For a genre dominated largely by Halloween hits, summertime can often go woefully overlooked when it comes to horror. With the help of every Frightday staff member as well as a poll of the audience, I’ve compiled some of the best summer horror essentials for your seasonal needs.
Stage Fright (2014)
When a snobby musical theater camp decides to revive a production of “The Haunting of the Opera, Camilla feels the winds of fate pulling her towards the part of the main character, the part her mother played before she was brutally murdered backstage 10 years earlier. Unfortunately, these same winds stir up the wrath of a psychotic serial killer determined to put a stop to the production by any means necessary. Fun, cheesy, and gruesome, Stage Fright is a great starting point for your summer horror playlist.
Willow Creek (2013)
What says summer better than Bigfoot! Bobcat Goldthwait’s found footage horror takes us into the woods of Willow Creek, California where Jim and his less enthusiastic girlfriend Kelly are hunting for good ol’ Squatch himself. They soon realize, however, that they may have bitten off more than they can chew. Camp safe everybody, especially in Bigfoot territory.
The Bay (2012)
Something strange is in the waters of Claridge, Maryland during the town’s annual 4th of July Crab Festival, and it’s infecting the townspeople. Despite cover-up efforts, a local reporter has managed to leak footage documenting the whole epidemic. This film will make you second-guess your trip to the lake this summer.
Piranha (1978)
This cult classic is made for summer. When flesh eating piranha’s are accidentally released into a resort’s lake, a tourist feeding frenzy is inevitable. Pretty self-explanatory.
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Perhaps as 80’s as it gets, this film is every kid’s worst nightmare. Camp Arawak, a summer camp for kids, has a mild serial killer problem. This slasher will bring back memories of writing home to your parents to free you from the every day horrors of camp life.
Cabin in the Woods (2012)
A group of twenty-somethings, hidden cameras, and ritual sacrifice. A summer retreat turns into something far more sinister. The horror is hand-selected by you, for you in this fun yet bizarre flick.
The Evil Dead (1981)
In Bruce Campbell’s most beloved role, “Ash” must struggle to live until morning after a supposedly “peaceful” trip to a remote cabin turns into a fight for survival. Truly, this film is a must-watch, no matter the season.
The Hills Have Eyes(1977)
One of Wes Craven’s most lauded works, The Hills Have Eyes tells the story of a family’s road-trip gone horribly awry when their car breaks down in very dangerous territory. “They wanted to see something different, but something different saw them first.”
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Speaking of road trips gone awry, this film tops the list. When a group of friends are intercepted on their trip to Texas by a family of cannibals, they must find a way to escape the horrible, mechanical torture that is surely in store for them. Nothing says blood, sweat, and tears quite like Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Why part 2, you ask? Why, for everyone’s favorite killer, of course! Jason Voorhees, thought to have drowned 30 years before, wreaks havoc on a summer camp next to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake. Yet another reason why it may be better to spend summer indoors. Right?
The Birds (1963)
To throw in a healthy dose of Hitchcock, this piece of cinematic history showcases the horrors experienced by a small bayside town in Northern California when the birds suddenly turn on the town’s citizens. A bit campy by today’s standards perhaps, but certainly not without its charms.
Jaws (1975)
An obvious choice, perhaps, but no summer horror essentials list would be complete without the film that struck fear into the hearts of beachgoers for generations. Spielberg’s 1975 classic reminds us all that, no matter how many people we have to sacrifice, we can’t close the beaches! It’s Fourth of July Weekend!
The Thing (1982)
For our final entry, let’s cool down with John Carpenter’s The Thing. In this classic body horror tale, Kurt Russell and his beautiful mane must defeat an unidentified alien being that can take the form of anything (or anyone) it touches. Paranoia runs rampant when the team must decide who among them is still human, and who has become the Thing.