Most people see the big summer blockbuster as a staple of American cinema — though some may be less acquainted with the summer horror movie.
With the sweltering heat comes a craving for fright and adrenaline. For fans of horror, some of the best horror films are set or released during the summer.
Perhaps the most notorious summer horror movie is Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” This film set a course for not only bigger-budget horror movies but also for big-budget blockbusters. Other horror film premieres of note, such as 2017’s “It,” and 2018’s “Hereditary,” also make up an array of instant horror classics that capture the feeling of summer.
Perhaps most notable is the genre of summer camp horror movies started by the success of “Friday the 13th,” or cult classic “Sleepaway Camp.” The success of “Friday the 13th” alone has cemented itself as a pastiche in and unto itself. There have been countless other summer camp stories that cater to the imaginations of young and naive teenagers going camping in the woods.
The following are my recommendations for summertime horror films to watch when you want to beat the heat, all with varying levels of thrill.
‘Night of the Comet’ (1984)
Starting a bit light, Night of the Comet is a sci-fi horror movie from the 80s set in Los Angeles and filmed on a budget of $700,000. After a cosmic comet passes over the earth, a girl named Regina Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) and her sister have to survive a post-apocalypse where almost everyone has been vaporized into dust. The movie is oozing with 80s camp and delightful special effects on the cannibal zombies they have to fight. Intercut with stunning sunset views of empty LA streets and impeccable 80s fashion, this movie is a great watch for when you just want something light and fun at the end of a hectic day.
‘Mandy’ (2018)
This movie is for people who love metal music or outrageous action set pieces. Surprisingly, the movie has gone under the radar since being released in 2018. The film stars Nicholas Cage and Andrea Riseborough as a couple living in a cabin deep in the woods of the Shadow Mountains. One night, a hippie cult, and their demon-biker henchmen upend their perfect life. This leads to a surreal, trippy and metal-as-hell story of vengeance and blood. With a movie that has a gorgeous mix of action, animation and illustrated title cards, there is a lot to love. There is even a chainsaw fight scene towards the end, what more could you want?
‘The Lost Boys’ (1987)
Back to some 80s camp, “The Lost Boys” is the definition of style over substance. Set in a small coastal town in California, this movie has everything anyone would want: vampires, the beach, incredible 80s fashion and “so bad they’re good” lines of dialogue. In a similar vibe as “Night of the Comet,” this movie is so campy that the tagline is “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.” Watch this when you just need some fun fluff and friends come over.
‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)
This movie walked so that Ari Aster’s seminal contemporary horror classic “Midsommar” could run. Perhaps the pinnacle of classic folk horror, this film, starring Christopher Lee as a cult leader, follows a Christian police sergeant who goes to a small island in the summer to find a missing girl. While there, the Pagan locals insist that she doesn’t exist. The puritan police sergeant is thrust into a spiraling sequence of fertility rituals, maypole dances and terrifying Midsummer rituals. With this year’s new 4k restoration, now is the perfect time to dive into this folk horror classic.
‘Revenge’ (2017)
“Revenge” is a French feminist thriller/horror film about a mistress of a rich CEO in the middle of the desert on a hunting trip. One thing eventually leads to another, the other men get jealous and she is left for dead in the desert. Unbeknownst to them, the main character (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz) is very much still alive and slowly enacts her revenge on them in a bloody and brutal journey through a hellish desert landscape. This one is not for the faint of heart, and it is also not without its flaws. If you want to see buckets of fake blood and misogynist men getting their comeuppance, then this one is worth checking out.