Neon’s Hell of a Summer (2025) is a Hell of a Hard Watch
Title: Hell of a Summer
First Non-Festival Release: April 4, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Billy Byrk, Finn Wolfhard
Writer: Billy Byrk, Finn Wolfhard
Runtime: 88 Minutes
Starring: Fred Hechinger, Billy Byrk, Finn Wolfhard, Krista Nazaire
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
Growing up sucks. It’s hard to transition out of the magic and whimsy of adolescence and the freedom of the teenage years, but it is a necessary part of life. Understandably, a lack of willingness to grow up can cause more problems than they solve.
Jason Hochberg (Fred Hechinger) is excited to return to Camp Pineway for his sixth year as a counselor after spending his entire adolescence as a camper. His fellow counselors waffle between keeping their distance from him due to the age difference or his goofy vibe. The start of the summer season is laced with potential but when the camp directors fail to show up for training, the young counselors slowly realize that all is not well at the paradise of Camp Pineway.
A tepid summer camp slasher, Hell of a Summer annoys more than it excites with its ironic approach to horror.
It takes a while to get started, but as it trucks along Hell of a Summer gets more confused about what exactly it wants to do and say. A camp horror comedy with themes of letting go of adolescence and staying true to oneself, Hell of a Summer hits the cliches of coming-of-age films while trying to bring its setting into the modern age. With summer camp participation declining, the cultural niche that such an experience occupies dwindles. And Hell of a Summer feels like a commentary on the changing markers of adolescence and adulthood but it doesn’t quite do much with it.
The vibes are off at Camp Pineway, and not just because of the killers. Throughout the sunny prelude to its bloodbath, Hell of a Summer establishes its ethos quickly. Aside from Jason, none of the counselors seem excited to be there, the camp itself looks sad and empty without its campers, and the lack of real authority gives the camp a kind of lawless feel. All indicative of the listlessness that Gen Z is known for, this energy colors the way its ensuing slasher action takes later in the film. Detached, flat, too cool for school, Hell of a Summer captures something other than the spirit of summer with its setup, which ultimately fumbles the film’s eventual foray into masked killer mayhem.
More memorable than a typical jaunt into campfires and bloodbaths, the characters of Hell of a Summer attempt to inject some life into the slow moving story. The colorfully authentic group of bemused counselors makes its first act dynamic and interesting through the gradual introduction of its social food web. The results? Unfortunately, middling. There’s this sense of detachment that feels stuck to the group. Interesting enough in their own right, the individual characters are fun and compelling, but when they come together fall flat. It’s fascinating, but the script finds little opportunity to give these characters much to do beyond their tedious conversations and reacting to the various horrors onscreen.
What should be any slasher’s saving grace, the series of silly and gore-laced kills, are surpassingly absent from Hell of a Summer, which has a penchant for keeping most of the violence off-screen. In service to the film’s nauseating twist, Hell of a Summer keeps most of its cards close to its chest as the counselors are picked off one by one. The kills themselves aren’t awful, but lack effectiveness due to frequent cutaways, almost making it feel like the film is ashamed of being a slasher. The irritation is compounded by the film’s tendency to wink at the audience, almost to say that it “isn’t like other horror films”. Flavoring its satire with Gen Z cynicism and wannabe subversive story choices, Hell of a Summer feels like a hell of a chore by the time it reaches this point.
The true saving grace of it all is the script’s haphazard sense of humor, which does score points throughout the film. Like many horror comedies, its humor is subjective, and Hell of a Summer taps into a modern type of anti-humor that some may find puzzling or cringeworthy. Fortunately, younger audiences might connect with the style more than anyone. Lightning-speed quips and quirky character design keep Hell of a Summer afloat when it does everything in its power to sink its own ship.
More irritating than entertaining, Hell of a Summer, much like its self-involved young adult protagonists, prioritizes coolness over earnestness for its medium, ultimately making the experience empty. Lacking any real fun or scares, the experience is punctuated by hit-or-miss jokes and irritating reveals that steal more joy away from the summer camp experience. Beyond its memorable characters, and the capable actors who play them, there isn’t much going for this middling return to camp. If you’re in the mood for summer fun and you’re thirsting for something new, there are worst camps to sign up for this season.
Overall Score? 5/10
