Dead of Summer – Season 1 Review (no spoilers)

Dead of Summer

TV Series on Freeform
Created by: Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kistis
Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell, Elizabeth Lail, Alberto Frezza, Mark Indelicato, Ronen Rubinstein, Paulina Zinger, Zelda Williams, Eli Goree & more

Set in the late 1980s, school is out for the summer, and a sun-drenched season of firsts beckons the counselors at Camp Stillwater, a seemingly idyllic Midwestern summer camp, including first loves, first kisses – and first kills. Stillwater’s dark, ancient mythology awakens, and what was supposed to be a summer of fun soon turns into one of unforgettable scares and evil at every turn.

My rating: 

*This review is for the entire first season. No visible spoilers, any included will be hidden. Feel free to read!

I went in with somewhat low expectations for this show. It is on Freeform, and it is a horror mystery. It just seemed like a pairing not made in heaven. However, while this show is not perfect, I was pleasantly surprised. 

At first, the story is a slow start. There are a few odd things happening here and there but nothing cohesive to really draw in my attention. About halfway through, things started to come together. The mysteries start piling and some connections start being made. I actually enjoyed the overall plot, but I don’t want to give too much away. I’ll just say it’s not unique for the genre, but unique for the channel and for the target audience.

In each episode, the background of a character is highlighted. It’s similar to Orange Is The New Black — each episode reveals the past of one character. This was the series attempt to create a little depth to the characters, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. However, if you’re looking for a television show that is rife with teen angst and plenty of diversity, this show has it. Whether you find it to be done correctly or not is up to your interpretation. Also, where Stranger Things really embraced that 80’s nostalgia, Dead of Summer almost looked a little too modern to me.

As for the scares, there isn’t much of them. Sure, there are some creepy situations, but nothing that actually made me jump or be frightened. I will say there are a few times that this show got pretty brutal for a Freeform show (FYI, Freeform used to be ABC Family, so that was kind of a big deal to me for it to be even slightly gory).

So the story was good and there were a few gory-ish scenes, and the acting was, well, pretty bad. I honestly don’t have much to say about it except that you should keep in mind this is the same channel that puts on Pretty Little Liars and the creators are behind Once Upon A Time.

Overall, this isn’t a terrible show. It’s a short 10-episode season, so it’s perfect for a lazy day when you have nothing else to watch — or if you want a little bit of a laugh and a mystery sprinkled together.