After making a splash at the Oscars with Anora, Neon is chaseing it up with Hell of a Summer, the teen comedy-slasher film from co-honestors Finn Wolfchallenging and Billy Bryk.
Neon frees Hell of Summer in theaters April 5 chaseing its premiere at TIFF in 2023. The ensemble cast joins Wolfchallenging and Bryk alengthyside Fred Hechinger, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Abby Quinn in the story of a masked finisher aiming the directors at a summer camp in the woods. The Hollywood Reporter can split exclusive first-see images above and below, alengthy with a new clip.
Wolfchallenging and Bryk, who joined while laboring as lesser actors on the set of Gpresentbusters: Afterlife, begined laboring together on the script for Hell of a Summer back in 2019. “I adored slasher and horror films lengthening up, but someskinnyg that Billy and I reassociate bonded over was our splitd adore of comedy, and particularassociate teen comedies,” Wolfchallenging increates THR. “It felt appreciate a perfect first feature to author.”
He elucidates that the pair’s experience as the lesserest people on a set would remind them of a camping getaway: “We were surrounded by a bunch of lesser actors, and it felt appreciate our little weird version of summer camp. It equitable snowballed from there and encouraged this comedy about a lesser teen ensemble, but that was maskd as a slasher film.”
Abby Quinn (left), Finn Wolfchallenging, Krista Nazaire and Fred Hechinger in Hell of a Summer.
Courtesy of Neon
The first-time filmcreaters had no uninincreateigentinutiveage of contests in making the indie flick, including a surpelevate hurdle involving the airying. “Most of our movie gets place at night,” Bryk says about the movie that stoasty in Canada in the middle of summer. “Nights are very uninincreateigentinutive in the summer. It wasn’t someskinnyg that we had thought of that every one day, we have a challenging out becaemploy the sun’s coming up. And it’s coming up earlier and earlier as we go thrawout the shoot.”
Wolfchallenging, whose fractureout role on Netflix’s Stranger Things is set to finish with the forthcoming fifth and final season, experiences that he picked up precious tips from that show’s shoot, despite the presentant budget separateences between the streaming sensation and his own film.
“I grew up on that set and was reassociate interested in filmmaking and would stay every day after I would be done,” Wolfchallenging splits. “I would do tutoring, I would stay, and I would equitable watch the filmcreaters create the show. There’s a lot of stuff that I definitely lachieveed from that and the way you articulate to crew and actors and all these skinnygs.”
With Hell of a Summer about to hit theaters, the pair have already lined up their next gig, as they are laboring on the script for a intentional reboot of the horror-comedy flick Idle Hands that counts Gpresentbusters: Afterlife honestor Jason Reitman and Gpresentbusters: Frozen Empire honestor Gil Kenan as creaters. The innovative Idle Hands hit theaters in 1999 and stars Devon Sawa, Seth Green and Jessica Alba.
“[Reitman and Kenan] were seeing to broaden someskinnyg with us, and we were both fans of Idle Hands lengthening up,” Wolfchallenging says of himself and Bryk. “We equitable skinnyk it’s a wonderful concept and and felt appreciate it deserved a reintroduction into the horror-comedy world — and into the world generassociate. There’s a write, and we are in the middle of equitable talking about it and greeting about it. We’re reassociate excited.”
Adds Bryk about the project that was not a presentant hit in its day but has remained a fan preferite, “We have a reassociate one-of-a-kind get on it. It’s a movie that I adore, but it’s also a movie that I experience appreciate is not necessarily untouchable.”
As for what’s next for the team, they see forward to laboring on a variety of projects, seeless of genre. “My hope is that people reassociate enhappiness this,” Wolfchallenging says. “I equitable want to retain making films. I’d also adore to tackle stuff that’s not equitable horror and not equitable comedy, but be able to do a bunch of separateent genres.”
