Rating: 6/10
“Hell of a Summer,” directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, is a lighthearted coming-of-age horror comedy. Originally released at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, it made its way to most theaters in the United States on April 4.
The slasher film follows 24-year-old Jason Hochberg (Fred Hechinger) on his journey as he returns to work at Camp Pineway. When he arrives, he finds the camp leaders, John (Adam Pally) and Kathy (Rosebud Baker), are gone and elects himself as a camp leader in the meantime.
Early in the film, Jason’s teenage coworkers display striking character archetypes. From a social media influencer, a film buff, a theatre kid and a few others, they are all exaggerated in a way that relates to a younger audience.
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The script includes humorous scenarios utilizing Gen-Z slang. In one scene, the teens huddle around an Ouija board as it spells out the acronym “IDEK” when asking the ghost who was responsible for the murders.
While preparing for the first night alone, Jason discovers one of the counselors has been brutally murdered. Notifying the others, they immediately strategize a plan to survive, but quickly turn on Jason, suspecting him of being the killer.
Hechinger’s performance seamlessly carries the film, making the audience second-guess whether or not he is the killer. From his perfect archery skills to his almost sinister smile, an illusion of evil is layered underneath his character.
Despite this, “Hell of a Summer” does a poor job of incorporating suspense and invoking fear due to its emphasis on comedy and teenage mischief. The dialogue between the sassy teen counselors mirrors conversations heard at high school lunch tables. The audience is forced to focus on their immaturity and lack of grief from each death, which takes away from its horrifying nature.
Although the film is R-rated, some deaths are offscreen, cutting down on a lot of gore.
In a recent interview with Fangoria, first-time directors Bryk and Wolfhard explain how some kill scenes did not make the final cut due to their excessive butchery.
“It was a little bit too dark,” Bryk said. “There was one kill, from the original scripted cold open, which involved a tetherball that I thought was very funny and creative, but ultimately not right.”
Aside from the toned-down bloodshed, the pacing is rushed when viewers find out two masked killers are working together, and their identities get revealed halfway through the film.
The slashers are everything but menacing. They come up with silly ways of picking off the counselors by targeting their weaknesses, like Ari’s (Daniel Gravelle) peanut allergy or Miley’s (Julia Doyle) veganism.
Other than comical deaths, a few romantic subplots emerge throughout the film that feel underdeveloped. Jason and his only ally, Claire (Abby Quinn), stumbling upon “makeout point” together in the forest was a dry attempt at framing the tension in their relationship.
The gender-studying feminist, Chris (Wolfhard), longs for a connection with Shannon (Krista Nazaire). Their dynamic consists of sneaking away to kiss behind the cabins and bickering with Bobby (Bryk) about their compatibility.
The underwhelming inclusion of romance feels like a last-minute thought and subtracts from the film’s ability to be scary. The film prioritizes youthful bonds and wit, which is a disservice to the slasher genre of horror.
Viewers might notice a striking similarity to “Fear Street Part Two: 1978,” another summer camp horror film directed by Leigh Janiak, released in 2021. However, with “Fear Street Part Two: 1978,” Janiak succeeds in creating a thrilling atmosphere with her chilling cinematography and character building.
In comparison, “Hell of a Summer” falls short of the eerie tone needed to be considered a groundbreaking slasher film.
