Whether you’re about to start summer break, heading out on vacation, or spending the season air-conditioned at home, this is the ultimate list of summer horror movies to binge over the break, full of cheesy camp slasher, classic horror tropes, and some of the genres most defining films.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Released in 1980, Friday the 13th is the first in the classic horror franchise of 12 films that mainly focus on the masked, machete-wielding Jason Voorhees. Jason was thought to have drowned at Camp Crystal Lake when he attended the summer camp as a young boy. Now years later the cursed camp is the site of several gruesome murders.
The classic horror trope of those who have sex must die may have been borne of the 1980 film, in which Jason’s mother blames her son's death on the negligence of the camp counselors who were busy knocking boots in a storage cabin rather than keeping an eye on her son.
What better way to start your summer slasher binge than the classic haunted summer camp film that inspired the genre for years to come?
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021)
Released by Netflix as the second installment of a three-week horror movie trilogy, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is made with inspiration from the summer camp slashers of its namesake decade. Although it’s the second installment of a series, it can be watched as its own stand-alone story, but you’ll surely want to see how the whole series unfolds, and learn the truth about the Shadyside curse.
Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) stars as Ziggy Berman, an outcast from the wrong side of town who is begrudgingly forced to spend her summer with her peers at Camp Nightwing. Like other Shadyside kids, Ziggy undergoes bullying by the Sunnyvale campers, who all spread the rumor that Shadyside is cursed by the witch, Sarah Fier. When the camp nurse attacks a counselor everyone is on edge, and all believe that she, like her murderous daughter, was possessed by the witch. Ziggy’s older sister, Cindy (Emily Rudd), investigates the nurse's station and finds answers that she doesn’t want to believe, all while the campers outside play a game of capture the flag, but with a few extra players they weren’t suspecting. As killers from Shadyside’s previous mass murders seemingly arise from the dead, the teens aren’t sure if they’re running to win the game or to save their lives. Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is a classic horror tale told with an original twist, full of nostalgic 70s vibes and a killer soundtrack.
The Final Girls (2015)
The Final Girls is a horror-comedy that takes a stab at the horror trope it is titled after. Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) stars as Max, the daughter of a scream-queen actress who was killed in a fateful car accident after being shot down for a role in a non-horror film. Three years later Max and her friends attend a screening of the Camp Bloodbath films in which her mother was the star. When a fire breaks out in the theater Max cuts a hole through the screen in an attempt to help everyone escape the blaze. When they exit through the other side they find themselves in an eerily familiar scene: the grounds of the camp where the film takes place. The teens soon realize that they are inside the film itself when the characters arrive and recite the lines that they all know so well. The group tries to find a way out of the slasher before night falls since they know what happens next. When they can’t find a way back to their reality they prepare for the machete-wielding killer to arrive at the cabins, where the unsuspecting counselors are going about their partying, thoroughly confused by the new arrivals' warnings. The teens use their knowledge of classic horror tropes in their attempts to survive until the end of the film, while Max tries to spend as much time as she can with the counselor version of her long-lost mom. Comedy favorites Adam DeVine and Thomas Middleditch bring the laughs to this purposefully cheesy summer camp slasher.
Cabin Fever (2002)
Five college students pile in a car and head out on what they are planning on being a fun and wild week-long vacation to a remote cabin in the woods in Cabin Fever. While out shooting at squirrels, one of the young men, Bert, encounters a disfigured and bloody man pleading for help. After Bert flees back to the cabin the man follows him, screaming for help as he vomits blood, and tries to steal their car. With their car out of commission and a dead body now sitting in the water supply of their campsite, the friends try to stay calm and find a way out. A couple of the group's members begin showing signs of the deadly, flesh-eating illness. With blood leaking from their bodies and skin peeling from their bones they attempt to run from the backwoods locals who are seeking revenge for their friend's untimely death.
Written by Eli Roth (Hostel), the film takes inspiration from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left, and The Evil Dead, along with a skin infection he contracted while traveling abroad. Roth, who wrote the film in 1995, struggled to sell the script as he was told it was too unsettling and should be more like the blockbuster horror flicks of the time such as Scream. Luckily Roth waited out the seven years it took for Lionsgate to pick it up and release the gruesome bloodbath by the lake that it was meant to be.
Addams Family Values (1993)
Released in 1993, Addams Family Values is a sequel to the cult classic 1991 film, The Addams Family, and features the return of the lovable household of misfits and monsters. In Addams Family Values, Gomez and Morticia have recently welcomed their mustached newborn, Pubert, and decide to hire a nanny to give them an extra hand (and no, we don’t mean the disembodied hand named Thing). Debbie, portrayed by Joan Cusack, poses as a nanny, though her intentions are less than honorable as the children discover she is a serial killer who plans to marry and then murder Uncle Fester to inherit his wealth. After being found out Debbie convinces Gomez and Morticia to send the children to summer camp, where the two wreak havoc along with the other camp outcasts. Wednesday’s dead-pan lines will have you keeling over with laughter as she makes jokes at the expense of the overly-giddy counselors and narcissistic fellow camper, Amanda, who don't understand why Wednesday and Pugsley can’t just have fun. The kids must get home in time to save their beloved Uncle Fester, and have themselves a bit of fun in doing so, leaving the lakeside camp smoldering in their wake.
Get a little inspiration for your summertime family fun with this hilariously macabre horror-comedy.
Midsommar (2019)
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Midsommar is a folk horror film that follows Dani, a psychology student who is reluctantly traveling with her boyfriend and his friends, anthropology students writing their thesis, to a traditional summer celebration in a remote Hårga commune in the rolling hills of Sweden. During a bad trip, the psilocybin mushrooms Dani ingested as part of the traditions create swirling, whimsical patterns amongst the beautiful flowers that decorate the terrifying festivities where inhabitants happily watch the gruesome death of two elders. More hallucinogens are ingested in the sunshine as Dani dances around the Maypole and is invited to become a part of the cult, though the young woman becomes increasingly uneasy as some of her friends begin to go missing, including her boyfriend. The strange events build to a terrifying, emotional climax, and Dani becomes the May Queen she was meant to be at the wildly beautiful end of the terrifying film.
Midsommar highlights the holiday celebrated on the longest day of the year in many Northern European countries, where the sun shines for a consecutive 19 hours, which makes the film seem dizzyingly cheerful amongst the horrifying events and buzzing sense of unease. Critics have called the vivid, colorful film ambitious, impressive, and overall unsettling.
Funny Games (1997)
In Funny Games, a wealthy couple arrives at their lakeside vacation home with their young son and a scruffy dog for a lovely summer holiday. Shortly after settling in, two young men approach the door and begin to impose upon the family, requesting to borrow eggs and use the family's phone, both of which they break immediately, in an apparent act of clumsiness. When the wife, Anna, demands that they leave, things take a sadistic turn, with one of the young men breaking her husband's leg with a golf club and the other killing their beloved family dog. The family tries to escape with their lives but learns that the games have only just begun. The two carry out horrifying acts as part of their violent mind games, at one point breaking the fourth wall and rewinding the film to change the outcome. The pair offer no motive for their actions, which makes their characters that much more terrifying. The cult classic film is polarizing, with some critics calling it a vile disgrace, and others praising it as a violent and nihilistic experiment.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Released in the golden age of teen-scream horror, I Know What You Did Last Summer quickly became a box office success, slashing down the competition to claim number one at the box office and getting horror fans hooked on the story of a meat hook wielding killer.
I Know What You Did Last Summer tells the story of a group of teens who share a terrible secret. While driving around their beach town late at night on July 4th weekend the teens accidentally run over a pedestrian. Fearing the consequences the group decides to dump the man's body into the water, fleeing the scene and promising to never speak of the incident again. A year later one of the teens receives a letter stating “I know what you did last summer” and the terror sets in. As the group tries to figure out who sent the letter they begin getting picked off, one by one, murdered by a mysterious figure in a rain slicker and wielding a meat hook. Will any of them be able to outrun their pasts?
Released in 1997, the film is credited with revitalizing the slasher genre alongside horror fan favorite, Scream. While some call it a formulaic slasher, die-hard horror fans know it as a blood-drenched, crowd-pleasing film with relatable characters in realistic situations, making the events that much scarier, forcing audience members to ask themselves what they would do in the same situation.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
The genre-bending horror-comedy meta-feat, The Cabin in the Woods, is a scary and hilarious puzzle for fans to try and solve. Audiences watch characters face a playground of possibilities in the ways that they are tormented by the farcical force behind horror itself, creating a criticism of the genre with surprising twists at every turn.
Chris Hemsworth (Thor) stars alongside Kristen Connolly (The Happening), Anna Hutchison (Encounter), Fran Kranz (The Village), and Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) as five friends who take off for the weekend to stay in a cabin in the woods. Each of these characters fills a very specific role inspired by the formulaic horror films that The Cabin in the Woods pokes fun at the athlete, the virgin, the whore, the fool, and the scholar. After a day of swimming, smoking, and drinking the friends explore the cabin's old cellar, where they find a barrage of bizarre objects. Little do they know, a group of employees in an underground lab are taking bets on which object they will pick up, summoning a different monster to terrorize them in a controlled and mysterious horror ritual. One of the girls picks up and reads from an old diary, which summons a family of sadistic zombies. The lab releases mind-altering drugs and pheromones through the cabin vents, hindering their rational thinking and increasing their libidos. The college students must now fight for their lives through one trope after another, with the writers picking apart the classic horror formula before the audience's eyes. The hilariously clever film ends in a bloodbath with a twist you never saw coming and creates a physical representation of the horror engine that is fueled by both the fear of audiences and the dedication of the genre's writers.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film that inspired a 9 film franchise struck fear into the hearts of audiences everywhere when it hit the screens in 1974 as a horror film based on true events. Loosely based on the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, the story follows Sally and her brother Franklin, along with their friends Jerry, Kirk, and Pam as they set out on an idyllic summer day to visit an old family grave and homestead. The group picks up a hitchhiker who tells them of his family who he says used to work at a slaughterhouse. After demanding money the stranger cuts Franklin’s arm with a straight razor and the teens kick him out of the car before continuing to a gas station. They continue forward with low gas tanks as the proprietor tells them that the pumps are empty. After arriving they walk to a nearby house to see if the neighbors have any gas to spare, but come face to face with a large mute man wearing a mask made of human skin. Leatherface makes his first appearance and first on-screen kill as he attacks one of the teens with a hammer. The friends fight for their lives and try to escape the bone and meat-hook-filled room where Leatherface tortures them, in the basement of his cannibalistic family’s home.
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Sleepaway Camp, released in the golden age of slasher films, quickly gained a cult following after hitting the screen in 1983. The film begins in 1975 and shows a boating accident that leaves young Angela the only survivor. Eight years later Angela’s aunt sends her to summer camp at the very lake where her family died years prior. Angela is having a hard time at the camp where not only is she reminded of her past, but she undergoes bullying by other campers. Little does she know that things are about to get even worse. Fellow campers are haunted by a mysterious figure lurking in the dark, and when freak accidents begin to point to something more sinister the counselors start to believe a killer is in their camp. Angela is preoccupied with her first kiss when her date on the beach with a camper named Paul takes a dark turn, and audiences learn the truth behind the mysterious figure’s motives.
There is a large discussion regarding the film's LGBTQ+ themes and if the slasher is transphobic by inferring that the killer’s violent outbursts were due to their gender identity, or if it shines a light on the danger of forcing a person to live as a gender that does not align with their identity.
Critics praised the film's creative killings and plot twists that they did not see coming in what they expected to be just another summer camp serial killer flick.
Stage Fright (2014)
What happens when a bloodthirsty killer with an insatiable hatred for musical theater finds their way to a musical theater camp? Stage Fright is a musical comedy horror that pokes fun at theater kids while being a gory, but not particularly scary slasher. In Stage Fright, Kylie Swanson sang her heart out as the star of The Haunting of the Opera on opening day. Following her performance she is killed backstage by a masked assailant, leaving behind her two young children. Ten years later Camilla and Buddy are being raised by Roger McCall (Meat Loaf), their mother’s former lover who runs a musical theater summer camp. Camilla learns that the camp is producing a version of The Haunting of the Opera and sneaks into auditions, winning the lead role her mother played on the night of her death. As the campers rehearse for the upcoming opening day one of the stage managers is found dead. Roger lies about the circumstances under which the manager died, hoping to save their chance at being picked up by a Broadway agent. The show goes on, but later in the performance actors are killed off by the masked assailant, with the audience applauding, believing the bloody scene to be part of the show.
While Stage Fright doesn’t have great critical reviews, it’s wild, bloody fun if you’re a fan of both musicals and horror.
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020)
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight is a Polish supernatural horror film that takes place at a summer camp where campers must surrender their phones upon arrival. A group of teens heads out on a three-day hike with a counselor, and one of the campers goes missing on the very first night. After finding his mangled body the following day, a couple of campers encounter an old man who tells the story of the twin boys who lived in the house they found the body in. Years ago the twins had found a meteor in the woods, which leaked a strange black fluid that infected their bodies. Following the liquid entering their bloodstreams they became carnivorous and animalistic, even devouring their family’s pet dog. The teens fear that if the story is true, the twins may be what killed their friend. Without their phones, the teens try to find a way to get help, as campers are murdered in horrific ways throughout the picturesque forest.
Following its premiere in 2020, the film landed on Netflix’s top ten list of most-watched films on the platform. The streaming service released a sequel in October 2021, and though it doesn’t take place during summer vacation, it’s a thrilling film focusing on the police officers of the small town.
Cheerleader Camp (1988)
Released in 1988, Cheerleader Camp is a Gorey splatter film with an attractive cast, and a fun and cheesy story. Theatrically released as Bloody Pom Poms, the classic summer camp slasher follows a group of teen girls who would kill to win the Miss Cheerleader USA contest. As the competition looms nearer the young women are on edge as one of the campers has gone missing. When a body is found the campers realize there is a killer on the grounds and flee in panic, some in cars and others on foot, running through the forest where an unseen killer awaits.
The film is a perfect example of cheesy, low-budget 80s horror, featuring an attractive cast, predictable tropes, and creative cinematography during the kills, making it a fun and gory watch.
Cheerleader Camp is unavailable on streaming or to rent.
The ‘Burbs (1989)
Tom Hanks stars in the 1989 comedy-horror film The Burbs, in which he portrays Ray Peterson, a suburban homeowner taking a week-long stay-cation during his children’s summer break. Strange, reclusive neighbors have recently moved into the close-knit community, and after hearing strange noises coming from their home Ray raises his concerns with his friends Art and Mark. The men’s suspicions gradually as they discuss the possibility of ritualistic murders. Ray and his two friends, who have too much time on their hands, begin to investigate their neighbors like oversized children playing detective. After clumsily breaking into their home to gain access to the basement they are discovered by the homeowners and must find evidence of the assumed crimes before they are arrested.
The hilarious film features a strong cast, which includes Carrie Fisher (Star Wars), and Corey Feldman (The Goonies). Though, the majority of the laughs come from the trio of overgrown boys, Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, and Rick Ducommun. Not traditionally scary, the cleverly written film gives a nod to early horror films while maintaining a bright and fun summertime overtone.
You Might Be the Killer (2018)
In You Might Be the Killer, a horror movie enthusiast named Charlotte gets a call from her friend who works as a summer camp counselor. Sam is panicked when he tells her that a killer is loose in the campground and asks Charlotte for help. Charlotte gives Sam based on the films she knows and loves. While trying to hide from the killer Sam experiences a blackout, waking up covered in blood and holding the killer's weapon. Sam and Charlotte start to wonder if he might be the killer.
Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods) stars as Sam alongside Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother) in this 2018 supernatural slasher. The concept of the film was borne of a discussion of common slasher tropes between the two writers, Sam Sykes and Chuck Wendig, who wrote the film as a love letter to the genre.