Horror has always been about monsters, death, and the fear of the unknown. But in recent years, it’s started showing up in unexpected settings, like Summer, which has now become just as frightening as Halloween. Beaches, woods, long drives to nowhere, campfires, and cult rituals have become classic setups. What once meant fun and freedom now hides every kind of evil.

Summer horror often plays with that contrast. Everything looks bright and easy, filled with young and beautiful characters meant to appeal to younger audiences. But behind those sunny days at the beach, something always turns out to be wrong.

Seasons’ impact on horror movies

When we think of horror movies, we imagine dark forests, creaking houses, and stormy nights, classic autumn settings. But Summer has learned to use the same clichés, adapting them to its characteristics. Other seasons, such as Christmas or Carnival, have tried the same approach, but never with the same impact.

Beaches, camps, and road trips are places we usually associate with relaxation and fun. So when something goes wrong, it feels worse, and the viewer’s tension rises. Films like Friday the 13th (1980) transformed a simple campfire story into a massacre, forever tarnishing lakes and ruining the experience of roasted marshmallows. The Shallows (2016) did the same, turning a peaceful surfing morning into a desperate fight for survival.

10 Horror films that met vacations

There’s something off about being on holiday and realizing you’re not as safe as you thought. The enjoyment and excitement of the unknown quickly give way to fear and anxiety in a new place. Horror knows how to use that feeling, and here are 10 movies that made it their essence.

Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) is the classic summer horror. Sun, beach, and tourists everywhere, relaxing in sunbeams and swimming mindlessly. Until a shark shows up and ruins the entire season, creating fear among swimmers and tourists, and turning everything into a desperate hunt between man and nature. With its 50th anniversary, Jaws is also being re-released in a new version. 

In It (2017), summer break means no more school or lessons, just taking bikes and hanging out with friends. But all this quickly fades when the killer clown from Stephen King’s novel starts creating hallucinations and nightmares in the kids, feeding on their fear hidden beneath the rotten town.

In Midsommar (2019) a group of students accompany Florence Pugh to a sunny swedish festival where the sun never sets. At first, it feels like an exciting cultural trip, but slowly it reveals itself as something they can’t leave. Director Ari Aster forces the viewer to face horror in plain sight, with madness hiding in daylight.

In Us (2019), a family visits their summer house near the beach. It’s all good vibes and memories until mysterious doppelgängers show up at the door. The absolute terror is in recognizing yourself and realizing you’re not alone anymore.

The Ruins (2008) is a dreadful vacation movie. Some tourists take a detour to ruins off the map, but what they find there gives them no way back.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) uses the Fourth of July as the backdrop for secrets, guilt, and bloody revenge. A summer party turns into a countdown as a group of friends start fearing someone will reveal what they’ve done.

The Wicker Man (1973) appears to be a relaxing trip to a remote island for a summer festival, complete with music, flowers, and sunny days. But something is wrong with the island’s people—a secret the protagonist (Edward Woodward) discovers at his own risk.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is often regarded as a seminal horror film. It begins with a hot road trip through rural Texas, where a group of friends is looking for fun. But they quickly find something to fear, discovering a terrifying family and a gruesome fate waiting for them.

The Beach House (2019) is a quiet and peculiar movie that recalls Lovecraft. Two couples go to a beach house to relax, until they find something weird in the sky and the sea that turns out to be a terrifying danger.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) follows a group of teen friends going on vacation in the woods, but what they find is a terrible and ancient secret. Drew Goddard directs this meta-take on the cabin horror genre, starring Chris Hemsworth, mixing clichés and twists with a hidden force behind the terror.

Upcoming new horror films and series

New movies are coming out in summer 2025, set in the same season, along with some new TV series.

With 28 Years Later, the rage virus returns in a sunburnt UK. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s new chapter has already received praise, even if not as much as the original. The film is almost a coming-of-age story, with the infected now evolved, still fast and dangerous.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is also back as a legacy sequel; this new entry aims to restart the saga for a younger audience, after the poorly received TV series. Released in July 18, the film brings back the hooked killer for a new round of revenge.

It: Welcome to Derry is a new HBO series based on Stephen King’s novel, exploring the origins of Pennywise and the cursed town that keeps forgetting what hides beneath its surface. While taking place in the summer, it will be released in fall 2025.

MGM’s The Institute, also adapted from a Stephen King novel, promises a mix of psychological horror and supernatural tension, centered on kids, isolation, and strange experiments. The series was released on July 13 on MGM+. 

The premises for a thrilling summer are all here.