Hell of a Summer, Movie Review
A throwback slasher romp with some jokes but hardly any screams. Either way, Fred Hechinger is a Jason we can all root for.
A couple of actors from Ghostbusters: Afterlife write, direct, produce, and star in Hell of a Summer - their own farcical Friday the 13th that gets further on its humor than its thrills. In their feature directorial debut, Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) put their minds together to craft an amusing coming-of-age story, but a rather dispiriting horror homage. They are obviously fans of the genre and know precisely why and how those 80’s slashers are horny, scary, and fun. But when it comes to truly reproducing it…they just don’t make them like they used to.
Fred Hechinger plays Jason (no relation to that Voorhees guy), who holds Pineway Camp near and dear to his heart. He also perhaps has been going there a little longer than he should be. His mother definitely thinks so and after his dramatic farewell speech last year, the other counselors are surprised to see him back, too. At least the ones who remember him. With the owners of the camp missing, Jason is ready to step up as Camp Leader (a position he made up) and make it a summer they will remember forever. That is if they survive it!
The other counselors are ready to run wild and enjoy what’s left of their already fleeting freedom of being young and dumb. Chris (Wolfhard) is ready for love, or so he thinks, with Shannon (Krista Nazaire). Meanwhile his buddy Bobby (Bryk) just wants to get some and if that requires eating a tofu burger then so be it. Ezra (Matthew Finlan), the flamboyantly gay theater dork, is ready to go dark and moody with his version of Pinocchio, while wannabe auteur Ari (Daniel Gravelle) is decked out in black from head to toe.
An influencer and fashionista, Demi (Pardis Saremi) is the princess of the camp and may die right out of the gate due to her phone being taken away. She’s got Mike (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) wrapped around her finger. He’s too cool for school, and in case you don’t believe me - wait until you hear him repeatedly brag about punching a cop. Claire (Abby Quinn) is freshly single and the only one who is actually nice to Jason and gives him the time of day.
Hell of a Summer takes its sweet time having the audience get to know all of these characters and their personalities that tend to mostly be one-dimensional. But let’s face it - we want to hurry up and get to who is getting killed and how. The beginning gets off to a nice violent start, but from there the killings are shockingly tame and what we do see isn’t much. Not seeing the slashing in a slasher flick is nothing short of pure and utter betrayal.
Everything in the horror department feels humdrum as soon as the killer(s) are unmasked. It happens earlier than it should and it’s no huge surprise as to who it is. If you’re even halfway paying attention, you won’t fall for what has to be one of the oldest tricks in the book. However, redemption can be found in the comedy. Everybody in the cast gets some decent laughs while comically bullshitting one another and, of course, themselves.
Along with the fresh energy that comes from the performances, Wolfhard and Bryk choose wisely to in part try to sort out where these youngsters are in this moment and what they stupidly think is most important. Considering how old the filmmakers are, they undoubtedly have or are currently experiencing a lot of these same emotions being flung around on-screen. So who better to show us how growing up can be hellish for some but inevitable for all. The best case in point being Jason.
Adorably dweebish and considerate, Hechinger is terrific and is the heart of Hell of a Summer, representing those who wish they could stay stuck in a place where they can play in this sort of childlike wonder and forget about everything that exists outside of it. The bummer of it all is right when you’re snuggled up with your big comfy security blanket - a devil with red leather gloves rips it away and makes you really reconsider rejoining the real world.