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NEON releases Hell of a Summer on April 4th, 2025 in theaters nationwide. NYC MOVIE GURU: How much of horror do you think is in the audience's mind? Billy Bryk: I think that most of horror is in the audience's mind. The oldest trick is that if you see too much of something, it's never as scary as what you're picturing in your mind. NYC MOVIE GURU: What was the process like to decide which kills to show on-screen and which kill not to show? BB: That was a sort of practical consideration because we wanted to show less of the kills toward the beginning of the film and then, as the film progresses, you see more. I don't want to spoil too much, but there's a specific reason that we designed left a little bit more to the imagination. Finn Wolfhard: I think that it is trying to strike a balance between what to show and what not to show. The conversations that we had about it were challenging because we had these scenes that have comedic buttons and comedic parts and characters. Sometimes when you do a kill in a slasher, it's really gnarly and has weight to it and it's pretty dark. Sometimes when you go and do a kill that's too dark, it's hard to go back from that to the comedy. So, that was a huge part of the editing process as well: what to show and not to show. BB: How do you make them scary and satisfying, but also fun? It doesn't feel like we went too far. FW: So, we did different cuts and we screened it for friends to see what worked and what didn't. It was a bit of a longer process, I guess. NYC MOVIE GURU: How did you decide at which moments the audience should be ahead of the characters in terms of what they know? FW: When we were writing the script, that was something that we kept in mind. Originally, just how the structure went, you find out who the killers are earlier on, actually. That was our original thought because we thought, "Oh, it's slasher, but it really leans toward comedy, so people aren't going to care if they know the identity of the killer this early." We screened it for people, and a huge note was like, "Yeah, we know that it's a comedy, but we still want that suspense of who it could be because the fun of it is not knowing that and not being ahead. BB: Yeah, we wanted to be ahead of the characters in the sense that it creates a fun tension and there's a lot of comedic opportunities there and still a lot of opportunities for things to be scary. But, also, you don't want to be too ahead of the characters because then there's nothing to surprise you. You're trying to keep that fluctuating throughout the entire story. NYC MOVIE GURU: If Benoit Blanc from Knives Out were to investigate the murder mystery in Hell of a Summer, who do you think would be his prime suspect? BB: I'd like that Claire would be his prime suspect because there's a little bit of a suspicious nature to her that's not immediately apparent. FW: There are little things and scenes that we put out for Claire that's more kind of random and suspicious. BB: She's not the obvious choice, but there's something there that Benoit Blanc would take note of. Although I think that he might be able to figure it out. FW: He'd walk in and know exactly who it was. BB: He's a little bit smarter than our characters. NYC MOVIE GURU: You cast very charismatic actors and actresses in Hell of a Summer. How would you define charisma? Can you detect your own charisma, especially you, Finn, since you're also a musician? FW: I was thinking about this because, yes, sometimes I play in shows as a musician and I have a tour in June. If I'm directing, acting or whatever, that's, for whatever reason, where the confidence and charisma goes. But in my normal, daily life, I don't know what happens to it. If I go on stage and play with a band, I kind of black out and become this different person. I don't know what's happening. BB: The other thing is that when we're on set and, because you're being filmed, they'll make you do something that you'd never do in real life. It's so scary and you just throw yourself into it. I had to do this movie where I was handling this gross frog and I never in a million years would've touched it in real life, but the fact that maybe people were counting on me to do it, the fear went away and when it was done, I was like, "I can't believe I did that." FW: To quote our friend, Jesse Eisenberg, the reason why he likes being an actor is because he's prescribed a feeling. He's being told how to feel. So, it's like, "Okay, so then I can leave my worries and insecurities behind and just focus on whatever role I'm playing and really be in the moment as much as I can." That, sort of, is a way of compartmentalizing stuff. I think that that's a great way of describing it where it's just like, "Yeah, you wouldn't normally do this or maybe wouldn't feel like this or necessarily feel like you have this charisma, but in this specific situation and this character who you're performing as, it just makes sense." And your brain starts to believe it. BB: We also have a really great cast of people who are very interesting and charismatic in different ways, but I think that they also compliment each other. It was so cool to see these people come together and help us make this movie because each of them brought something unique to the characters. They're very fascinating people--every one of them. FW: You want to find an ensemble of outsiders. NYC MOVIE GURU: How did you come up with that awesome title card drop? BB: FW: So, getting the title cards correct was a long process. Early on, we tried stuff in the editing, lookin at old fonts and working with a design company. Billy did a bunch of passes on it as well. He's more of the designer eye. I like the way stuff looks, but Billy knows Photoshop and all that stuff. A lot of time went into figuring out a perfect title card and opening. BB: And that song, too. A reference that we had, and it's not the same, but the Wet Hot American Summer title card is just so impactful and timed with the music. It's so cool. We wanted this to feel like you were traveling into the movie. After the cold opening and when the title card drops, it transports you into the next phase of the movie. We wanted it to feel big. NYC MOVIE GURU: Which films do you think would make a great double feature with Hell of a Summer? BB: FW: There are so many that could be really fun. It's hard because I'd like to put in movies that are so much better than ours, but then I thought our movie would like it sucks compared to that. BB: You don't want to do Hell of a Summer and Lawrence of Arabia? FW: [Laughs] Yeah, exactly! I actually think that This is the End could be fun. An American Werewolf in London would be really fun. It's not a slasher, but having a movie that inspired Hell of a Summer would be fun. BB: Also, it would be fun to do Wet Hot American Summer. FW: Or Meatballs! NYC MOVIE GURU: What do you think are the basic elements that turn a horror comedy into a classic? BB: I think that great characters are the main thing. FW: There are so many horror comedies that you look back on and the ones that are classics, I feel like, are the ones where you remember the characters. An American Werewolf in London wouldn't be An American Werewolf in London without the characters of Jack and David. When his friend comes back to haunt him and he keeps coming back, that's what you remember. You remember his disposition and the fact that he hasn't changed at all even though he's literally withering away and looking worse and worse because he was attacked. BB: And it does have some of the greatest special effects. FW: Exactly. BB: You kind of need all of that. There are so many movies where you go, "Wow, these are incredible effects, but why don't people talk about this still?" I think that it does comes down to what the story is, what the characters are, and what the voice of the filmmaker is. Main Page Interviews Menu Alphabetical Menu Chronological Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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