Summer tends to feel terribly devoid of holidays, but there are some important dates to celebrate. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. Like sun lovers who celebrate the winter solstice as a lengthening of days from then on out, I welcome the summer solstice as a herald of shorter days to come. The sun in Florida is blinding and relentless, so the thought of it receding just a bit is a comfort by this time of year. At the same time the hottest and brightest days of summer are still to come. These are the movies we are watching to get in the mood and learn to love summer again:

• Race for Your Life Charlie Brown (1977) – I’ve said it before, Charlie Brown is every holiday
• Summer School (1987) – for everyone who no longer has summer breaks with no commitment, the feeling of being cooped up in class when you want to be out on vacation is real and familiar
• Lost Boys (1987) – except for the fashion, this feels as though it is as hot and blinding as summers where we are
• The Burbs (1989) – there is nothing that says summer so much as sitting around the house and indulging in conspiracy theories and paranoia
• Sleepaway Camp (1983) – camp isn’t a break from school, its just more of the cliques, awkwardness, and bullying of school without the distraction of class work
• Friday the 13th part VII: the new blood (1988) – as described by Richard, “Carrie vs. Jason,” but really, any Friday the 13th movie is appropriate as summer celebration watching
• Hausu (1977) – A summer trip to the country complete with watermelon
• Hiruko the Goblin (1991) – incredibly strange Japanese horror film with great summer vibes and plenty of school drama
• One Crazy Summer (1986) – a silly slapstick comedy with some clever jokes, but not one we watch every year
• Summer of Fear (1978) – also known as Stranger in Our House, this TV movie is full of witches and occult intrigue
• Cheerleader Camp (1988) – more proof that all summer camps set in the woods are plagued by knife wielding killers

Don’t forget to check out all the other Holidays in the Movies posts.

*Holidays in the Movies posts will be treated like living posts and updated routinely. Last updated 6/28/2022