Freeform assembles a cast for horror series Dead of Summer

Last Updated on July 22, 2021

ABC Family is no more. The network has officially rebranded itself as Freeform in an effort to shake the kid-friendly implications of its previous name and to better target Becomers, which is apparently what we're calling people in the 14 to 34 age range these days. Being 32, I'm glad I found out I'm a Becomer before I stopped being one. Got in right under the wire on that.

One of the first new shows on Freeform will be Dead of Summer, which sounds like it has the potential to be a very entertaining horror series. Created by Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, and Ian Goldberg, Dead of Summer is 

set in the late 1980s, school is out for the summer and a sun-drenched season of firsts beckons the counselors at Camp Clearwater, a seemingly idyllic Midwestern summer camp, including first loves, first kisses — and first kills. Clearwater’s dark, ancient mythology awakens, and what was supposed to be a summer of fun soon turns into one of unforgettable scares and evil at every turn.

A horror series set at a camp in the 1980s? Yes, please. Are they making this show specifically for me?

Horowitz and Kitsis will be directing the first episode, and with a March production start date drawing near a cast has started to come together. Dealing with the evil at Camp Clearwater will be:

Mark Indelicato as openly gay, artsy counselor Blair Raymer; Paulina Singer (pictured below) as stunningly hot, slightly conceited counselor Jessie Tyler; Ronen Rubenstein as Alex, "the classic polo-shirt wearing John Hughes villain"; Zelda Williams (above) as a mysterious loner who has no interest in bonding with her fellow counselors; Alberto Frezza as Deputy Garrett Sykes, who will be investigating the strange goings-on at the camp; and Eli Goree as counselor/aspiring filmmaker Joel.

Sounds like a fine bunch of characters to throw some terrible events at. I am now really looking forward to this show.