Best in Show: Summer Horror (Pt. II of II)

5. Sleepaway Camp

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Sleepaway Camp is a weird, weird movie. It's a film that flashes with 80s flair; now practically laughable in effort and tact. Matching these factors with a twist ending that would now be considered off-putting; Sleepaway Camp has become the sort of cult flick destined for summer sleepovers and movie nights projected onto blankets under the stars. It's got the summer camp for children, featuring all of the fun summer activities your childhood could think of and by the film's end, you're sure to be drowned in the dated nostalgia this movie pours out.

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4. Jaws/The Shallows

Jaws is the movie that scared a generation out of the water. Jaws is perhaps one of the most iconic summer films ever. Given its ocean beach setting and plethora of prop pool toys, this movie provided audiences with a reason to be even more afraid of the ocean than they were. While Jaws is likely more deserving than fifth on this list, its cooler, New England-based location takes away from the truly summer mood capitalized on by later films like The Shallows. Otherwise, Jaws is still a worthwhile dive into the warmer months, even if those months seem more like April than July.

Speaking of The Shallows, this movie is undoubtedly deserving of a place on this list. Capturing beach warmth with all of the gleaming shine of summer, The Shallows exceeded expectations when it was released last summer. Despite similarities to the classic Jaws, The Shallows is able to stand on its on two fins by providing enough excitement and popcorn-munching fun to make it the summery movie audiences need to put them in the mood.

3. A Perfect Getaway 

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A Perfect Getaway seamlessly captured the essence of tropical warmth. Even at its wettest, the Hawaiian-based thrilled oozed with the feeling of summer adventure. A Perfect Getaway is the perfect getaway for those looking to escape the back-and-forth weather of the Northeast. It's got everything from sunshine and ocean kayaking to hazy jungle hikes, all culminated into a visually stunning and ultimately thrilling escape.

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2. Friday The 13th

Maybe even more iconic than Jaws, the pinnacle slasher, Friday the 13th, is easily one of the most recognizable summer films ever. It's the very basis of summer camp massacres and deserves to be recognized as such. This film and its hefty franchise are what many horror fans first think of when they think of summer, and for good reason. Between the warm weather clothing worn by the movie's victims to the old, rickety cabins on the camp's grounds, the setting of Friday the 13th is unforgettable. Camp Crystal Lake is near-summer perfection.

1. Cabin in the Woods 

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While a lot of people would argue that Friday the 13th is most deserving on a list of summer mood horror films, there is no denying the weight carried by Cabin in the Woods. Simultaneously scary, as it is funny, equally dark as it is light, this on-the-nose dissection of horror is so reminiscent of summer that I can feel sunburn growing now. Whereas movies like Evil Dead feature wet, gray forests, the woods surrounding this film are lush and warm, spotlighted by the moon and done so with such intent (by both the filmmakers and the scientists within the movie), that it's atmosphere is unparalleled. It features all of the warm summer feelings each of the list's other movies offer including lakes, summer fun and poorly dressed teens, but inevitably tosses it all in the air in exchange for a visually crisp and obviously well-A/Ced laboratory. The fact of the matter is, Cabin in the Woods is summer.