Dead of Summer
I'm going to review this one as though you haven't seen it. As it is a TV series, I think that this is sensible, and much easier than trying to summarize the whole thing.
This series may seem like a bit of a deviation for me. If you know the kind of TV shows I usually watch, you'd know that police procedurals, detective shows, and British mysteries make up the majority of my television interests, along with a healthy dose of comedy, fantasy, and historical pieces. I have begun to watch more horror movies thanks to my sister, but that's never really been my thing. So why Dead of Summer you ask? Well, there are several reasons.
First, I kept seeing the ads...and they were very vague, but very intriguing.
Second, my sister loves horror movies and thought that a horror show for young adults was perfect!
Third, and most important, I saw that the creators were the same men who made Once Upon a Time (and also Lost) so I knew it had to be good. Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis are my idols, in a way. Without getting too off topic, I will admit that Once Upon a Time has felt a little forced and over-extended at this point, but I admire the way that they have crafted out such a rich storyline. I have always loved the complexity and thought that goes into their writing. If they had applied their talents to a horror show, then I figured it was going to be pretty great. And indeed it was.
A couple of the cast members were people they had hired for Once Upon a Time, interestingly both from season 4 (although, Elizabeth Mitchell was also on Lost). I think this may have blinded me to the true nature of the characters, as I fell into the trap of believing that these roles were similar to the ones they had played previously. Hopefully I haven't said too much.
I should probably get back to reviewing the show.
Dead of Summer is set in an American Midwestern town in the summer of 1989. It follows a group of teens who are working as counselors at a re-opened summer camp. All of them attended as children, except Amy, who is new in town. Things at the camp are not as idyllic as they seem. The janitor shows up dead in the week before the kids arrive, and Amy starts to see things. At first, it appears that Amy might just be seeing things...paranoia or something. However, each of the students is in turn affected by the strangeness of the camp. A particular ghost begins to appear over and over, he is known as the Tall Man. (If you've seen Final Destination then you may know him as Bludworth). This Victorian-era cult leader continues to appear to the students, threatening lives. Sure enough, the janitor is not the only one to die. Slowly, others begin to get picked off. Satanists also operate in the area, and it appears that they know more about the power and history of the lake than anyone else. With the help of the local deputy, who also went to the summer camp, the teens discover that this is not the first time things have gone sideways at the lake. Now they have to figure out who is behind the murders, and why people are dying, before the real evil is unleashed.
I watched this show on the edge of my seat, and not just because it's freaky as heck. The writing was great. It was a mystery and a supernatural thriller all in one. Every week you get a little closer to understanding what is really going on, but it's never what you think it will be. That is the hallmark of a good Kitsis and Horowitz show, though. You think you know something, you think you can predict what's coming, but you're usually wrong. Only about half of the show actually contains horror elements. Instead, a lot of it has to do with growing up and finding yourself. It's about facing your fears, overcoming guilt, and learning to be yourself.
The cast was great too. Elizabeth Mitchell and Elizabeth Lail drew me in because I knew them already. I also noticed that Mark Indelicato, aka Ugly Betty's younger brother, was on the show. Hadn't seen him in anything for ages! The other actors were all really good, and I grew super attached to all of the characters. I was most shocked, though, to discover that Drew was played by Zelda Williams (as in daughter of the late Robin Williams). I'd never seen her act in anything before. Also, I spent the first couple of episodes trying to figure out if the character was being played by a guy or a girl. She's fantastic.
I especially enjoyed that each episode ended with a short behind the scenes clip that simultaneously shows you the production of a certain scene, explains part of the symbolic or hidden meaning behind the writing (as told by the writing team - which also includes Ian Goldberg, by the way), and hints at what is to come. It made decoding the show a little easier, made me admire the writers even more for their complexity, and made the show about so much more than just getting a good scare. Although, it is excellent for that too. Maybe don't watch this show at midnight and then go right to sleep. I made that mistake far too many times to count. I just kept feeling like the Tall Man was watching me.
If you like teen dramas, horror movies, or really good writing, you should check this show out. Honestly, it is so underrated. I can't believe it got cancelled after only one season. It is a storyline that wraps up nicely by the end of the 10 episodes, but I was excited to see what the writers would come up with next. Would it have been set at Camp Stillwater again, but a number of years into the future? Maybe in the 90s, for instance? Or would it have been an entirely new summer horror story? I guess we'll never know.
This series may seem like a bit of a deviation for me. If you know the kind of TV shows I usually watch, you'd know that police procedurals, detective shows, and British mysteries make up the majority of my television interests, along with a healthy dose of comedy, fantasy, and historical pieces. I have begun to watch more horror movies thanks to my sister, but that's never really been my thing. So why Dead of Summer you ask? Well, there are several reasons.
First, I kept seeing the ads...and they were very vague, but very intriguing.
Second, my sister loves horror movies and thought that a horror show for young adults was perfect!
Third, and most important, I saw that the creators were the same men who made Once Upon a Time (and also Lost) so I knew it had to be good. Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis are my idols, in a way. Without getting too off topic, I will admit that Once Upon a Time has felt a little forced and over-extended at this point, but I admire the way that they have crafted out such a rich storyline. I have always loved the complexity and thought that goes into their writing. If they had applied their talents to a horror show, then I figured it was going to be pretty great. And indeed it was.
A couple of the cast members were people they had hired for Once Upon a Time, interestingly both from season 4 (although, Elizabeth Mitchell was also on Lost). I think this may have blinded me to the true nature of the characters, as I fell into the trap of believing that these roles were similar to the ones they had played previously. Hopefully I haven't said too much.
I should probably get back to reviewing the show.
Dead of Summer is set in an American Midwestern town in the summer of 1989. It follows a group of teens who are working as counselors at a re-opened summer camp. All of them attended as children, except Amy, who is new in town. Things at the camp are not as idyllic as they seem. The janitor shows up dead in the week before the kids arrive, and Amy starts to see things. At first, it appears that Amy might just be seeing things...paranoia or something. However, each of the students is in turn affected by the strangeness of the camp. A particular ghost begins to appear over and over, he is known as the Tall Man. (If you've seen Final Destination then you may know him as Bludworth). This Victorian-era cult leader continues to appear to the students, threatening lives. Sure enough, the janitor is not the only one to die. Slowly, others begin to get picked off. Satanists also operate in the area, and it appears that they know more about the power and history of the lake than anyone else. With the help of the local deputy, who also went to the summer camp, the teens discover that this is not the first time things have gone sideways at the lake. Now they have to figure out who is behind the murders, and why people are dying, before the real evil is unleashed.
I watched this show on the edge of my seat, and not just because it's freaky as heck. The writing was great. It was a mystery and a supernatural thriller all in one. Every week you get a little closer to understanding what is really going on, but it's never what you think it will be. That is the hallmark of a good Kitsis and Horowitz show, though. You think you know something, you think you can predict what's coming, but you're usually wrong. Only about half of the show actually contains horror elements. Instead, a lot of it has to do with growing up and finding yourself. It's about facing your fears, overcoming guilt, and learning to be yourself.
The cast was great too. Elizabeth Mitchell and Elizabeth Lail drew me in because I knew them already. I also noticed that Mark Indelicato, aka Ugly Betty's younger brother, was on the show. Hadn't seen him in anything for ages! The other actors were all really good, and I grew super attached to all of the characters. I was most shocked, though, to discover that Drew was played by Zelda Williams (as in daughter of the late Robin Williams). I'd never seen her act in anything before. Also, I spent the first couple of episodes trying to figure out if the character was being played by a guy or a girl. She's fantastic.
I especially enjoyed that each episode ended with a short behind the scenes clip that simultaneously shows you the production of a certain scene, explains part of the symbolic or hidden meaning behind the writing (as told by the writing team - which also includes Ian Goldberg, by the way), and hints at what is to come. It made decoding the show a little easier, made me admire the writers even more for their complexity, and made the show about so much more than just getting a good scare. Although, it is excellent for that too. Maybe don't watch this show at midnight and then go right to sleep. I made that mistake far too many times to count. I just kept feeling like the Tall Man was watching me.
If you like teen dramas, horror movies, or really good writing, you should check this show out. Honestly, it is so underrated. I can't believe it got cancelled after only one season. It is a storyline that wraps up nicely by the end of the 10 episodes, but I was excited to see what the writers would come up with next. Would it have been set at Camp Stillwater again, but a number of years into the future? Maybe in the 90s, for instance? Or would it have been an entirely new summer horror story? I guess we'll never know.
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