Synopsis: 24-year-old camp counselor Jason Hochberg arrives at Camp Pineway thinking his biggest problem is that he feels out of touch with his teenage co-workers. What he doesn’t know is that a masked killer is lurking on the campgrounds, brutally picking counselors off one by one.
Stars: Fred Hechinger, Finn Wolfhard, Abby Quinn, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Bryk, Wolfhard, Pardis Saremi, Rosebud Baker, Adam Pally
Directors: Finn Wolfhard & Billy Bryk
Rated: R
Running Length: 88 minutes
Review:
If you threw Friday the 13th, Wet Hot American Summer, and Knives Out into a blender and spilled it over a sun-faded VHS tape, you’d get something close to Hell of a Summer. Directed by Finn Wolfhard (The Goldfinch) and Billy Bryk (Friendship)—who also co-star and co-wrote the script—this cheeky slasher has its bloodied heart in the right place, even if its head occasionally gets chopped off.
For someone who prioritizes summer camp films regardless of genre, Hell of a Summer was an easy sell. While the buzz from TIFF’s Midnight Madness wasn’t deafening, I remained eager to catch this retro slasher. It features a promising young cast and the tried-and-true formula of counselors being picked off one by one.
The plot kicks off with a gruesome double murder that makes it clear no acoustic guitar is safe. From there, we meet 24-year-old camp vet Jason Hochberg (Fred Hechinger, Kraven the Hunter), a socially awkward returnee who’s aged out of counselor life. He still clings to Camp Pineway like a security blanket. Hechinger plays Jason with neurotic charm that’s becoming his calling card—a twitchy but endearing underdog. He might be the killer or might just be really bad at making friends.
When the rest of the young, snarky, very online staff shows up, things start to unravel quickly. This includes Jason’s ex Claire (Abby Quinn, Torn Hearts), attention-seeking influencer Demi (Pardis Saremi, Death and Other Details), and best bros Bobby (Bryk) and Chris (Wolfhard). The film doesn’t waste time before bodies start dropping. But it smartly holds off on revealing the who and why until the final reel.
There’s an admirable restraint in how Hell of a Summer handles its kills. Yes, there’s gore. But the film doesn’t feel like it’s chasing body count quotas just for shock value. Instead, it spends actual time establishing who these people are—well, some of them at least. The more disposable characters are treated like horror movie appetizers, but the ones who stick around have a surprising amount of texture. Quinn gives Claire the emotional backbone the story needs, and Saremi plays Demi as a perfect Gen Z mean girl—vain, viral, and vicious.
Hechinger continues his ascent as Hollywood’s go-to actor for endearingly awkward protagonists. Here, his performance keeps viewers second-guessing—is his character genuinely trustworthy or hiding sinister motives? The supporting cast offers varied talents. Quinn’s Claire and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai’s (Caught Stealing) Mike make lasting impressions, while Bryk and Wolfhard smartly cast themselves as hormonally-driven teens seeking female attention.
What’s surprising is how well Wolfhard and Bryk direct themselves and their co-stars. The film is far from flawless—some pacing issues in the middle and editing choices that feel abrupt—but the tone mostly holds. The humor doesn’t undercut the scares, and the scares don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s clear these two love the genre and know its rhythms. The film finds its footing when embracing its twisted humor. Unlike many contemporary horror films that mistake self-awareness for comedy, the laughs here feel earned. They come through character dynamics rather than winking at genre conventions.
From a technical standpoint, the film punches above its budget. Kristofer Bonnell‘s cinematography makes excellent use of natural light and Canadian campgrounds. It creates a soft, hazy look that leans into the retro vibe without going full Stranger Things cosplay. The production design by Chareese McLaughlin and set dressing by Peri Greig and Marten Tawfik add grime and authenticity. You can practically smell the mildew in the cabins and cheap ketchup at the mess hall.
Audience-wise, this is a crowd-pleaser. Do I wish the film stayed as sharp and subversive in the second half as it was in the first? Yes. There’s a middle stretch that dips into cliché. It relies too much on characters doing things just because the script needs them to die. But as a debut from actors who clearly love horror and know its boundaries, Hell of a Summer is a solid, gory calling card.
If this is what Wolfhard and Bryk can pull off with their first feature, I’m definitely showing up for whatever massacre they plan next.
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