What better way to beat the dog days of summer than hiding away inside, cranking the AC, and watching a horror flick? That’s why we put together a list of our favorite summer horror movies of all time. But just to clarify, by “summer horror movies” we mean movies that take place during the summer.
That means some “summer-ish” films — such as Cabin Fever (October) and Cabin in the Woods (weekend getaway) — aren’t eligible for the list. We also require summertime to be explicitly mentioned in the film, so that knocks 2 of our Mia Goth favorites, X and its sequel Pearl, out of contention. We’ve also excluded comedy horror flicks, so you won’t find The Final Girls lurking around here.
Without further ado, here are our favorite summer horror movies of all time.
#11: The Girl Next Door (2007)
This is not to be confused with the romantic comedy starring Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert from 2004. Not at all. Also known as Jack Ketchum’s Evil, The Girl Next Door is based on the multi-Stoker Award winner’s novel of the same name, which was itself loosely based on the true-life story of Sylvia Likens.
Without giving too much away, 2 recently orphaned sisters are sent to live with their aunt Ruth and her 3 sons. Very quickly, the older sister becomes persona non grata in Ruth’s eyes and is sent (or rather, sentenced) to live in the basement. Horrific things happen from there.
Stephen King called it “the dark-side-of-the-moon version of Stand By Me.” But even with the Master of Horror’s stamp of approval, it’s still one of the most divisive movies around, with as many 10-star ratings as 1-stars on IMDb.
Whether you love it or hate it, the only way to find out is by watching it. The first hour and 15 minutes are disturbing, but the final quarter-hour is downright horrifying. Still, it’s nothing compared to the real-life story behind it.
Where to stream it:
FASTs: Freevee, Tubi
Check out our Prime Video Review to see if it’s worth it to you.
#10: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
The sophomore directorial effort by legendary horror director Wes Craven cemented his name — and filmmaking future — in the horror genre.
Based on the legend of Scotsman Sawney Bean and his merry band of cannibals, a suburban family’s California road trip is sidetracked by a clan of Nevada flesh-eaters.
Made on a shoestring budget of somewhere between $350k to $700k, it went on to make $25 million. Full of chills, thrills, and dark humor, the movie became a cult classic and was even included in Steven Jay Schneider’s 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (hopefully not on somebody’s dinner plate).
Pop it up on the screen for those in the backseat during your next summer road trip. It might be a good way to stop them from asking “Are we there yet?”
Where to stream it:
AMC+, Arrow, Screambox, Shudder
FASTs & library streamers: Tubi, Plex, Hoopla, Kanopy
#9: Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Ask almost any horror fan and they’ll tell you that Sleepaway Camp is one of the classic summer camp slashers. Starring scream queen Felissa Rose, it’s got one of the greatest endings in movie history — which is all we’re going to say about that.
Aside from the ending, it’s notable for a cast mostly comprised of actual teenagers, rather than twentysomethings (or even thirtysomethings!) pretending to be young.
While not the most renowned horror franchise of all time, it spawned 4 sequels. Only one of them involved the original’s writer/director, Robert Hiltzik — who didn’t even know the others existed or that his film had become a cult classic! How’s that for a twist?
Where to stream it:
FASTs & Library streamers: Crackle, Freevee, Pluto TV, Plex, Roku Channel, Redbox, Tubi
#8: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Jennifer Love Hewitt leads a cast of beautiful people in low-cut, tight tees as they try to figure out who knows, uh, what they did last summer. And that’s not referring to where they went for vacation. It’s the deadly hit-and-run the group of then high schoolers covered up.
Loosely based on the YA novel of the same name by Lois Duncan, IKWYDLS has all the right ingredients for a summer slasher. Attractive, young cast? Check. A secret collective guilt? Check. Mysterious villain? Check. That’s probably why it’s the 7th highest-grossing slasher of all time.
Two forgettable sequels followed, and a third “legacy” sequel is reportedly in the works. But with no release date yet, you probably have at least one more summer to watch the original.
Where to stream it:
FASTs: Pluto TV (until Sept 1, 2023)
#7: Summer of 84 (2018)
Possibly (or likely) taking some inspiration from 1985’s classic horror film Fright Night, 15-year-old Davey suspects that his neighbor is a serial killer. Of course, Davey also digs conspiracy theories, so he gets a bit of the Boy-Who-Cried-Wolf treatment until he coughs up a bit more proof.
The film captures the feel and essence of the 1980s as well as any episode of Stranger Things and is a commendable homage to the horror movies of that time. It’s not surprising that it made many year-end lists in 2018.
The Summer of 84 is essential viewing for horror fans from June to September.
Where to stream it:
FASTs & library streamers: Hoopla, Kanopy
#6: Hostel (2005)
Hold on to your backpack. And your lunch.
In his follow-up to his Cabin Fever debut, director Eli Roth does for backpacking what Jaws did for beachgoing. Or at least tries his damnedest. When a trio of college friends traveling across Europe arrive in Slovakia, they soon wish they’d splurged for a room at the Marriott.
Instead of room service or a dip in the pool, our intrepid travelers end up on the wrong side of a torture chamber glory hole for depraved plutocrats.
Roth’s sophomore effort is reputedly the first to be called “torture porn”, although Hostel is hardly the first film to fit that bill. But fit the bill it does.
Where to stream it:
Hostel is apparently taking a break from paid streaming services at this time (August 2023).
FASTs: Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV
#5: Friday the 13th (1980)
While the question of which Friday the 13th film is the franchise’s best is a hotly debated topic, they all don’t take place during the summer. But that doesn’t matter, because the first one does, and that’s our top pick anyway.
Before the hockey mask. Even before the unkillable man himself. This is where it all started. (And was one of Kevin Bacon’s first movies roles.)
It may not hold up as well visually as another old horror flick ranked higher on this list, but the Jason-less horror remains a classic for reason. Not only did it explicitly establish the have-sex-and-die slasher trope, but that first time at Camp Crystal Lake put summer camp massacres on the cinematic map.
Where to stream it:
Paramount+ (Apple TV Channel only)
#4: It (2017)
Commonly referred to as It Chapter One, — probably to avoid confusion with the 1990 miniseries It starring Tim Curry — It is the highest-grossing horror film of all time. And with all due respect to the fabulous Mr. Curry — and an impressive first adaptation of King’s 1,000-page tome — It is better than It.
The movie starts on a rainy day in October and immediately tells the viewer this ain’t no made-for-TV miniseries. Fast forward to the following June, and 13-year-old Bill enlists his friends to help him correct the mistakes of his past — and fight a primordial, extraterrestrial evil shapeshifter that materializes as your greatest fear.
Stephen King wasn’t consulted on the film, as he has been with many film adaptations of his oeuvre, but he evidently loves it:
Where to stream it:
Unfortunately, It is not currently available on streaming services. However, you can grab a digital rental for $4 at all the usual places.
#3: Midsommar (2019)
Midsommar is director Ari Aster’s sophomore feature film — after Hereditary — and you couldn’t ask for a better follow-up.
Similar to a movie 3 spots down our list, a group of American college kids join their European schoolmate on his home turf during the summer break.
Heading to a commune for a midsummer festival in the idyllic Swedish countryside starts out wonderfully — except for the fact that one of the guy’s brought his girlfriend along. They even get a bunch of free mushrooms, which is great until said girlfriend has a bad trip.
It’s an A24 film, so obviously things are going to get messed up. And boy, do they. Then you’re left watching the rest of the film with your jaw hanging open.
Granted, it’s not loved by all — dividing both viewers and critics — so some may take umbrage with it ranking so high on our list. But we call ’em like see ’em.
Where to stream it:
Library streamers: Kanopy
#2: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
When watching old movies, it helps to imagine being in the audience of the day. Only then can you truly appreciate when a film is doing something innovative or pushing the bounds of the norm.
And The Texas Chainsaw Massacre did exactly that. In his contemporaneous review, Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars and a thumbs up but didn’t enjoy it.
It’s also without any apparent purpose, unless the creation of disgust and fright is a purpose. And yet in its own way, the movie is some kind of weird, off-the-wall achievement. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to make a movie like this, and yet it’s well-made, well-acted, and all too effective.
The landmark horror film has been given the 4K UHD remaster treatment at least twice, and both look fantastic. Certainly good enough to mollify those viewers who don’t like watching “old-looking” old movies.
Not only that, the movie itself holds up just fine after (almost) 50 years. That’s no small achievement, as there aren’t too many films that can deliver scares to multiple generations.
Where to stream it:
FASTs: Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Plex, Freevee
#1: Jaws (1975)
While this may come as a surprise to some, as Jaws is not your typical murder-filled horror film. Some may prefer to call it a thriller, or even an action or adventure movie. And sure, why can’t it be all of them? But what’s more horrific than a primordial beast invisibly lurking in the shadows until it strikes?
Horror film: …the representation of disturbing and dark subject matter, seek to elicit responses of fear, terror, disgust, shock, suspense, and, of course, horror from their viewers.
And who can forget that music? You can still hear people mimicking it today in swimming pools around the world. Without a doubt, the inimitable John Williams is as much to thank for the horror of Jaws as Spielberg.
No other horror movie — or perhaps movie in general — in the history of cinema has had such an impact on people’s actual lives. People were so afraid to go in the ocean that beach tourism declined in 1975. How many films can say that?
Where to stream it:
FASTs: Tubi
Which streaming service has the most summer horror movies?
When it comes to paid streaming services (and therefore ad-free with the right plan), it’s a dead heat between 5 streamers. AMC+, Parmount+, Peacock, Shudder, and DirecTV all have 2 movies on our list. Hulu, Prime Video, and Screambox each have 1 movie.
However, when it comes to the best overall — including free ad-supported television (FAST) services — Freevee takes the top spot with 4 films. Tubi and Plex tie for second with 3 movies each.
What perhaps surprised us the most was that Max has none of the films on our list. It’s usually a solid choice when it comes horror.
What’s the “most popular” summer horror movie on streaming?
The most popular summer horror movie — ie: the one on the most platforms — is Sleepaway Camp, which is streaming on 9 of the 25 services we counted. The second-most popular summer horror movie is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is available on 8 streaming services. And coming in a distant third — with only 3 platforms — is Hostel, which is only available on FASTs.
💀 Do you see a glaring omission from our list? What’s your favorite summer horror movie? Let us know in the comments below.
👀 And in the meantime, check out our Paramount Review, Peacock Review, and DirecTV Stream Review, to see if one of them suits your needs.
