It's almost that time of year again. Time to look ahead to the sunny summertime. Of course, when it comes to horror movies, summertime often means camping outdoors among a demented psycho killer with a penchant for grotesque body mutilation. What's not to love about that?
All jokes aside, the summer-camp horror subgenre has been alive and well since the early 1980s. While Friday the 13th kicked off the subgenre to the tune of a multidecade franchise featuring hall-of-fame horror villain Jason Voorhees, there are plenty of other examples of the subgenre.
10 Twisted Nightmare (1987)
Despite its paltry IMDB rating (under 400 votes), Twisted Nightmare is an obscure little campground horror joint all genre enthusiasts should seek out. Sure it's baldly derivative, but it has certain panache most Friday the 13th imitators sorely lack.
Directed by Paul Hunt, the story concerns a bevy of teenagers who win a trip to attend the summer camp of their youth. Upon arrival, the teens begin disappearing, one by one, until the grisly corpses are discovered to be the result of vengeful payback.
9 Stage Fright (2014)
While Michael Soavi's 1987 film of the same name is far superior (although not a summer film), it's nice to see a recent release make the cut of the all-time best summer camp horror flicks.
Stage Fright is a genre-bending horror musical in which a spate of teenagers attends a musical theater camp. However, it doesn't take too long for the students to realize a disgruntled murderous maniac is on the prowl. With a severe aversion to musical theater, the killer drolly goes about offing one annoying show-crooner after another!
8 Summer Camp (2015)
It's right there in the title, isn't it? And yet, what sounds overly simplistic and embarrassingly generic actually offers quite a new wrinkle to the horrific summer-camp subgenre. Who knew?!
The film tracks a quartet of American tourists that accepts a job as camp counselors at an idyllic European summer camp. But instead of being savagely slaughtered by an unidentified masked murderer, the foursome must contend with a nasty viral outbreak from a nearby animal farm. The virus turns the campers into enraged hyper-violent zombie-ghouls!
7 Moonstalker (1989)
For true horror heads and summer camp completists, Moonstalker is the one film on this list you should seek out and watch ASAP. It's simply one of the most esoteric examples of the entire subgenre!
Moonstalker revolves around a tourist family enjoying a peaceful vacation in the woods. Nearby, a team of camp counselors trains for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, an unknown killer continues to stalk and slash their way through an escalating pile of victims. With solid FX work, an atmospheric setting, and genuine chills, the movie is far better than its unknown reputation.
6 Madman (1982)
Despite being released nearly 18 months after it was completed, Joe Giannone's Madman is one of the scariest and most competent Friday the 13th knockoffs ever assembled.
Set at a summer camp for youths, the gory action picks up when a brash teenage counselor beckons the legend of Madman Marz, a boogeyman thought to be the subject of a tall-tale. However, Madman Marz is very real and quite menacing as he proceeds to viciously waylay one unsuspecting teenager after another.
5 Cheerleader Camp (1988)
Gimme a K-I-L-L! No joke, Cheerleader Camp has one of the strongest murder-mystery whodunit plots in the history of summer camp slasher flicks. Moreover, when the killer is finally revealed, the film shows how progressive and ahead of its time it was.
The plot is as simple as they come. At a remote summer camp for cheerleaders, a harem of hot young teenage girls is systematically slaughtered, one by one, by an unknown killer dressed as a team mascot. With great style, an entertaining pace, high kill-count, and gnarly bits of gruesome violence, Cheerleader Camp is a destination-must!
4 Cabin Fever (2002)
Okay, so Cabin Fever isn't technically set at a summer camp. So what, the template still holds true. A collection of dimwitted teens look to blow off steam following graduation by heading into the woods to lodge in a remote cabin. What could possibly go wrong?
Eli Roth's playfully humorous horror flick distinguishes itself by making a flesh-eating virus be the villain rather than a deadly human stalker. When a tainted water supply unwittingly infects the teenagers, they slowly turn into rabid, flesh-peeled victims without a clue how to cure themselves.
3 Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Friday the 13th included, no summer camp horror flick has a more jaw-droppingly shocking ending than Sleepaway Camp. We'd hate to ruin the surprise for the uninitiated, but trust us, this flick is the real deal!
The film concerns Angela Baker (Felissa Rose), a timid and deeply traumatized teenage girl who is sent to summer camp with her cousin following the death of her family in a boating accident. Once Angela and her cousin arrive at Camp Arawak, several campers turn up dead with brutally injurious wounds. One of the all-time greatest horror endings ensues!
2 The Burning (1981)
Of the countless Friday the 13th imitators and shameless offshoots, none are scarier, gorier, or more competently crafted than Tony Maylam's The Burning. None!
Starring Holly Hunter and Jason Alexander, the film is set at a summer camp in upstate New York. Years after a camper is victimized and burned-alive in a prank gone wrong, the kid referred to as Cropsy takes ruthless revenge on the counselors he blames for his marred visage. With top-notch FX work from the legendary Tom Savini, The Burning continues to turn up the heat nearly 40 years later.
1 Friday The 13th (1980-2009)
Simply put, without the shattering success of Friday the 13th, there'd probably be no list here to celebrate. Moreover, the film made a cottage industry out of summer-camp-slasher flicks to the tune of a dozen films in a franchise spanning three decades!
Of course, the real novelty of Sean S. Cunningham's original film is the reveal of the killer at the end of the film. No, Jason Voorhees wasn't to blame, but rather his psychotically unhinged mother (Betsy Palmer), who in turn faulted the counselors of Camp Crystal Lake for allowing her son to drown several years prior. No doubt about it, Friday the 13th set the standard of summer camp horror and has yet to be surpassed!
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