3.5 out of 5.0 stars
The horror genre is no stranger to camp, both in tone and subject matter. In “Hell of a Summer,” the new horror comedy from upstart writer-directors Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, a group of summer camp counselors are terrorized by a masked killer to great comedic effect. The film pays homage to its ancestral horror flicks, but its contemporary sense of humor gives it the verve to surpass being wholly derivative.
The central protagonist of the film is Jason (Fred Hechinger), who has just crossed into being too old for his job as a counselor at Camp Pineway, but is endlessly devoted to it nonetheless. Chris (Wolfhard) and Bobby (Bryk), two quirky best friends, are also featured prominently. Having three protagonists is a unique storytelling choice that breaks from the slasher film standard of an ensemble of characters with one leader. This could reasonably be chalked up to the stars’ roles behind the camera, although they are charming enough to excuse that.
The camp managers are killed in an effective opening sequence, leaving an oblivious Jason to wrangle the crew of counselors, who frequently mock his age. Among them are Chris’ love interest Shannon (Krista Nazaire), trendy Demi (Pardis Saremi) and arrogant Mike (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai). Of course, the mysterious killer begins to pick off the bunch one by one, igniting desperation and intraparty rifts that complicate their quest for survival.
The film is far more successful as a comedy than as horror; it is much more concerned with stylish kills than with unsettling atmosphere or jumpscares. Even so, the film occasionally veers too far from its horror framing, leaving some sequences feeling unfulfilling. One particularly frustrating moment involves a previously-mocked allergy that is presumably used to torture a character, only for the film to avoid what would be a bizarrely entertaining scene and cut to their dimly-lit corpse.
Technically, the film is certainly an impressive achievement from Wolfhard and Bryk, both making their feature directorial debuts. The energy is propulsive, but not jumpy, as the most action-packed scenes are shot steadily. The direction is also aided by a sleek John Carpenter-tinged score from Jay McCarrol, which sets a winkingly eerie tone at intense moments in the film.
The screenplay is less of a triumph, despite creative story elements and memorably funny jokes. There is a noticeable imbalance in screen time of the characters. Nazaire is enjoyable as Shannon, but there is not much depth to the character herself. The same could be said for Jason’s love interest, Claire, whose character feels underdeveloped despite a noble attempt from Abby Quinn.
Additionally, the screenplay employs unnecessary flashbacks and blatant exposition, but the most egregious hiccup is the reveal of the killer. In a genuine surprise, Demi and Mike are unmasked as the murderers, having staged their own demise. Their motivations are vaguely written off as attention seeking, and their lack of screen time — due to how early in the film their fake deaths come — renders this reveal uninteresting.
In keeping with the scrappy, child-star duo behind the film, much of the cast are relative newcomers, and promising ones at that. Saremi and Woon-A-Tai play delightfully shallow characters, and Matthew Finlan and Daniel Gravelle are scene-stealers as self-serious artistic counselors. Julia Doyle and Julia Lalonde portray one-dimensional hippie characters, but they make the most of their bits of hammy dialogue.
Hechinger is one of the busiest and shiniest young stars in Hollywood, and he has garnered a reputation for playing unique outsiders. He brings this sensibility to his performance as Jason, and delivers his emotional arc of finally accepting that he must move on from Camp Pineway with balanced sensitivity. Wolfhard, another member of Gen-Z’s upper echelon of stars, makes the most of a slightly muddled character. His signature awkwardness brings consistent humor to the story, including some great (and somewhat surprising) physical comedy moments. Bryk is the standout of the cast because his eager-to-impress character carries much of the film’s humor. Though some may scoff at his and Wolfhard’s double duty in the cast and crew, it is quite difficult to be irritated by the character’s self-deprecating charisma.
“Hell of a Summer” is the latest in production company Neon’s impressive belt of independent horror films. With its meager length and lack of suspense, it is about as far from horror as a movie can get while still retaining the label. Still, it is a fun comedy with a winning cast and memorable sequences. Even if it does not wow audiences or reinvent the genre, it is a solid film that will especially entertain a younger crowd.
