We can't let summer end without visiting camp! Even a terribly run, cheaply funded one! (or maybe, ESPECIALLY a terribly run and cheaply funded one)
Quick Plot: Doing some backwards math, our story begins around a campfire in 1987, when a few counselors tell slasher stories about burn victim-groundskeeper-
Don't ask me how, as the film never actually explains it.
Mysterious dead Mason is none other than Mason Copper, son of Warren, who, UNDERSTANDABLY, doesn't take things well. Camp director Linnea Krug is adamant that the show will go on, since Camp Silverlake was founded by her father (a painted cameo by the great Tom Atkisn) and they have, apparently, weathered MANY such disasters over their decades in business.
No, we don't get any more details, and yes, we are essentially led to believe that this camp has a higher body count than the state of New Jersey. Don't think too hard about it because two scenes later, Krug returns to explain how this IS the end of Camp Silverlake, which has been sold to developers. The remaining young staff must pack it all up and end their summer early.
As night falls, the counselors laze around the incredibly disgusting pool, lining themselves up for an axe attack by a mysterious masked man. Final girl-in-the-making Lexi must also contend with her own inner demons, as a few years earlier, her little brother was killed under her watch.
Again, I think? Final Summer isn't what you'd call a detail-oriented film. Written, directed, and (most unfortunately) shot by John Isberg, it desperately wants to evoke Friday the 13th vibes. The slasher spirit is strong, and the refreshingly diverse young cast is sufficiently dumb to be slaughtered quickly.
And yet somehow, despite barely nudging over the 80 minute mark, Final Summer seems to go on forever. Part of it might be viewer exhaustion in trying to decipher what they're seeing (both from a story point of view and a 'what is actually going on here?' one). Motives are fuzzy, death scenes cut oddly, and character choices continuously escalate in their stupidity.
It's not good. That being said, Final Summer is clearly made with enthusiasm. The young cast varies in skill, but some show nice sparks of charisma under fairly dull writing. The pacing is weird, but also generally fast, with a few decently executed bursts of violence (usually followed by characters making incredibly dumb decisions). This won't particularly satisfy most horror fans, but at least it feels like it was made by one.
High Points
There's a fun sequence right as the carnage begins where the whole group of counselors approach the killer, unaware of its identity or plans, that almost called to mind The Burning in its burst of fast kills. It's far, far away from The Burning, but I appreciate the somewhat fresh approach
Low Points
I was fine with the rather silly, but also inevitable climax reveal, but then this 82 minute movie had the nerve to keep going, tossing in a completely undefined continuation that made less sense, and THEN, a post-credits teaser for goodness sake
Lessons Learned
A trophy is not necessarily the one-shot weapon you expect it to be
Once your identity is revealed, you could save a lot of aggravation by NOT wearing your slasher mask that impedes peripheral vision
The last day of camp is the perfect time to ruin a friendship
Rent/Bury/Buy
If you're desperately craving a camp-set slasher and have run through the okay to good ones, Final Summer is probably near the top of the not good pile. It's on Amazon Prime for those that just can't resist.
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