Originating from Disney’s hit TV show “Gravity Falls,” the term “Summerween” refers to a second Halloween that is celebrated in July instead of October. Summerween is the blend of hot summer days with spooky autumn nights, summer camp slashers and campfire ghost stories.
To me, the essence of this unofficial holiday is encapsulated with these five movies and series. From to crazed serial killers to ancient witch curses, this list has a variety of films to add to your summerween watch list.
The horror anthology, “American Horror Story," is a perfect mix of creepy and campy. Each season features a new, unique plot and new characters played by a recurring cast of actors, with big names including Sarah Paulson and Kathy Bates. The show’s ninth installment, “1984,” was released in 2019 and follows a group of friends working as summer camp counselors at Camp Redwood. The camp soon turns into a bloodbath as the infamous killer and previous Camp Redwood janitor, Mr. Jingles, returns to massacre the campers.
However, in true AHS fashion, nothing is really as it seems. With plot twist after plot twist, “1984” is a campy yet enthralling twist on the classic summer camp slasher. The season heavily revolves around Richard Ramirez, the real life 80s serial killer known as the Night Stalker, and then takes his character in a very interesting direction. With a creatively unexpected plot and a star-studded cast — Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd and Matthew Morrison, to name a few — “1984” is the perfect show to kick off your Summerween.
You can watch “AHS: 1984” on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV.
The 2021 “Fear Street” trilogy, based on R.L. Stine’s book series of the same name, follows three distinct timelines: 1994, 1978 and 1666. While a standalone movie, “Fear Street: Prom Queen,” was released last month, I don’t think it should be included in this list due to its poor plot and lack of involvement in the original three films.
The trilogy has all you could ask for in a campy summer horror: a creepy plot, comedic relief and plenty of gruesome kills. “Fear Street: 1978,” set at fictional Camp Nightwing, is my favorite out of the three because of both the setting and characters — Sadie Sink plays the main character, Ziggy Berman, excellently.
You can watch the “Fear Street” trilogy on Netflix.
Widely regarded as one of the catalysts for the summer camp slasher genre, it would be a crime to not include “Friday the 13th” on this list. This 80’s movie follows teenage camp counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, an idyllic summer camp with a tragic past. The teens soon find themselves being hunted down by a mysterious killer.
“Friday the 13th” is a go-to classic for anyone looking for a summer slasher. The movie has influenced horror films for decades to come — “AHS: 1984” and “Fear Street: 1978” clearly drew inspiration from Camp Crystal Lake, both using the teen summer camp setting as the backdrop for homicidal killers.
You can watch “Friday the 13th" on Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV, Google Play Movie, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise, comprised of ten films, was born with this 1974 film directed by Tobe Hooper. Set in 1974, five friends take a road trip to rural Texas. The group stumbles upon a farmhouse along the road which, unbeknownst to them, belongs to a family of crazed and violent cannibals who attempt to murder the friends one by one.
This movie feels gritty, grimy and disturbing. The main villain, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who dons a mask of human skin and murders victims with a chainsaw, is eerie and unsettling. While it lacks the comedy and cheesiness of other movies on this list, the iconic Leatherface scenes amidst a sunny Texan backdrop makes “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” a great summer horror film.
You can watch “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” on 12 streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Tubi and YouTube TV.
“X” is the second movie in the trilogy known as the “X” film series starring Mia Goth. The series features three films: “Pearl,” “X” and “MaXXXine.” Set in 1979, “X” follows a group of filmmakers who visit a farm in Texas to shoot an adult movie in the hopes of making it big in Hollywood. However, the trip slowly but surely turns awry as the elderly couple that live on the farm begin to pick them off in violent manners.
I adore everything about “X,” with the chilling soundtrack, the unsettling landscape of the Texas farm and the outstanding performances from each character. Typically in horror films, the side characters are poorly written with no reason to care about them; but in “X,” I truly liked nearly every character on screen. Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow and Kid Cudi’s performances brought so much life to the movie, and had me rooting for them all to escape. The film’s unsettling atmosphere on the scorching Texas farm make it an excellent Summerween flic.
You can watch “X” on 10 streaming platforms, including Max, Hulu and YouTube.
Whether you opt for the gritty 70’s horror of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or the more lighthearted 80’s homage of “AHS: 1984,” there are plenty of slashers to watch this summer to get in the spirit of Summerween.
