A camp counselor arrives at Camp Pineway thinking his biggest problem is that he feels out of touch with his teenage co-workers. What he doesn’t know is that a masked killer is lurking on the campgrounds, brutally picking counselors off one by one. A film by Billy Bryk & Finn Wolfhard, starring Fred Hechinger, Abby Quinn, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Billy Bryk, Finn Wolfhard, Pardis Saremi, Rosebud Baker, and Adam Pally.

On a quiet night by Camp Pineway’s lake, owners John (Adam Pally) and Kathy (Rosebud Baker) relax near the fire while John strums the camp’s theme song on his guitar. When Kathy heads back to grab more beer from the fridge, a mysterious masked killer murders John. Returning to find John’s body, a horrified Kathy sprints to her car to escape, unaware the killer is waiting in the backseat.

The next day, Maggie Hochberg (Susan Coyne) drives her 24-year-old son, Jason (Fred Hechinger), to Camp Pineway to drop him off. Jason seems happy and excited to return as a summer camp counselor, but his mother disapproves since he turned down an internship opportunity. Even though Jason mentions that John and Kathy specifically asked him back this year, Maggie doesn’t consider $100 a week a real job.

At Camp Pineway, Jason grows suspicious when he realizes John and Kathy are nowhere to be found. He checks their office and finds it empty, with only a handwritten note on the desk explaining that they had to leave due to a minor emergency but would return the next day.

Jason sees this as his chance to prove his leadership to the teenage counselors. He announces that Kathy and John left him in charge until they return, though none of the counselors take him seriously. Jason enforces the camp’s no-social-media policy by collecting phones from all the counselors: Demi (Pardis Saremi), Mike (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Ari (Daniel Gravelle), Shannon (Krista Nazaire), Miley (Julia Doyle), Claire (Abby Quinn), Bobby (Billy Bryk), Chris (Finn Wolfhard), Ezra (Matthew Finlan), and Noelle (Julia Lalonde).

At the archery range, Jason watches Claire practice. Her arrow misses badly, not even hitting the target, though she blames it on a faulty bow. When Jason borrows it and takes a shot, his arrow flies straight into the bullseye. After spotting Mike teaching Demi archery, Claire asks Jason to help with her form. Under his guidance, her shooting immediately improves. Jason confides in Claire about his concerns that Kathy and John haven’t shown up yet, especially since they specifically asked him to return to camp. He wonders if maybe they’re testing him to see if he can run the place without them, possibly looking to hire him as the new camp manager.

In a desperate attempt to find a girlfriend, Bobby approaches Miley, pretending to be a vegetarian like her. His lie works well at first, and they share a lovely conversation until Bobby mentions he’s a Scorpio like Ryan Gosling. Miley immediately reveals she hates Scorpios, stands up, and leaves.

Meanwhile, in the camp’s dining hall, Ari gets into a heated argument with Claire in front of everyone, accusing her of being insensitive to his nut allergy by eating a granola bar. Jason tries to calm them both down, but neither backs down. Ari grows increasingly angry and storms off.

At nightfall, all the counselors gather around the bonfire listening to Mike’s story about knocking out a police officer. Meanwhile, in her cabin, Demi is attacked and killed by a mysterious assailant. Jason suddenly appears at the bonfire offering to tell a spooky story, but Ari becomes agitated and lashes out at him for interrupting Mike. As Jason walks away alone, Claire notices he appears to be crying, feeling that nobody likes or even cares about him.

Back at the cabin, Jason shuffles through old photographs from his time at Camp Pineway when Claire unexpectedly checks on him, startling him. When she asks why he isn’t at the bonfire, Jason explains that he should probably plan tomorrow’s group activities, adding that he doesn’t think the others want him there anyway.

Jason and Claire return to the bonfire after she tells him Bobby is planning to jump over the fire on his BMX bike. She insists they should watch, but Bobby eventually chickens out and everyone disperses. Later, while alone in the kitchen, Miley is violently killed by a masked assailant.

During his night rounds, Jason discovers Demi’s body in her bed. Panicked, he races back to tell the others, but no one believes him. They all think he’s trying to pull off a bad prank. Ezra accuses Jason of stealing his murder mystery party idea. Ari sarcastically suggests Jason should get their phones from the office to call the police. But when Jason reaches the office, he finds all their phones missing, suggesting someone has stolen them.

Even though Jason insists they should leave camp immediately because it’s not safe, the group decides to investigate Demi’s cabin instead as they need to know if she’s really been murdered. But when they arrive, they find only a bloody stain on the bed where her body should have been. Noelle examines the blood and confirms it’s Demi’s. Panic sets in as they realize the danger is real. They sprint back to their cars in terror, only to find the engines won’t start. With the killer potentially still nearby, they quickly barricade themselves inside a cabin.

Written and directed by Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard in their directorial debut, HELL of a SUMMER is a comedy slasher that follows a group of summer camp counselors who become targets of a mysterious masked serial killer.

A group of teenage counselors arrive early at a summer camp to prepare for the upcoming season, unaware that a killer is on the loose. The murderer has already claimed the camp owner and his wife the night before, and now hunts the counselors one by one.

HELL of a SUMMER breaks from traditional slasher films with its beautiful cinematography and visual style. It offers surprisingly likable characters and engaging subplots, at least through the first half of the movie.

Fred Hechinger delivers a memorable performance as Jason Hochberg, a 24-year-old with endearing qualities. Being the oldest of the group, he naturally assumes leadership. Though determined to keep everyone safe, Jason’s excessive kindness and lack of charisma undermine his effectiveness as a leader.

The script, however, struggles to maintain mystery by revealing the killer too early. Anyone familiar with slasher films knows the golden rule: if a character’s death happens off-screen, they’re likely the killer or at least an accomplice.

Things start to feel off when Jason discovers one of their friends murdered, but no one believes him. Instead, they assume he’s playing a game or putting on an act. The problem is, Jason never comes across as someone cunning or playful enough to pull pranks. So why would nobody take him seriously when he tries to warn them?

Despite its flaws, such as a talkative killer who explains too much and interrupts the well-built narrative flow, the film manages to stay entertaining and comical throughout.

HELL of a SUMMER premiered at TIFF on 10 September 2023. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 4 April 2025, by Neon.