Summertime List of Horror

By RodneyHatfieldJr for Movies

July 1st, the real beginning of Summer and Vacations for most people. I know the first day of summer is the 20th, but for vacations, it tends to begin today. People usually wait till July to begin taking vacations and family getaways for different reasons. Schools and colleges sometimes run well into June, hence July is chosen as a safe date to plan. 

To celebrate this day, we will be looking at some nice Summertime movies that spotlight this time of year. I am going to skip the classic summer films franchises like Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp, and Jaws. Naturally, these are in no real order, nor is it a “Best of” list. I merely want to possibly introduce you to films you may not have seen before. 


The Town That Dreaded Sundown 1976


Loosely based on one of America’s most baffling murder cases. The story follows a hooded serial killer who terrorized a border city in Arkansas in the summertime of 1946, starting with the violent night attack of a young couple on lovers’ lane. 

If you wondered why Jason wore a sack the killer wears over his head, here is your answer.


The Burning 1981


The Burning is another film perfect for a scary summer night. After the caretaker of a campground is horrifically burned in a prank gone wrong, he continues to lurk on the property, hell-bent on making the pranksters pay for what they did to him. 

The story is based on the New York urban legend of the Cropsey maniac.


Campfire Tales 1997


This anthology horror film revolves around a group of friends who, after crashing their car in the woods, decide to pass the time by building a campfire and taking turns telling stories.


Funny Games 1997


Funny Games follows a middle-class family who goes on vacation to a cabin in the woods, where they meet two young men who capture and force them to take part in their sadistic games in order to stay alive.


Spirit Camp 2009


A goth girl is forced to attend a cheerleading camp as part of her junior delinquent rehabilitation program. When members of the camp start showing up dead, she must team up with her cheerleading rivals in an effort to make it out alive.


The Final Girls 2015


In the midst of processing her grief, the daughter of a late famous scream queen from the ’80s finds herself pulled into the world of her mother’s most popular movie, a slasher film called Camp Bloodbath.

You knew I would throw in a comedy.


Summer Of ’84 2018


A group of teens spends the summer spying on their neighbor who they suspect may be a serial killer. 

This should be better known, but Covid came and it did not get the recognition it deserves.


The Nightingale 2018


Set in 1825 in the penal colony of Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania), the story centers on Clare, a woman whose family has become the victim of a violent crime, and her plan to seek revenge against the British officer who did her wrong with the help of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy.

It is the historical “I Spit on your Grave” movie.


Them That Follow 2019


Raised in a remote community in Appalachia, the daughter of a pastor who incorporates deadly snakes in his sermons holds a secret that tears the whole community apart.

If you suffer from Ophidiophobia(snakes), then you really don’t want to watch this movie.


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