**_Good production values; dreadfully dull storytelling_** On the final night of their employment in the sticks of Illinois, several camp counselors are assaulted by a masked man with an axe. "Final Summer" (2023) is a proficiently-made Indie slasher in the tradition of the first two “Friday the 13th” flicks from over four decades earlier. The sylvan cinematography is great, there’s an effective air of creepiness with a full moon and fog, plus the diverse actors are convincing. Unfortunately, the director/writer failed in one of the most important areas—an interesting or, at least, entertaining script. It doesn’t help that the females are subpar (and I’m not talkin’ ’bout nudity or sleaze). It’s like he said, “Beautiful women? We don’t need no stinkin’ beautiful women.” I can accept that, but at least make the story compelling with fleshed-out characters. The contemporaneous "Totally Killer" is a fine example of a modern slasher that’s entertaining. "Silent Retreat" (2016) is a good sample of a no-budget production that’s a watchable slasher with the requisite staples. “Crazy Lake” and “The Lake on Clinton Road” are two other relatively recent examples. So “Final Summer” is an interesting study: It’s got practically everything for an effective traditional slasher, but drops the ball with boring storytelling, uninteresting characters and subpar females. The film runs 1 hours, 22 minutes, and was shot at Camp Robert Drake, which is just southeast of Oakwood in east-central Illinois, a dozen miles from the border of Indiana. The flashback scenes were done in Champaign, which is 25 miles west of there. GRADE: D+
