Review: DEAD OF SUMMER Invites You to Camp Creepy
Season 1, episode 1: “Patience”
Written by Ian B. Goldberg, Adam Horowitz, and Edward Kitsis
Directed by Adam Horowitz
[Header image courtesy Freeform/Tyler Shields]
Disney’s Freeform channel already offers a wide array of teen-targeted drama programming, from the muderlicious Pretty Little Liars to the urban fantasy Shadowhunters. This summer, Freeform expands into the world of spooks and spirits with its brand-new paranormal horror, Dead of Summer.
Created by Once Upon a Time vets Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, and Ian B. Goldberg, Dead of Summer will follow the adventures of a pack of teen counselors at the newly reopened Camp Stillwater during the summer of 1989. The counselors arrive at Stillwater excited for a summer of freedom, romance, and fun in the sun. But they have no idea what evil lurks in the dark woods and what restless spirits roam the camp grounds. As Freeform says, “It’ll take a hero to unearth the roots of the campground’s mysterious past and put an end to the terror once and for all.”
While Stillwater is full of ghosts, it is also full of stereotypes, with most of the characters fitting neatly into established horror and/or teen archetypes. Among the counselors, we have Hot Girl Jessie (Paulina Singer, The Intern), Easy Girl Cricket (Amber Coney, Mother May I Sleep with Danger), Alex the Jock (Ronan Rubenstein, Dude), Blotter the Other Jock (Zachary Gordon, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Blair the Very Gay Kid (Mark Indelicato, Ugly Betty), Grunge Kid Drew (Zelda Williams, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Joel (Eli Gordee, The 100) the Aspiring Filmmaker. They are occasionally joined by Sexy Deputy Garrett (Alberto Frezza, Angels Fall in Love) from the nearby town. Leading the younger cast is Elizabeth Lail (Once Upon a Time) playing Amy Hughes, the doe-eyed, nervous newcomer.
This is particularly grating when it comes to Amy Hughes. Unlike the rest of the counselors, Amy is new in town and didn’t attend Camp Stillwater as a kid. During the episode, we see that she’s gone through several different schools and has a hard time assimilating, despite her mother’s order to, “Fit in. You’ll be happier.”
Fortunately, not all of the characters are entirely flat. Elizabeth Mitchell (also of Once Upon a Time and the V reboot), for example, plays camp director Deb Carpenter. Mitchell’s Deb is downright creepy, her motivations shrouded in mystery despite the kind smile she plasters on in public. By the end of the episode, we also see brief glimpses of the secrets that a few of the counselors are hiding, which could promise some nuance for them in episodes to come.
Overall, Dead of Summer is off to a steady start — not impressive but not weak, either. Most of the characters rest firmly in the land of “meh”, though there are glimmers of hope for the rest of the season. As of now, the strength of the show lies in its creepy atmosphere and intriguing mystery. It will certainly appeal to Freeform’s target audience as well as anybody who likes a good ghost story told around the campfire.
Dead of Summer premieres on Freeform on June 28th at 9/8c. For more info, head on over to the official Dead of Summer website or Freeform’s Twitter.
And check out our other coverage of Freeform programs here.
