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

I don't know where you are but where I am, a heat wave has begun looming over my city. To honor these back sweat-inducing temperatures, this week's list is all about putting audiences in the summer mood. You know the feeling; warm and lazy, ready to lounge in a lake or by a pool and most certainly not prepared to be attacked by a killer or alien creatures. Certain horror movies definitely carry with it, a summery identity that can't be shaken. This list, will *spoiler* feature classic movies at summer camps and some modern, out-there choices (see number 10), so without further ado, here are the top 10 movies to put you in a summer mood:

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10. Thirst

Thirst is a completely selfish pick to kick off this list. In no way is the film an amazing movie. With flaws flying out of every aspect, Thirst is filled to the brim with mediocrity even if it does have its worthwhile aspects (as seen in my recent Overlook article). But, what Thirst did succeed in doing was putting me in a summer mood. Maybe it's the retro troubled-teens-at-camp storyline or the hot desert plateaus, or even the campy low-brow special effects, but Thirst made me feel like barbequing. It's got none of the glitz and glam of better horror movies and all of the overused horror tropes, but through-and-through it was effective in keeping me entertained and preparing me for a heat wave.

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9. The Final Girls

Like other summer camp films that inevitably made this list (come back tomorrow), The Final Girls features everything that makes the summer feel like summer. Shorts, lakes and the slasher tropes of ole, But, what makes The Final Girls worthy of being included on this list is its conveyance of warmth and its on-the-nose comedy that propels it. Every scene of this film is tinged with softer warm coloring and that, paired with some truly funny moments, make it feel like a summer welcoming parade.

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8. See No Evil

See No Evil makes this list for nearly identical reasons to Thirst. Entirely selfish in its choosing, See No Evil is reminiscent of those summer mornings where friends and I would wake up from nights of campfires and movie binges and watch whatever half-baked horror film was on Chiller Network. See No Evil is a relatively simplistic slasher and does offer some scarier parts as well as some pretty ridiculous scenarios. It never attempts to exceed expectations and is a truly easy watch. Scenes in the beginning where Kane's character visits a suburban neighborhood additionally apply the summery feeling this movie left me. So, say what you want, but anyone who had Chiller and watched it frequently on their off months, would recognize this film as deserving.

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7. Zombeavers

Zombeavers leans heavily on camp comedy more than horror, but it's placement on this list is nonetheless necessary. Like many summer horror films, Zombeavers takes place at a cabin on a lake filled with young adults unaware as to what's about to unravel before their eyes. It's the type of movie that is acknowledging bad, but done so with such intention that it's funny. It's a warm and light-hearted romp that'll be sure to win over genre-blend haters and horror fans alike, and similar to The Final Girls, its ability to capitalize on a feeling of warm is commendable.

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6. Wrong Turn

Maybe I'm simply in the mood to rewatch Wrong Turn, but the love for it on this blog recently is definitely becoming too blatant. There is just something so lovable about this horror movie, especially given that it was one of my first forays into the genre, Wrong Turn is like so many other horror films on this list; a group of friends go on vacation and meet trouble. Simple enough? It is, and the resulting film is a pretty easy watch. It's the type of movie that blatantly rips off other cannibal films but backs it with enough entertainment to be watchable. Wrong Turn gets a lot of flak, but for all its ridiculousness, it is pretty fun and sometimes even, scary.

 

The Overlook: The Windmill

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For those left with emptiness from the severe lack of slasher films circulating the horror industry right now, look no further than The Windmill. Recently added to Netflix, this under-presented film about a group of tourists stalked by a supernatural killer while visiting Holland's acclaimed windmills, is the closest thing to a straight up slasher audiences will have seen in a while. Even as mystical, occult moments occur, The Windmill is - at a very base level - just a bunch of people being plucked off one-by-one; a tired but consistently entertaining horror convention that has all but disappeared recently.

The cast, while extensive, all do variably well in their roles and when they're killed off (spoiler, it's a slasher), you sometimes care, but most of the time - as is typical for slasher films, you don't. The Windmill stars Charlotte Beaumont (Jupiter Ascending) as Jennifer, a known stowaway with questionable mental stability, Bart Klever (The Pool) as Abe, the bus driver, and Adam Thomas (Altar) as Curt, one of the passenger's sons. The rest of supporting characters are practically cannon fodder, as predictable, but each give worthwhile moments of intrigue.

As noted, The Windmill follows a group of diverse tourists all with storied pasts and secrets as they embark, and later break down, on a road connecting Holland's windmill attractions. The Windmill hosts a variety of twists and turns, a lot more ineffective than not, but is ultimately an easy-to-watch, entertaining movie without stakes. The film's biggest strength is in serving up mid-2000s horror on a silver platter. For such a low budget, they offer worthwhile graphics and some pretty sudden deaths. The Windmill is reminiscent of See No Evil and offers the same level of strange fun.

The Windmill gets weird. There is no denying how odd this movie gets when the slasher aspect gets left behind by a convoluted supernatural plotline that is both confusing and awkward. If the movie had remained somewhat grounded, it most definitely would have been even better. But, as per usual, some horror movies like to add unnecessary distractions that only weaken them. Think how Annabelle went from cult-ghost movie to crazed-Insidious demon; it is that level of transition.

Overall, for a stumble-upon on Netflix, The Windmill is great. It's not terribly acted and is most definitely one of the more bearable additions on a streaming site known for some weak entries. The Windmill is like Chiller network: good for a sleepy night in, but nothing to write home about.