The picture is actually closer in tone to “Meatballs,” which isn’t a welcome development for a genre production.

| Original Score: C | Apr 22, 2025

Finn Wolfhard and Billy Byrk's horror comedy has it's moments and there is definite promise for these two as filmmakers, but the film didn't grasp me like I wanted it to.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 21, 2025

Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk craft a missable addition to the slasher genre that relies on references and dated humor to make up for its hollow heart.

| Original Score: 3/10 | Apr 18, 2025

The most important thing to know going into Hell of a Summer is that while it’s billed (correctly) as a horror-comedy, the vibe is more Superbad than Sleepaway Camp. If you go in with those expectations managed, you’ll have a good time.

| Apr 17, 2025

The comedic highlight of the film is Fred Hechinger’s Jason, the aforementioned unaware camper who shines because he sticks out as so far removed from the rest of the film.

| Original Score: B | Apr 14, 2025

“Hell of a Summer” is suitable midnight-with-popcorn-in-July-viewing, which is how many of us first encountered Jason to begin with.

| Apr 14, 2025

Filled with classic slasher camp shenanigans and serves an impressive debut for the young filmmakers, despite a few under-baked ideas.

| Apr 12, 2025

A few charming moments unfortunately can't save this mess of a movie. As far as camp slashers go, it doesn't commit to what makes the subgenre work well, especially in the kills dept. And the killer has zero personality.

| Original Score: 5/10 | Apr 11, 2025

(The tropes in the film) are not because the film is lazy and derivative. It's because it wants to show reverence to those who came before it.

| Original Score: B | Apr 10, 2025

“Hell of a Summer” has a hard time standing out in a memorable way. It can’t quite muster the same appeal as the blood-soaked genre movies it clearly admires. And it doesn’t have enough of its own flavor to come across as something original.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 9, 2025

Humorous summer camp slasher.

| Original Score: B | Apr 9, 2025

Hell of a Summer has plenty of laughs with its Gen Z coming-of-age take on the classic camp slasher. The characters are fun and the dialogue is consistently witty throughout. The actual slashing is where the movie has its major shortcomings.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 8, 2025

Older teens will likely be screaming with laughter at Wolfhard and Bryk's slasher parody, but adults may not be as gutted with a splitting side.

| Apr 8, 2025

Hell of a Summer, the latest slasher to receive a theatrical release courtesy of genre specialists Neon, is a surefooted but rigorous retelling of familiar blade-oriented killing frenzies.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Apr 8, 2025

"Hell of a Summer" is a clever tribute to summer camp movies.

| Original Score: B- | Apr 7, 2025

Bryk and Wolfhard seemingly have a great personal and professional relationship, but that chemistry doesn’t translate to the screen in their characters or in the work.

| Apr 7, 2025

Hell of a Summer isn’t an incompetent production; it just doesn’t have that extra something that makes it memorable.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 6, 2025

HELL OF A SUMMER feels like it’s tackling the masked-psycho genre from a distance... The tropes are present and accounted for, but little is done to either freshen them up or send them up.

| Apr 5, 2025

It’s cute but unambitious, staying very safe by sticking to all the old tropes shared by so many of its predecessors.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 4, 2025

Bryk and Wolfhard may like these kids too much to let them die or be imperiled in memorable ways, but they don’t like them enough to develop their personalities beyond tic-y, schticky gags.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Apr 4, 2025