19 Iconic Horror Movies That Deserve To Be Watched Before Summer Comes To An End
- A list of summer-inspired horror films perfect for a scary movie marathon includes classics like Jaws and modern hits like Us.
With temperatures hot as hell currently, there's no better time than now for a scary movie marathon. Here are some of the best summer-inspired films that'll scare you all season long:
1. Jaws (1975)
A great white shark stalking a beach community is about as summer as it gets.
Cast:Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss
Scare Meter:💀
© Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
2. Us (2019)
A family vacation to Santa Cruz, California goes awry after strangers break into Adelaide's ( Lupita Nyong'o ) childhood home.
Cast:Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke , and Elizabeth Moss
Scare Meter:💀💀💀
Claudette Barius / © Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
3. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
A tragic accident results in four friends being stalked by a hook-wielding man in their idyllic seaside town.
Cast:Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar , Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr.
Scare Meter:💀💀
Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
4. It Follows (2015)
After a hookup one night, Jay (Maika Monroe) is hunted by an unknown force that can take the form of anything, keeping audiences on their toes 'til the very end.
Cast:Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, and Olivia Luccardi
Scare Meter:💀💀
© RADiUS-TWC / Courtesy Everett Collection
5. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
What starts as a weekend at a remote cabin takes audiences for a wild ride of twists and turns celebrating horror's most iconic clichés.
Cast:Kristin Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, and Anna Hutchison
Scare Meter:💀💀
Diyah Pera / © Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection
6. Addams Family Values (1993)
While it's not quite a "horror" movie, Addams Family Values features iconic summertime moment when Wednesday and Pugsley go to summer camp.
Cast:Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci
Scare Meter:💀
© Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
7. Friday the 13th (1980)
The slasher saga at Camp Crystal Lake had to start somewhere.
Cast:Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, and Jeannine Taylor
Scare Meter:💀💀
© Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
8. Midsommar (2019)
A summer festival in Sweden that ultimately turns out to be a lot more sinister than expected.
Cast:Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and Vilhelm Blomgren
Scare Meter:💀💀💀
© A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
If you hate the sound of chainsaws, you should probably skip this one.
Cast:Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, and Allen Danzinger
Scare Meter:💀💀💀
Vortex Inc. / Courtesy Everett Collection
10. It (2017)
Rewind to the summer of 1989 in Derry, Maine and you'll find a whole lot of scares with Pennywise at the center of it all.
Cast:Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Chosen Jacobs
Scare Meter:💀💀💀
Brooke Palmer / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
11. The Evil Dead (1981)
Another cabin in the woods moment that has a few terrifying demons waiting.
Cast:Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Richard DeManincor
Scare Meter:💀💀💀
© New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection
12. A Perfect Getaway (2009)
A Hawaiian getaway of sun, sand, and surf quickly goes from dreamy to deadly.
Cast:Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, and Kiele Sanchez
Scare Meter:💀
Javier Pesquera / © Rogue Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
13. Club Dread (2004)
If hilariously campy movies are your thing, Club Dread might be your movie match.
Cast:Jay Chandrasekhar, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Heffernan
Scare Meter:💀
© Fox Searchlight / Courtesy Everett Collection
14. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Trust us: You've never been to a hurricane party like this one.
Cast:Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, and Pete Davidson
Scare Meter:💀
Gwen Capistran / © A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
15. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)
Horror meets comedy as two friends are mistakenly labeled murderous hillbillies when they are very much anything but that.
Cast:Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, and Katrina Bowden
Scare Meter:💀
Dan Power / © Maple Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
16. Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 (2021)
The second installment in the Fear Street trilogy brings us back to Shadyside for a menacing summer at Camp Nightwing.
Cast:Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, and Ryan Simpkins
Scare Meter:💀
© Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
17. Cabin Fever (2003)
In true Eli Roth fashion, Cabin Fever is full of gore as a group of friends battle a flesh-eating virus after renting a cabin in the woods.
Cast:Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong, and James DeBello
Scare Meter:💀💀💀
© Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection
18. The Lost Boys (1987)
A group of seaside vampires in the '80s? Say less.
Cast:Jason Patric, Corey Haim, and Dianne Wiest
Scare Meter:💀
© Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
19. The Final Girls (2015)
The Final Girls is a satirical ode to iconic slasher films and possibly one of the most underrated films around.
Cast:Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Adam Devine, Thomas Middleditch, Alexander Ludwig, and Nina Dobrev
Scare Meter:💀
Stage 6 Films / Via youtube.com
What's your favorite horror movie to watch in the summer? Share your pick in the comments!
