Fred Hechinger Saves This Comedy Slasher

Camp Pineway becomes a Gen Z slaughterhouse as a group of disparate counselors face a devil-masked killer in Hell of a Summer, a throwback horror comedy which marks the feature directorial debut of co-stars Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk. A classic set-up à la

Friday the 13th is decidedly less gory and salacious while poking fun of standard genre tropes. There are no gaping wounds or bouncing boobies as hapless campers run blindly through the woods at night. A strong lead performance from Fred Hechinger and a few moderate giggles saves the film from a lack of mystery, questionable cinematography, and a one-note supporting cast that struggles to hold your interest.

Hell of a Summer opens with Camp Pineway’s owners (Adam Pally, Rosebud Baker) enjoying each other’s company late night by the lake. They sing campfire songs and slug brewskis, unaware they’re being watched. A trip to refill the cooler turns into the expected run-for-your-life as the killer strikes. Their cars are gone when the counselors begin to arrive the following morning.

Camp Pineway’s Slaughter

Hell of a Summer

2.5
/5

Release Date

September 10, 2023

Runtime

88 Minutes

Pros & Cons

• Fred Hechinger strong lead performance.
• Just enough laughs to warrant a recommendation.

• Poor cinematography and directing choices.
• One-note supporting characters.
• The killer’s easily guessed.

24-year-old Jason (Fred Hechinger) hopes to be named lead counselor as his mother chides him for another summer goofing off at camp. He’s unceremoniously dropped off as besties Bobby (Bryk) and Chris (Finn Wolfhard) eye the gorgeous social media influencer Demi (Pardis Saremi) and equally pretty Shannon (Krista Nazaire). The hunky Mike (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) is already flexing his muscles as a disgusted Claire (Abby Quinn) watches the insufferable display. Wannabe actor Ezra (Matthew Finlan) heads to the theater while vegan Miley (Julia Doyle) ignores the annoying Ari (Daniel Gravelle).

Everyone settles into their bunks as Jason finds a convenient note explaining their bosses’ absence. He thinks they’re giving him an opportunity to prove himself. Jason rallies the troops even though everyone except Claire doesn’t remember him. This stings as the sweet and kind Jason has been a counselor for eight years. They ignore his call for an early night and head to the rec room as the stalking killer makes his next bloody move.

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Dimly Lit Dimwits

Hell of a Summer is chock-full of the standard teen horror archetypes. You’ve got the requisite popular girl, her fawning stud love interest, the skeptic, a theater kid, bickering bros fighting over the other pretty gal, the cringeworthy elitists you hope die first, and, of course, the geek hero who’s primed to save the day. One of these is a bad apple settling grudges through the murder. You’ll be able to guess the culprit easily in the first act, then be forced to wait while the ensemble gets picked off in a bungled quest to protect themselves while trying to deduce the attacker’s identity. This gets pretty tedious until a few humorous turns add much-needed variety to the plot.

Wolfhard (Stranger Things, It) and Bryk (Wynonna Earp) are real-life besties who also starred together in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and When You Finish Saving the World. They’re believable on screen but shaky in their methodology behind the camera. Hell of a Summer is purposely grainy with low-lit cinematography to evoke ’70s and ’80s teen slasher films. You can get away with this in the daylight, but shooting night scenes is a whole different animal that requires a degree of technical acumen. It’s not easy to make the action clear in dark settings. I struggled to see through many parts of this film. Characters are poorly defined when fleeing and hiding. There’s a failure in balancing narrative objectives with filmmaking ability. It’s obvious you’re watching a novice production.

More Humor than Gore

Hechinger saves Hell of a Summer with a well-rounded portrayal that gives Jason the most depth by far. His physical mannerisms are key to showing Jason’s genuine love for Camp Pineway and what it represents to him. He’s mocked, discounted, and at one point vilified, but holds firm as the responsible adult. Jason accepts responsibility for everyone’s safety even when his own life is in danger. This heroism endears him to Claire, who despises the others. Their burgeoning romance is predictable, but one of the film’s best aspects. Hechinger has great screen presence and is a talent to watch as his career takes off.

Wolfhard and Bryk keep the bloodletting light in a calculated move to avoid gratuitous violence. You see just enough death and mayhem to get the picture. They also don’t target women as eye-candy or easy prey. They spread the carnage equally across genders and that’s appreciated. If only the supporting characters were better written. Claire’s the least stereotypical but she doesn’t have much to do until the third act. Hell of a Summer breezes by in a swift 88 minutes. A slightly longer edit could have fleshed out the characters without affecting pacing.

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Hell of a Summer ekes out a recommendation by focusing on what works. A strong Hechinger and just enough laughs overcome the technical and script failures. Wolfhard and Bryk have a way to go as directors. They’re just getting started and will hopefully be better on their next film. Hell of a Summer is a production of 30West and Aggregate Films. It will be released theatrically on April 4th from NEON.

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