Some people only want to watch horror movies in the run-up to Halloween, but I like onscreen spooks and scares all year round, even in the bright sunshiny months of summer. There are plenty of horror movies that are perfectly suited to the hottest months of the year, with some of the biggest horror flicks of all time being set in summer—there’s Jaws (1975), Friday the 13th (1980), and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), to name just a few!
But if you’ve already sweated and screamed through those classics countless times and you’re looking for something different to watch this summer, then here are five underrated horror films to check out…
The Ruins (2008)
Based on Scott Smith’s 2006 novel of the same name, The Ruins follows two American couples who are on a summer vacation in Mexico. Looking for a bit of adventure to cap off their mostly poolside and booze-fueled trip, the friends decide to accompany a fellow tourist who’s going to an archaeological dig in the jungle in search of his missing brother.
The group leaves all common sense back at the resort and they soon find themselves trapped on the mounded ruins of a Mayan temple. Their limited food, water, and shelter initially seem like their biggest problems—especially considering the blazing hot sun above—but it doesn’t take long for them to realize that the greatest threat is actually the strange and sinister vines blanketing the ruins.
The characters themselves are paper thin, but really, we’re all watching for the plant-based carnage, which is generously delivered in huge, gory buckets of blood and viscera!
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)
Shark attack movies are a summer staple and my favorite underrated example has to be the oh-so-silly 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. I do also like its 2017 predecessor, 47 Meters Down—which is about cage driving with sharks going wrong—but Uncaged is a lot more playful.
The film stars a pre-Yellowjackets Sophie Nélisse as Mia, who’s being bullied at her new school and is struggling to connect with her stepsister, Sasha (Corinne Foxx). The sisters are supposed to go on a glass-bottom boat tour to view sharks, but two of Sasha’s friends tempt them away with promises of a secret swimming spot. The lagoon happens to be the dive entrance of a now-submerged ancient Mayan city and the girls decide to channel their inner Lara Croft by exploring.
47 Meters Down: Uncaged certainly has its stupid moments but it’s so much fun that I just don’t care. The lost city setting not only looks very cool, but it also provides a horrifyingly claustrophobic atmosphere. The film is a total popcorn flick, but it was never trying to be anything more grounded or serious, so just lean in and let the current take you.
Summer of ’84 (2018)
Set in the fictitious Cape May area of Oregon, Summer of ’84 follows four teenage boys as they while away the bright days of summer break by riding their bikes around town and hanging out in a treehouse. The summer takes a darker turn when Davey (Graham Verchere) begins to think that his police officer neighbor, masterfully played by Rich Sommer, might be the Cape May Slayer, who has been killing kids for a decade. Davey and his friends decide to become amateur sleuths in an attempt to prove their suspicions.
Summer of 84 may seem like it’s relying on clichés and playing into ’80s nostalgia—and it is, at first, right down to its synth-pop score—but then it takes the rose-tinted glasses through which we often view that decade and smashes them to pieces. Come for the classic coming-of-age tale with fun ’80s trappings, stay for the ultimately harrowing deconstruction of that subgenre.
The Bay (2012)
Director Barry Levinson—of Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and Rain Man (1988) fame—has just one horror flick in his filmography: The Bay, a found footage mockumentary that has largely managed to fly under the radar.
Set on the Fourth of July in the made-up town of Claridge on the Chesapeake Bay, we watch as a bizarre illness rapidly infects the population, causing people to break out in nasty lesions. The film is essentially a collection of footage pulled from security cameras, townspeople’s phones, a news camera, and police cams. Found footage films are often limited to just one or two perspectives, but The Bay offers a sweeping overview of the rapidly deteriorating situation.
You might think that this is a perfect film to watch on the Fourth, but I actually recommend watching it nearer the end of summer, ideally once all of your lake and/or beach days are done, because the gruesome visuals might leave you unwilling to spend even a single second in the water.
Piranha 3D (2010)
Technically, Piranha 3D is set during spring break, but the sun-drenched lake setting means that it’s just as much fun to watch during summer too. Everything kicks off when a small earthquake causes a chasm to open up at the bottom of a lake in Arizona, unleashing hundreds of vicious prehistoric piranhas. This toothy situation is made even worse by the fact that hordes of spring break revelers have descended on the lake to party.
Director Alexandre Aja knew exactly what kind of film he wanted to make—one filled with silly and gory fish-fueled insanity—and he certainly delivered it. Everything is over-the-top, from the self-consciously lewd humor to the gore-fest final act. As well as featuring copious amounts of blood and boobs, the cast is also great. Elisabeth Shue stars as the sheriff trying to stop the mayhem and she’s helped by a marine biologist played by Christopher Lloyd and a diver played by Adam Scott. I’ll let you discover the rest of this very fun cast for yourself!
There are plenty of other hidden gem horror movies out there that are perfect to watch during summer, so feel free to leave your own favorites in the comments below!
