Neon is on one of the hottest streaks ever right now in the independent film scene, and it’s looking to continue that trend long into 2025 by acquiring a variety of films, including Hell of a Summer, the directorial debut of Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard. Fresh off the success of Longlegs – which recently crossed the $100 million mark at the box office – the company shows no signs of slowing down. It already has Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey on its slate of upcoming movies for next year, as well as the highly-anticipated psychological horror film by Steven Soderbergh, Presence.
Per Variety, Neon has acquired the rights to Wolfhard’s Hell of a Summer to add to its 2025 offerings. Premiering at TIFF last year, the horror-comedy slasher was directed by both the Stranger Things star, and his Ghostbusters: Afterlife co-star Billy Bryk. On the surface, it appears to be your garden variety slasher movie, but don’t be deceived. Speaking at the TIFF premiere of their film in 2023, the duo made it clear that they set out to make a movie that turns Gen Z stereotypes on their head.
Our number one conversation was how annoying it is to see new teen movies and how badly our age group is represented. And we’re like, ‘Why don’t we just do it?’
A camp site, camp counselors, and a masked killer all combine to bring Hell of a Summer to life. Both Wolfhard and Bryk wrote the film, and starred in it together alongside Fred Hechinger (Thelma, Gladiator 2), who also serves as executive producer. Check out the simple, Friday the 13th-esque synopsis below.
“Hell of a Summer follows counselors who are getting Camp Pineway ready the night before campers arrive when a masked killer begins slaughtering the staff.”
Shaun of the Dead Served as Inspiration for Hell of a Summer
When done poorly, horror-comedies can be an absolute disaster. More often than not, they lean too heavily on one genre, while forgetting about the other. Those unbalanced scales create a movie that feels like it’s trying too hard to figure out exactly what it is. However, when done right, horror-comedies can go on to be regarded as cult classics that resonate with audiences for years to come. Evil Dead is one example, as is Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, which Bryk cites as inspiration for Hell of a Summer.
“To us, that was kind of the epitome of a film that does homage to classic horror films while also being a really great character-driven comedy. So I would say that this is a movie where people are given full license to be weird and narcissistic in the face of death.”
At the center of Hell of a Summer is a kill list written by the film’s masked antagonist. However, instead of ranking victims based on some sort of revenge factor, they’re ranked by “hotness and popularity.” Early reactions out of TIFF last year have been positive, with Deadline calling the movie “a distinct cinematic piece that is both a tribute to and a reinvention of the slasher genre.”
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With Neon being on the pedestal it is right now thanks to Immaculate, Longlegs, and the recent release of Cuckoo, it’s no doubt that they’re looking to hold their position as one of the hottest independent film companies around. Will Hell of a Summer continue their streak? We’ll have to wait until 2025 to find out. We’ll have more news on Wolfhard’s directorial debut, including a release date and trailer as it becomes available.
