Final Summer is a 2023 slasher that attempts to blend the 1980s camp stalking side of the genre, with the more self-referential/post-modern 1990s side of the things. It certainly has some effectively eerier atmospherics in place, the cast is ok, and we have a few tense moments. On the less positive side of things- the gore is absent for much of the film, at the points it wholesale rips off classic slasher scenes, and there is way, way too much use of lens flare & arty out-of-focus scoping. Here from Reel 2 Reel Films is a VOD/ digital release of the film.

Final Summer is the first feature-length film from one John Isberg- who wrote, directed, filmed, and edited the film. Previously he’d directed a music video, did a few shorts, and directed four episodes of teen mystery/drama Magnetic Fields. And as debut features go it certainly shows some promise though equally there are elements that just don’t work/ frustrate.

The film is set in a lakeside summer camp surrounded by woods- and we kick off with a pre-credit flashback to the year 1986.  A group of new camp councillors are having a nighttime fire in the woods near the camp- one of the more seasoned camp councillors is telling the tale of a skull head killer who stalks the forest killing those who don’t put out fires. It’s of course all a joke, and he makes them jump by putting on a skull mask at the end of the story. He goes off to chop wood, and guess what he gets stalked by someone who steals the mask, picks up the axe, and kills him. The credits roll.

We jump forward to 1991- where one camp's youngster has died- he’s the son of the camp's rather grizzled, bearded & haunted-looking handyman. The councillors are informed that the camp now has to close for good due to the death of the youngster- as over the years there have been too many accidents/ deaths in the camp. So they start the tied up, darkness falls and the camp's power goes- and the skull mask killer starts a stalking.

Our lead is early twentysomething Lexi (Jeanna Kohn) who keeps having flashbacks to her traumatic youth. She is joined by a selection of fellow twentysomethings- some are vaguely memorable, many are not. Added into the mix we have Thom Mathews( F13 part six & Return Of The Living Dead) as one of the nearby town sheriffs.

The stalking action starts relatively quickly with Isberg creating a good sense of eeriness & tension. The killer himself feels rather Micheal Meyers with his almost sort of robotic manner- though at points he suddenly runs off in a rather haphazard manner- which rather ruins the effect. When he gets his victims, unfortunately, the kills are either done off-screen, or we see little gore, and there is nothing really inventive/ different about them. Yes, we do get a bit of blood/ gore- though it mostly appears fleetingly in the last quarter of the film. I’d say the best of the picture happens around the stalking elements, and when we get interaction between the councillors it’s a rather just run-of-the-mill drama.

On the less positive side of things- we get way, way too much use of lens flair- so much so it gets quite frustrating. Also, he keeps using a soft out-of-focus grain here & there- which is also really grating. Next, we get a few wholesale steals from other films- there’s a lift-up kill( which is almost identical to one in the original Halloween), and we get someone tied to a chair/ with his mouth gagged near a mist-shored swimming pool( ala the first Scream ).

In finishing, I’d say Final Summer is just ok…though I think it’s not been marketed/ meant for someone like me....a rather jaded in his late 40s slasher fan, who saw all the tropes & touches used here the first time around. This is for late teens/ early twenty-somethings who have dipped their toe in the genre, and if this helps them discover the classic originals I’m all for it….though it could have certainly been a bit more gory/ inventive with its kills!.