Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s directorial “Hell of a Summer” (2025) is one of those mindless, inoffensive teen slashers that can’t be grudged much because there’s a zippy ensemble having quite a ball. This isn’t the most inspired entry in the genre. You can see the ‘surprise’ turns from a mile away, spot the telegraphed punches. After all, slashers rely on their history to generate their own text, a reimagination that’s always faithful to well-trod classics.
“Hell of a Summer” makes no bones about which films it’s immediately doffing the hat to. Its sincerity is endearing, as is the conviction of the remarkably young filmmakers attuned to making in-jokes while delivering the kills, though the number is staggeringly low for a slasher. Rather, even if there are a bunch of people who end up dead, the deaths are tame and rarely stomach-turning in their grisliness. Of course, some characters grate more than others, a given for ensembles of this nature. Only a few will register, and the rest flatten out in a loose, vague, and sketchy bore. Then this film has the backing of NEON, which may have savvily smelled the fruits of rewards if they can market the film well with a young demographic.
Hell of a Summer (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Of course, you may as well if a film shouldn’t do more than just being fairly breezy and indexed with many in-built quotations and riffs on other previous iterations in the genre. It’s a legitimate gripe, and the film doesn’t really hold up on rewatches because there are a ton of loopholes and plotting inconsistencies.
Like the opening itself, which is likeable, though, circling the couple who are supposed to be the camp leaders at Pineway, it’s also questionable. Both John and Kathy are killed off by a masked person. He’s killed with an acoustic guitar, she with a knife. The choice of camera angles reflects heavily on influences, especially Friday the 13th. You can see this right away. It doesn’t take much gauging. The film isn’t embarrassed about or hides its inspirations, instead leaning into them as much as it can, sending up when the makers are confident enough. However, the spoofing is too few and far in between.
Fred Hechinger, recently seen in Gladiator 2, essays Jason, the over-enthused intern at the summer camp. His mother isn’t warm to the idea, but he’s eager to do the internship, though it pays very little. He’s been doing the camp for years. However, the couple who were supposed to guide him are nowhere to be found. Jason isn’t so much bewildered at the situation as he starts to think they have left him to take over. He thinks it can be a great opportunity for him to steer the group and handle the bunch, see if he’s cut out for the gig without extra support from the two veterans.
Soon, of course, things start going south. Before chaos interrupts, the film acquaints the viewer with many characters, including the social media influencer Demi, Jason’s ex-girlfriend, Claire. Jason is 24 and these are all teenagers, mostly; naturally, he feels a bit of a misfit. But he tries his best to be cool and a sport, and overly enthusiastic. He wants to prove he’s best suited for the job, leaving no room for doubt and hesitation in anyone and everyone around him. But these teenagers are defiant and unruly and instantly break any rule he sets.
Trouble kicks in when Jason embarks on his nightly routine check. He’s horrified to find Demi killed in her cabin. When he alerts everyone and they rush to her, the body disappears. The blood remains, a grotesque warning. What awaits the bunch? Is there a killer on the loose? The group is plunged into acute fear. Some try to escape but can’t even get their cars started. Miley is discovered decapitated, and Ari is kidnapped and brutally stabbed by the killer.
More pandemonium, paranoia ensue. Everyone runs for shelter. Everyone casts their doubts on Jason, citing his peculiarity. There’s also the matter of his being the first to find Demi’s body. Only Abby seems to faintly believe in him. The group ties up Jason, and Abby frees him. Along with Claire, Jason scampers away into the woods. Claire wants to escape, but Jason is insistent on staying back and protecting the rest. So he turns back, determined to prove his mettle even in the most severe moment that he’s the ideal, reliable camp leader.
Hell of a Summer (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
Who’s the masked murderer?
As the teens fight back the killers, there’s a massive scuffle. It’s then the identities of the killers tumble to the fore. It’s there for everyone to watch, aghast and perplexed. In fact, it’s revealed that Demi and Mike are the killers, dressed identically. There are a few more bodies to go down. Ezra gets slaughtered with an axe. Bobby slits Mike’s throat. Demi is about to kill Jason when Claire fires an arrow straight into Demi’s eyes, killing her right there. The threat is gone.
This isn’t the kind of film which can offer you genuine, plausible reasons. The logic is barely convincing, you have to trust the flow the directors give you. Demi hurtled on this wild rampage all for her social media virality, getting traction. There’s nothing more the viewer is offered. Mike just followed in her footsteps, doing her bidding without a question or baulking.
All they were bent on was to pull off something spectacular that would boost their social media profiles and feed their delusions of their popularity. The film expects you to buy into the thought that influencers can go to any extreme degree to whet their narcissism, even if it demands them to turn killers and go butchering around. It isn’t very far-fetched, but the film doesn’t build their characters well to land the reveals with satisfying slickness. Hence, what could have been surprising ends up as routine.
