The Best Horror Movies Set During Summer
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- 1Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard DreyfussIn the classic thriller Jaws, the quiet summer resort of Amity Island is thrown into chaos by a deadly great white shark. Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) must team up with oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to stop it. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this film redefined the horror genre, creating the concept of a summer blockbuster. The film's tension-filled plot and iconic score won it three Academy Awards, including Best Original Score for John Williams. Despite its simple premise, Jaws remains an enduring masterpiece of suspense and fear.
- 2Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry CrosbyOn a chilling Friday the 13th, Camp Crystal Lake reopens after two decades of closure following a series of tragic accidents. The new group of young, energetic counselors, including Alice (Adrienne King) and Bill (Harry Crosby), are unaware of the ominous history that haunts this seemingly serene locale. As darkness descends upon the camp, an unknown assailant begins to pick them off one by one. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, this seminal horror film combines suspenseful storytelling with a haunting score to create a classic slasher flick that birthed the infamous character Jason Voorhees, albeit in his mother's guise initially.
- 3Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Allen DanzigerIn the heart of rural Texas, a horrendous tale unfolds. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a chilling horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, tells the story of Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and her friends, who unwittingly stumble upon a family of cannibals during their trip to an old homestead. Among them lurks Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), a monstrous figure wielding a chainsaw, whose terrifying presence dominates the film. As their peaceful journey spirals into a nightmarish chase for survival, viewers are left on the edge of their seats. Despite its low-budget production, the movie has gained cult status and is widely regarded as one of the most influential horror films in cinema history.
- 4Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan PhillippeIn I Know What You Did Last Summer, four friends - Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe) - grapple with a horrifying secret. After a celebratory night turns tragic, they swear to bury the truth, only for it to resurface in the form of an ominous message one year later. This suspenseful thriller, laden with mystery and terror, follows their desperate attempts to outsmart an unseen stalker. The group's unity is tested as they are plunged into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, where survival hinges on unearthing hidden truths and confronting their darkest fears.
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- 5Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen FieldsAt Camp Arawak, a seemingly idyllic summer retreat, strange and horrifying events begin to unfold. The movie Sleepaway Camp is a classic 1983 horror flick directed by Robert Hiltzik. The story revolves around Angela (Felissa Rose), an introverted teenager, and her cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten). As they try to navigate the usual trials of camp life, an unseen assailant starts offing the less-than-desirable campers and staff. Amidst the chaos, Angela's mysterious past slowly unravels. Notable for its shocking twist ending, this film remains a cult favorite in the slasher genre.
- 6Gina Philips, Justin Long, Jonathan BreckIn Jeepers Creepers, brother and sister duo, Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry Jenner (Justin Long), find themselves ensnared in a heart-pounding struggle for survival against an ancient creature known as The Creeper. While returning home from college on a seemingly innocuous country road, they encounter the beast, awakening their worst nightmares. Director Victor Salva skillfully crafts this horror film into a chilling exploration of primal fear. The movie's unsettling tone is further enhanced by Francis Ford Coppola's role as the executive producer. As the plot unfolds, the siblings' courage and resourcefulness are tested to their limits. This film stands out for its unique fusion of terror and suspense, drawing upon traditional horror tropes while delivering unexpected twists.More Jeepers Creepers
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- 7Suze Lanier-Bramlett, Robert Houston, James WhitworthIn The Hills Have Eyes, a chilling horror flick directed by Wes Craven, the Carter family, led by Big Bob (Russ Grieve), embarks on a road trip across a desolate US desert. Unbeknownst to them, they are venturing into the hunting grounds of a cannibalistic mutant clan, residing in the hills. A wrong turn lands them in gruesome peril as they fight for survival against these horrifying predators. The movie won praise for its raw depiction of terror, and Michael Berryman's portrayal of Pluto became an iconic figure in horror cinema.More The Hills Have Eyes
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- 8Aaron Stanford, Kathleen Quinlan, Vinessa ShawA family road trip takes a terrifying turn when the travelers become stranded in a barren atomic zone established by the U.S. government. However, the unlucky travelers discover to their horror that the wasteland is far from uninhabited, A band of bloodthirsty mutants prowls the area, and there is nothing they like better than fresh meat.More The Hills Have Eyes
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- 9Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies-Urich, Kevin McCarthyTwo people (Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies) unwittingly free a mad military scientist's (Kevin McCarthy) mutant fish near a summer camp and resort lake.More Piranha
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- 10Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon ZombieIn The Devil's Rejects, Rob Zombie thrusts us into a visceral, violent world. The story follows the murderous Firefly family - Otis (Bill Moseley), Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie), and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) - as they evade a vengeful sheriff (William Forsythe). This 2005 horror film is not for the faint-hearted, with its raw brutality and relentless pursuit of terror. It's a grimy road trip through America's underbelly, filled with macabre humor and chilling scenes that have garnered it cult status in the horror genre. The movie won Best Horror Film at the Scream Awards.
- 11Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian BackerAt summer camp, some teenagers pull a prank on the camp's caretaker, Cropsy (Lou David). But the joke goes terribly wrong, and the teens leave Cropsy for dead after setting him on fire. But no one keeps Cropsy down. A few years later, the burned and disfigured caretaker returns to camp equipped with his trusty shears, ready to unleash his particular brand of vengeance on a whole new group of teens. The murderous Cropsy stalks the campers in the woods, one by one.More The Burning
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- 12Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Laura RamseyAmy (Jena Malone), Stacy (Laura Ramsey), Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) look for fun during a sunny holiday in Mexico, but they get much more than that after visiting an archaeological dig in the jungle. Carnivorous vines try to ensnare the friends in their tendrils, forcing the group to fight for survival.
- 13Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson HarperA young American couple, their relationship foundering, travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly pastoral paradise transforms into a sinister, dread-soaked nightmare as the locals reveal their terrifying agenda.More Midsommar
- 14Chuck Connors, Jocelyn Jones, Jon Van NessA vehicle breakdown strands teens near a madman's (Chuck Connors) desert wax museum filled with lifelike dummies.
- 15Cécile De France, Maïwenn, Philippe NahonIn High Tension, a French horror film, college friends Marie (Cécile de France) and Alexia (Maïwenn) journey to the countryside for a quiet study retreat. Their weekend getaway, however, turns into a nightmare when a brutal killer (Philippe Nahon) invades the peaceful home. Marie, determined to save her friend, engages in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the intruder. As night becomes day, the line between hunter and hunted blurs. The film is known for its intense suspense and shocking twists, keeping viewers on edge until its final moments.More High Tension
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- 16George Kennedy, Jamie Rose, Chris LemmonJust Before Dawn is a 1981 independent slasher film directed by Jeff Lieberman, and starring Chris Lemmon, Gregg Henry, Deborah Benson, Jamie Rose, and George Kennedy. The film follows a group of hikers who travel into the Oregon mountains to visit property inherited by one of them, only to be hunted by a ruthless backwoods killer. Shot on location in the Silver Falls State Park in Silverton, Oregon, the film has often been praised for its eerie atmosphere and lush cinematography; despite not being a commercial success when released, the film has gained a cult following over the years.
- 17Gaylen Ross, Harriet Bass, Seth JonesMadman is a 1982 slasher film written and directed by Joe Giannone. The plot follows a group of campers who are stalked and killed after summoning an axe-murderer of local legend. Originally based on the upstate New York urban legend of the Cropsey maniac, the film's central premise and main antagonist was changed last minute due to conflicts with The Burning, which was in production at the same time.More Madman
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- 18Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Milla JovovichNewlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are celebrating their honeymoon by hiking through a secluded region of Hawaii. Their idyllic trek takes a dark turn when they find a group of frightened hikers who claim that another couple has been brutally murdered. Far from civilization and unsure who to trust, Cydney and Cliff soon get locked into a terrifying battle for survival.
- 19Pamela Springsteen, Renee Estevez, Tony HigginsAngela Baker (Pamela Springsteen), a psychotic transsexual, escapes from a mental hospital and surfaces at a summer camp as a counselor who lectures her teenage charges on proper moral behavior. Those teens who break her strict rules -- from the camp chatterbox or a sex-obsessed girl to the boys who are peeping Toms -- are murdered by the impostor in various gruesome ways. As more campers go missing, intrepid counselor Molly (Renee Estevez) begins to piece together the truth.More Sleepaway Camp 2
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- 20Finn Atkins, Michael Fassbender, James GandhiDuring a romantic weekend getaway, a young couple confronts a gang of youths, and suffers brutal consequences.More Eden Lake
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- 21Pamela Springsteen, Tracy Griffith, Michael J. PollardPsychotic Angela (Pamela Springsteen) is itching to do what she does best: slaughter dozens of teenage campers. As luck would have it, the previous site of her murders has been renamed and converted into an experimental summer camp meant to bring together privileged and lower-class teens. On the day the youths are boarding the buses to camp, Angela runs over a potential camper with a garbage truck and assumes her identity. Once she has infiltrated the camp, the real terror begins.
- 22Chuck ConnorsSummer Camp Nightmare is a 1987 horror film starring Chuck Connors and Charlie Stratton. The film is based on the novel The Butterfly Revolution by William Butler.
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Club Dread
Bill Paxton, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin HeffernanYears ago Coconut Pete (Bill Paxton) had a hit record, but now he runs a tropical island resort where he spends his days basking in hedonism with the rest of the resort's offbeat staff. The paradise Coconut Pete presides over, however, becomes a living hell when an unknown killer begins slaughtering the staff. As the body count increases, so too does suspicion among the survivors. Now it's up to Coconut Pete and what's left of his staff to solve the mystery and stop the bloodshed. - 24Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Olivia WildeTravelers (Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Olivia Wilde) are in the midst of enjoying a dream vacation along the Brazilian coast. Joining a party of revelers on the beach, the friends are drugged and find awake to find themselves robbed of their money, credit cards and passports. Led to a home in the jungle where they are told they will be safe, the friends instead discover a potentially fatal secret.
- 25John Hargreaves, Briony Behets, Mike McEwenPeter (John Hargreaves) and Marcia (Briony Behets), a bitter married couple teetering on the edge of divorce, take a camping trip to heal the rift between them. As the weekend progresses, the selfish pair engage in reckless behavior that demonstrates an increasing disrespect for their natural surroundings. When Peter and Marcia become the targets of a series of inexplicable animal attacks, it becomes clear that an angry Mother Nature has come to exact her revenge.
- 26Wil Traval, Lindsay Farris, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith"Primordial nature runs amuck in a smartly played, scripted, spectacular slice of neo Ozploitation. 12,000 years ago a caveman tried to communicate the presence of an unknown primal entity only to be devoured by the Neanderthal evil. Now six friends on a field trip set up camp in the same remote wilderness. But when one takes a dip in a nearby water hole, she becomes feverish and agitated, and regresses to a predatory state where her companions become the hunted. When another begins the same beastly transition, terror descends on the remainder as they realize its kill or be killed. Sooner or later one will have to venture into the creepy mountain caves to confront the cause of all the monstrous mayhem. A frenzied visceral nightmare in the vein of CABIN FEVER, PRIMAL is a hugely enjoyable roller coaster ride through primitive panic with the best one-word ending ever!" Quoting the program notes from the 2010 Fantastic Fest site.
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Twisted Nightmare
- 28Tisa Farrow, Serena Grandi, George EastmanAntropophagus is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Joe D'Amato and co-written by D'Amato and George Eastman, who starred in the film as the monster. The film also starred Tisa Farrow, Zora Kerova, Saverio Vallone, Serena Grandi, Margaret Mazzantini, Mark Bodin, Bob Larsen, Simone Baker, Mark Logan and Rubina Rey. Antropophagus was one of the infamous "Video Nasties" that was prosecuted in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s.
- 29Harriet Dyer, Ian Meadows, Aaron PedersenThe Killing Ground is a 2017 Australian horror film written and directed by Damien Power. During a camping trip, a young couple (Harriet Dyer and Ian Meadows) find themselves being hunted.
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Escape from Tomorrow
Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn RodriguezWeird sights and events threaten a man's (Roy Abramsohn) sanity during a family trip to a big theme park.
