher flick buried somewhere beneath all the shrieking and pointless dialogue, but it’s been smothered by an unwillingness to commit to the genre. It’s like ordering hot wings and getting a plate of unseasoned tofu sticks. Yes, technically still food, but why?
In the end, Hell of a Summer doesn’t just pull its punches—it never bothers to throw them. It’s too timid to be scary, too clumsy to be funny, and too focused on Jason to be tolerable. The only real horror here is realizing this might be the new generation of slasher films. The filmmakers are 25 & 22, so they do have plenty of room to grow.
More like “Mildly Inconvenient Evening.” This flick is too timid to be scary and too clumsy to be funny.
Amazon, along with several other streamers, carry this flick for you.