Just because you are a “Scream King” that keeps getting cast in the horror genre doesn’t necessarily make you an expert on the genre itself, especially when you are still so young and have grown up under the inscrutable lens of fandom. This is a lesson certainly Finn Wolfhard needs to learn, as he’s a graduate of three major franchises (Stranger Things, it, and ghostbusters), as he uses his youth and inexperience to champion a somewhat debut effort in Hell of A Summer, which he co-stars, co-wrote, and co-produced. His partner in crime, Billy Bryk, is a lesser known actor who carries all those duties, but is also technically the director. While some young directors have proven their worth early on, I think the perspective is still somewhat limited by experience, especially if your life is hyper realized as a child star.

Possibly that’s how Hell Of A Summer came to be. While some on the internet have lamented this film already for not being violent enough, I kind of counter that with does it need to be violent at all? They seem to be attempting a horror comedy, following usual tropes of a summer camp, horny counselors, and a masked killer. But, it isn’t played straight, and there are attempts at humor. So, it is a horror comedy? But with the killer aspect feeling so tangential, why isn’t this just a coming of age movie? This would have played much better as a Gen Z Wet Hot American Summer, which is arguably what theatre Camp attempted a few years ago.

or, lean in on the comedy, and forget the killer. these kids don’t want to lean into graphic violence anyway, not really, so why not write a clever script that suggests a killer, without there ever being one, and still has everyone running around acting like they’re being hunted. It’s a little like Tucker and dale, but just without Tucker or Dale.

As it stands, the movie never really works, because it never has a strong identity of self. it is stuck, like a lot of teens are in their post-high school phase. But films shouldn’t be stuck, they should decisively move something forward, or attempt to have a platform to say something about the genre. Something. Fred Hechinger is the most interesting and well rounded member of the cast, as Jason, the counselor who at 24 is “to old”. Interestingly Finn is 22, so maybe he’s getting a little too old for some things, and is transferring that onto this character?

While the film really doesn’t offer anything, and has one of the least impactful killer reveals of all time, the audio description is solid. I haven’t loved everything Audio Eyes has put out, notably last year’s misfire In A Violent Nature didn’t take full advantage of the distinct lack of dialogue through most of the film, or lean in nearly as much on the overt brutality. Here, the script is more than competent, perhaps maybe only lacking in more depth of description of the characters. The kills are as well described as they can be, considering our director doesn’t know how to do a horror film, and Nicole Cyrille as a narrator choice is flawless. Much like Liz Gutman on the recent Fear Street film, Nicole feels like she’s supporting the work she’s narrating, noticing moments of mounting tension, and allowing her voice to rise and fall with the flow of the film. Audio Eyes has made a few horror tracks where it just gets a little shouty during scary moments, with no mid ground. Oddity had shouting, without mounting tension. this is one of their best tracks. Nicole recently also did Neighborhood Watch with Audio Eyes and that track was solid too. A little bit of the shouting abruptly, but a much better track in general. So, to hear less of the shouting, and allowing for Nicole to have range in her vocal performance is the key these scripts were missing. there ar numbers between zero and ten, so there are also a range of levels a voice can land.

Hell Of A Summer has promise, but it has a creative team that would have been far more suited directing something like last years Snack Shack, or the excellent Kings Of Summer, and not a horror film just because that’s all they seemingly get cast in.

Rotten: Final Grade: 5.1/10 Audio Description: A