Camp-set horror series Dead of Summer gets a trailer and June premiere

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

A full trailer has made its way online for Dead of Summer, a horror series set at a summer camp that will soon begin airing on the network Freeform.

Created by Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, and Ian Goldberg, Dead of Summer takes place in 

the late 1980s. School is out for the summer and a sun-drenched season of firsts beckons the counselors at Camp Stillwater, a seemingly idyllic Midwestern summer camp, including first loves, first kisses — and first kills. Stillwater’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.

This trailer shows that the series will have many of the things you would expect to see in a 1980s summer camp horror movie – the campfire story, the scantily clad females, the late night swims… and the dead bodies.

It does seem to depart from the likes of FRIDAY THE 13TH and SLEEPAWAY CAMP by bringing strange apparitions into the mix.

The cast of Dead of Summer includes Elizabeth Mitchell as Deb, the new owner of Camp Stillwater; Elizabeth Lail as clever but nervous camp counselor Amy; Mark Indelicato as openly gay, artsy counselor Blair Raymer; Paulina Singer as stunningly hot, slightly conceited counselor Jessie Tyler; Ronen Rubenstein as Alex, "the classic polo-shirt wearing John Hughes villain"; Zelda Williams 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; Eli Goree as counselor/aspiring filmmaker Joel; Zachary Gordon as the camp's resident stoner "Blotter"; and Tony Todd in a mystery role.

Horowitz and Kitsis directed the first episode. Other episodes have been directed by the likes of Tara Nicole Weyr, Mick Garris, and TREMORS' Ron Underwood.

Dead of Summer will premiere on Freeform on June 28. A fitting date, just eight days after the official start of summer.