Summer is associated with relaxing and adventurous trips, but a few horror films have audiences reconsidering their seasonal vacation. Films such as Us and Friday the 13th place their characters in life-or-death scenarios in settings that are meant to evoke positive memories. Summer horror films are terrifying on their own, but it’s because of the added element of vacation that the film’s characters are caught off-guard.

What starts as a dream of an idyllic getaway is violently interrupted and a fight for one’s survival suddenly becomes necessary. It’s a shift in tone that happens to play a trick on audiences as well. Images of a European midsummer festival or an isolated, quiet part of town are the backdrops for some of the most terrifying images of violence on-screen.

10

Jaws (1975)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

One of the scariest horror movies set at sea, Jaws has a well-known reputation for furthering audience’s fears of the ocean. Using the 4th of July holiday as a backdrop, Jaws sees a crowd of beachgoers in New England fearful of a great white shark that’s tormenting swimmers and boaters in the ocean. Together, Martin Brody, Matt Hooper, and Quint go on a hunting expedition in search of the killer shark.

Despite its 1975 release, many of the scares hold up well and the trio’s journey is masterfully eerie. Aside from the bloody visuals of shark attacks, the most chilling part of Jaws is when the shark is off-screen. The shark, nicknamed Bruce, isn’t shown too often in Jaws, but it’s the creature’s looming presence that’s terrified audiences for many years.

9

Cabin Fever (2002)

Directed by Eli Roth

For the college graduates in Cabin Fever, one last group adventure is a fun way to celebrate their accomplished milestone. However, the getaway doesn’t go quite as planned. Inspired by real events in director Eli Roth’s life, Cabin Fever is an unsettling look at the effects of a flesh-eating disease. While staying in a remote cabin, the film’s group of friends come into contact with a brutal disease one by one.

There is a large sense of paranoia as each friend tries to conceal their symptoms to avoid a deadly fate. After its release, early reviews of Cabin Fever compared it to the horror films it was inspired by and criticized it for its inability to bring anything new to the horror genre. However, there is no denying the power of the graphic and spine-tingling visuals of the film’s disease, making audiences consider extra precautions when venturing to remote, outdoor locations.

8

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Directed by Tobe Hooper

A road trip is a great way to take in the various landscapes on one’s journey, but it requires frequent stops to rest and refuel the vehicle. Films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre have made such stops a terrifying thought. In The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a group of friends goes on a road trip through a town in Texas.

The semi-far-removed location has the potential to be peaceful, but the events that unfold when the group’s van is low on gas are anything but tranquil. The contrast in the film’s setting and tone is one of the many reasons why The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the ultimate summer horror movie. Another memorable factor from the film is its iconic villain, Leatherface. While the friends explore abandoned homes nearby, they come face-to-face with the antagonist in increasingly gruesome confrontations.

7

Midsommar (2019)

Directed by Ari Aster

A European vacation following the death of her family sounds like a good idea to Dani in Midsommar. The A24 film begins as Dani attends the midsummer festival in Sweden with her boyfriend and his friends. The trip is equal parts adventurous and educational as one of the friends is writing a thesis on similar European festivities. For both the film’s visiting characters and audiences watching the film, the Sweden setting in Midsommar is initially warm.

The visuals of Midsommar invite audiences in with vibrant colors and beaming sunlight. However, things quickly begin to get weird. Midsommar acts as a fascinating story about a horrific cult when members of the commune begin to participate in odd rituals that initially only go as far as to disturb Dani. However, the group of friends are soon attacked by the members in various grim ways and Dani realizes their invitation to the festival was not an act of kindness.

6

Us (2019)

Directed by Jordan Peele

Certain destinations often visited during childhood hold precious memories, but for Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) in Us, a family trip when she was a young girl resulted in a traumatic experience. Now, as an adult, Adelaide is hesitant to return to the location but ultimately agrees to a trip with her children and husband. Us is only the second film directed by Jordan Peele, but he was able to prove he has a knack for chilling concepts and horror following the success of Get Out.

While on vacation, Adelaide and her family come into contact with vicious doppelgängers of themselves, known as the Tethered. What ensues is a psychological battle as the Wilson family confronts their lookalikes in a thrilling fight. Meeting one’s Tethered double isn’t a probable encounter like one with a shark or vicious killer, but the oddity surrounding the lore of the Tethered makes Us a frightful horror film.

5

The Evil Dead (1981)

Directed by Sam Raimi

An isolated cabin is a popular destination for many people in real life and fictional characters in horror films. The setting provides a desired escape away from others, but the planned vacations in horror films always take a dark turn. In The Evil Dead, the remote cabin already begins exhibiting strange behavior upon the group’s arrival, but the discovery of tape recordings sets off a truly thrilling fight for survival.

After the tapes are played, the friends become possessed by a demonic entity, transforming them into creatures known as Deadites. Following the success of the first film, The Evil Dead has turned into a large franchise and helped to boost the career of Bruce Campbell, who portrays the determined Ash Williams throughout the films. The best installment in the franchise varies depending on who’s asked, but The Evil Dead remains a heart-pounding horror film beloved by many.

4

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Directed by Jim Gillespie

Coming home from a vacation is often a dreadful transition back to reality, but the group of friends in I Know What You Did Last Summer are unable to shake the events of their 4th of July adventures when they return home. Driving home from a beach vacation, Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and her friends accidentally hit a pedestrian and, in a panic, dump his body in the water. However, the actions of Julie and her friends come back to haunt them when they are hunted by a mysterious killer.

Slasher films are a subgenre of horror that had a Golden Age during the late ’70s to mid-’80s. Along with Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer is one of the more popular slashers from the ’90s. Though the latter drew many negative critical comparisons to successful slashers, including Scream, it was still a commercial success and continues to be discussed by horror fans.

3

Friday The 13th (1980)

Directed by Sean S. Cunningham

An essential part of many vacations is the trip to a summer camp. Typically, summer camps have a strong sense of community and are meant to be welcoming, but this idea has been flipped on its head thanks to a few horror films. One of the movies most known for its camp setting is Friday the 13th. At Camp Crystal Lake, violent murders take place as a means of vengeance for the drowning of a young boy years earlier.

Friday the 13th is one of the best slasher films of the ’80s and introduced a notable name in horror: Jason Voorhees. In addition to other horror films, such as Halloween, Friday the 13th has been credited for beginning a wave of films in which a group of young people find themselves in a position where they must defeat a masked killer that targeted them.

2

The Burning (1981)

Directed by Tony Maylam

The Burning tends to get overshadowed by bigger horror films, especially Friday the 13th, which it shares a similar premise with. Though The Burning isn’t as successful as Friday the 13th, there are still plenty of redeeming qualities and horrifying thrills that work just as well today. Taking place at Camp Blackfoot, The Burning chronicles the deaths at the hands of a vengeful killer named Cropsy.

The killer is inspired by the urban legend of the Cropsey maniac and raises the fear felt within those familiar with the tale. Still, while there are narrative similarities between The Burning and other slashers, there is an increased level of violence. Much to early critics’ disapproval, it features an abundance of gore. As a killer, Cropsy’s weapon of choice is a pair of shears and throughout The Burning, the manner in which he kills campers is graphic.

1

It (2017)

Directed by Andy Muschietti

Summer is the perfect time to make memories with friends, especially as kids. In It, Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) plans to do just that, but everything changes when his younger brother, Georgie, mysteriously vanishes. Yet, Bill makes the best of the situation and enacts an investigation with his friends, calling themselves The Losers Club. However, The Losers Club starts to be followed by an unlikely antagonist, Pennywise. Involved in Georgie’s disappearance, Pennywise taunts the group of kids and lurks at their feet, hiding in the sewer lines.

In general, clowns are known to elicit feelings of fear, but Pennywise poses a greater threat as he can shape into any figure that best spooks his targeted child. It is the first of two film adaptations of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Pennywise, on-screen and in text, is one of the most famous clowns in pop culture and is likely where the fear of such a figure comes from.