It’s the Booze Talkin’ We want more summer themed horror thrills and chills!

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Horror movies are a must when August arrives, and especially as October comes sneaking in. Yet watching a good scary movie can, and should, be a year round event for lovers of all things creepy. Of course, with summer in full swing, it is not a genre that usually has crowds filling the seats at the local theatre. This year, THE CONJURING 2 has done rather well, but that’s really not the kind of fright that I’m talking about. How about a young woman trapped only 200 yards away from safety, with a massive great white shark ready to tear into her flesh? Yep, it finally happened, we have a killer shark movie that isn’t a straight to streaming, so bad it’s good, feature. We are talking a legit flick that offers up intense ocean sequences and scary sharks, just in time for all of us to get a little uncomfortable at the beach.

This week, we are talking “summer horror flicks.” Why? Because the fun and frolicking of folks in the summer sun can offer up a scare or two. Growing up, you could flip on cable and find any FRIDAY THE 13th flick you wanted to watch. And for those looking for a different kind of terror, you could always check out JAWS, PIRANHA or another massive beast hunting bikini clad victims. Whether you are planning a camping trip out deep into the woods, or a nice beach vacation, there is always something meant to send chills up your spine. And frankly, I miss the many slasher/monster bits of horror that helped keep the months of May through August a little chillier than normal. What better way to enjoy summer vacation than to drift off into a little bit of a nightmare?

When FRIDAY THE 13th came along, a ton of similar flicks hit the multiplexes and drive-ins. They involved a weekend retreat, or a summer camp that had a maniac on the loose. Besides Jason Voorhees, there was Cropsey from THE BURNING in 1981. Daryl Hannah and Rachel Ward found themselves at the mercy of one nut job of a psycho chick in THE FINAL TERROR (1983). And speaking of horrifying camping experiences, you can’t forget about Madman Marz in the appropriately titled MADMAN from 1982. And then there is one of my personal favorites, JUST BEFORE DAWN, which was also from 1981. You also had DON’T GO IN THE WOODS (1981), THE PREY (1984), and hell, you could always hang with Angela for SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983). There were so damn many lost in the woods summer features that I’m surprised horror fans go camping at all anymore.

So what about the beach? Well, as mentioned, there is JAWS and its sequels. PIRANHA is a much better feature than you’d expect. In fact, both the 1978 and the 2010 remake hold up rather well. Now while there were still a ton of ocean horrors going on, most didn’t hold up to Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece. Still, if you were in the mood for murderous ocean life, you had TENTACLES (1977), the troublesome GREAT WHITE (aka THE LAST SHARK from 1981) – the film didn’t sit well with Universal and it was taken from theatres almost as quickly as it swam in. You also had a horde of other creatures ready to attack. DEVIL FISH (1984), BARRACUDA (1978), MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH (1976) and the ridiculously goofy goodness of BLOOD BEACH from 1980. This time, whatever was waiting for unsuspecting victims was underneath the sand itself.

The Seventies and the Eighties knew how to treat the summer right. It wasn’t just sharks and maniacs, you had killer bears, bloodthirsty frogs, deadly spiders and so many other horrors awaiting those willing to bask in the blood of summer. This is not to say that scary summer vacations aren’t a thing anymore. Every so often there will be a WRONG TURN sequel, perhaps I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER will be back for another fishing trip. Last year we had the gloriously Eighties comedy horror outing, THE FINAL GIRLS, starring Malin Akerman and Taissa Farmiga. And as previously mentioned, if  you want to be afraid to go back in the water again, you should check out the recent release of THE SHALLOWS. See, summer can be pretty damn scary it if wants to be.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but we miss summer themed horror thrills and chills. Once upon a time, there was a pretty solid choice of genre flicks to check out during the heat. Sure it’s been a long time since the Eighties, but man did they know how to put the red stuff on that family vacay. Whether you want a getaway at the beach, or the thought of summer camp or a weekend under the stars excites you, there was always something for that. Where are the modern day Angelas'? What about dudes like Madman Marz, Cropsey and of course Jason Voorhees? And that doesn’t even count that great white shark attacking a beach community, or piranha’s chowing down on local summer kids. Thanks to THE SHALLOWS for reminding me that most of the horrors of summer have gone… now can we have more?