10 Horror Movies That Will Most Definitely Make You Afraid of Summer Camp

Updated on Oct 23, 2016 at 6:10 PM

Summer camp can be a place where memories are made, long-lost twin sisters are found, and romance can bloom. It can also be a place where frisky teens are stalked by psychopaths previously thought to exist only in stories told around the fire. Summer camp has been one of the most popular locations for horror films since the 1980s, and there's a reason. So many things can be lurking in the shadows, behind trees, in the lakes, and even inside the safety of a cabin in the woods. Perhaps you're too old to go to Summer camp these days, but these movies will ensure that you'll never want to go camping again.

Sleepaway Camp

Released in 1983, Sleepaway Camp tells the story of a young girl with a traumatic past. When she's sent to Summer camp, people around her mysteriously start dropping dead. A true classic thanks to its twist ending, Sleepaway Camp spawned several sequels.

The Blair Witch Project

The Blair Witch Project revolutionized the horror genre when it was released in 1999. In addition to kicking off the found-footage trend, the movie terrified an entire group of children who were planning on going to Summer camp that year — including me.

Camp Slaughter

2005's Camp Slaughter, aka Camp Daze, puts a group of modern-day kids in a time warp that takes them to 1981. Unfortunately for them, the place they've ended up, Camp Hiawatha, has a crazed killer on the loose.

Cabin Fever

This 2002 classic stars Boy Meets World's Rider Strong and a horrific leg-shaving scene. It doesn't take place at a Summer camp, but it will make you afraid of the woods, lakes, and cabins forever and ever.

Stage Fright

Not only does this 2014 thriller take place at a Summer camp, but it's a musical theater Summer camp. Minnie Driver and Big Love's Douglas Smith star in the tongue-in-cheek horror movie, which will make you afraid to participate in amateur drama ever again.

Camp Hell

Ah, yes. The same year that The Social Network catapulted Jesse Eisenberg's career into the limelight, the young actor starred in this low-budget film about a spiritual retreat that is overcome by evil forces.

Madman

Two years after Friday the 13th was released, this knockoff came out. It also takes place at a Summer camp and features the likes of a savage murderer.

The Cabin the Woods

No, 2012's The Cabin in the Woods doesn't take place at a camp, but it does feature some hot young adults taking a trip that goes awry in the woods. It will make you think twice about going to your friend's scenic cabin for the weekend.

Summer Camp Nightmare

If Children of the Corn had an evil love child with Friday the 13th, this would be it. 1987's Summer Camp Nightmare revolves around a group of campers who stage a coup against their counselors. Things get out out of hand with the boys travel to the nearby girls camp, and well, you can imagine how bad it gets.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is the granddaddy of all Summer camp horror movies. The original came out in 1980, and the franchise boasts a dozen films, plus countless nightmares about a crazed slasher known as Jason Voorhees.