Final Summer Digital Release Review

3 stars of bloody and brutal summer camp slasher.

Final Summer is a 2023 horror thriller written and directed by John Isberg and is his directorial feature debut.

Reminiscent of the slasher flicks of the eighties, this gory slice of nostalgia is available on UK Digital Platforms from 18th September 2023 courtesy of Miracle Media.

“You know I know karate. Third degree black belt. Alright. You wanna see how it feels like? Dude? Dude! There’s a killer in the forest.”

At Camp Silverlake, the counselors sit around a campfire in 1986 and listen to local legends designed to scare, groundskeeper Warren Copper (Robert Gerard Anderson – Mondo Hollywood) has a fearsome reputation and various incidents have occurred. A death occurs in the woods and a skull mask is stolen from one of the counselors.

Cut to 1991 and summer camp at Camp Silverlake is drawing to a close. An incident in which a young camper named Mason was found dead has cast a shadow over the final day and the owner Linnea (Joi Hoffsommer – House of Thaddeus) breaks the news that this is to be the last camp held. It’s the final straw in a long line of accidents.

As the counselors begin to pack away, Lexi (Jenna Kohn) is struggling to come to terms with what has happened. She was with the group who lost Mason and as it turns out, his grandfather is none other than Warren Copper and he is less than happy. Her friend Georgia (Charlee Amacher) is trying to help her, along with Peter (Wyatt Taber), who holds a torch for her.

When camp bully Mike (Charlie Bauer) goes missing, the rest of them go to search and this is when they realise that they are being hunted one by one, by a maniac with a skull mask and an axe. Who is it and what do they want?

“This camp has been in my family for as long as I can remember. It was my father’s legacy, and this incident is not going to tarnish that.”

Final Summer is an entertaining watch and certainly manages to capture the spirit of the eighties slasher films. It would never be mistaken for one, times have changed and the scale of the characters with them, but it’s fun nevertheless.

Where it falls down a little is the uninspiring script, with which the cast of inexperienced actors do the best they can, trying to keep up the tension and the feeling of a cat and mouse hunt. It does however feature a stand out performance from Charlee Amacher, who steals every scene she appears in. The lack of attention to detail also lets it down a bit, if you’re going to call it Camp Silverlake, don’t keep showing the name of the actual camp where you filmed it.

The special effects are pretty good, with gruesome deaths aplenty and lots of blood and gore to satisfy fans of a good old fashioned slasher (or hacker in this case). The skull faced man also makes for a memorable adversary. A fine summer camp romp and well worth a watch.

“It’s my fault? I’m just trying to keep us alive, what do you want from me? I just want one moment where everything isn’t f*****g insane! Can you do that for me?”