Hell of a Summer: Finn Wolfhard horror comedy secures Neon distribution and 2025 release

The camp-set horror comedy Hell of a Summer, directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, has secured a 2025 release in the U.S.

Hell of a Summer

A while back, Stranger Things and Ghostbusters: Afterlife actor Finn Wolfhard made his feature directorial debut with a horror comedy called Hell of a Summer, which he directed alongside Billy Bryk, who also appeared in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and gave it a 5/10 review than can be read at THIS LINK – and now, Variety reports that Hell of a Summer has secured a U.S. distribution deal with NEON, which sent Longlegs and Cuckoo out into the world. The company is planning to give Wolfhard and Bryk’s film a theatrical release sometime in 2025.

Months before Hell of a Summer was officially announced, Wolfhard said that he was planning to make his feature directorial debut with “a horror-comedy-slasher movie that takes place at a camp.” Sure enough, that’s what this movie is. The story follows counselors who are getting Camp Pineway ready the night before campers arrive when a masked killer begins slaughtering the staff. Variety notes that Wolfhard and Bryk have said they wrote the film with a goal of upending Gen Z stereotypes.

Wolfhard and Bryk both star in their directorial effort and are joined in the cast by Fred Hechinger (the Fear Street trilogy), D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs), Abby Quinn (Mad About You), and Pardis Saremi (Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem).

30West financed and executive produced Hell of a Summer. Hechinger produced the film alongside Aggregate Films, Parts and Labor Production, Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan, Drew Brennan, and Jay Van Hoy. Filming took place in Ontario, Canada. 30West also co-represents the U.S. rights alongside CAA Media Finance. 

Are you interested in seeing a horror comedy directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk? Share your thoughts on Hell of a Summer by leaving a comment below. I’m very curious to see this one, as I’m a big fan of camp-set horror movies like Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th Part 2, Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, Sleepaway Camp, The Burning, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, etc.

Are you looking forward to seeing Hell of a Summer in 2025? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Source: Variety

About the Author

Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he's a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.