Hell of a Summer (2025) – A Bloody Good Time with a Wink and a Knife -

Hell of a Summer doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel—it just straps fireworks to it and watches it spin. Co-directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, this is a horror-comedy love letter to summer camp slashers, packed with throwback charm, clever jabs, and just enough blood to make it count.

Set at Camp Pineway, the film follows Jason Hochberg—played by Fred Hechinger—as a 24-year-old camp counselor trying to survive a job full of teenagers, awkward icebreakers, and eventually, a full-blown masked killer with a grudge. The setup is simple. The execution? Surprisingly sharp.

The film wears its Friday the 13th roots proudly, but it’s not a carbon copy. There’s a modern kick to the dialogue and characters that gives it fresh air. You’ve got classic archetypes—the jock, the loner, the try-hard—but there’s heart behind them. They’re likable, self-aware, and just dumb enough to make their deaths fun.

The kills? Creative and spaced out just enough to keep you guessing. This isn’t a gore-fest, but it’s not pulling punches either. The tone stays light, but the tension is real when it needs to be. Wolfhard and Bryk show they know the genre’s rhythm: slow build, sharp turns, and a big bloody payoff.

Hechinger holds the film down with the kind of awkward charm that works for this setting—he’s the older guy trying way too hard to relate, but you root for him anyway. The rest of the cast brings solid energy across the board. No one’s phoning it in, and it feels like everyone’s having a blast—literally.

Visually, the film’s got style. Wide campfire shots, neon-lit cabins, and some fun, stylized sequences that remind you these directors aren’t just fans—they’ve got something to say. Sure, a few night scenes could’ve used better lighting, but the atmosphere mostly holds strong from start to finish.

Hell of a Summer isn’t perfect. The horror doesn’t hit as hard as it could, and not every joke lands. But that’s part of its charm. It’s messy, funny, and totally in love with the genre it’s riffing on.

A campy, blood-splattered ride that gets the job done with laughs and kills. Not a game-changer, but definitely a crowd-pleaser.