PopHorror Let's Get Scared
August is the last month of summer. It marks the end of the blistering heat as we welcome the cold of night and the frost on our roofs, and the holiday season begins. Horror movies are usually big around October but genre films at any time of the year is a treat. Summer plays a bigger part in one’s nostalgia of no school, late nights with friends and vacations and even summer camp. Thoughts of summer camp bring up camp slasher movies.
There are so many choices, but one we’re talking about today is Final Summer. The new camp slasher film from John Isberg (Daniel 2017), a heavy hitter in the film industry, has gathered a team of the best character actors ever to grace the screen. Starring Tom Atkins (Night Of The Creeps 1986), Thom Matthews (Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 1986 – read our retro review here), and Bishop Stevens (Bloodthirst 2021 – read our review here). These actors know horror and they know how to provide performances for their films in both small and leading roles. Tom and Thom may be veterans in the field, but Bishop has been showing that he’s a big—literally and figuratively—actor. The filming for Final Summer starts this month, and I can’t wait to see what unfolds from the teaser to the funding campaign hyping us up for what we can expect.
Cast and crew are ready to begin filming Final Summer in August 2021. The greater Champaign County and Danville area will set the scene for this upcoming, feature length horror movie by local filmmaker John Isberg. Final Summer is launching a Kickstarter campaign to round out funding for the film. A hometown premiere at Champaign’s Virginia Theatre is arranged for summer 2022.
Camp Silverlake has been a family-owned and operated summer camp for over 35 years. In the summer of 1991, Camp Silverlake opened for the final time. Horror fans will enjoy all the staples from the genre including numerous Easter eggs. Even the soundtrack includes notable musicians Jeff Schroeder (Smashing Pumpkins) and composer Eric Watkins. As an avid horror fan, Isberg wrote, directed, and produced a movie that fellow fans of the genre will enjoy.
John Isberg says:
“I love film, and this one is made with the blood, sweat, and passion of a fan and filmmaker.”
The movie follows the familiar themes and tropes one would expect to find in a horror film, but Isberg’s unique narrative weaves in deeper character development to tell a story about trauma and survival. As a survivor himself, Isberg felt it was important to cast a light on mental health and overcoming.
He continues:
“This is my love letter to slasher films… written for more modern sensibilities.”
John Isberg is a local videographer and filmmaker. His production company, Swede Films, works with The University of Illinois, area studios, and marketing firms. He founded a non-profit film collective, bringing together other area filmmakers and students to share skills, insights, and hone their craft, producing many short films, music videos, and documentaries.
John has this to say:
“To see these men and women work together to produce something great… and then to see them go off to film school or work on big name industry projects – it’s very cool and gratifying.”
Many members of his non-profit collaborative will be paid cast and crew in the Final Summer production.
One of the objectives of this project and Kickstarter campaign is to highlight the major movie-making potential of Central Illinois. The settings for the film are all local, as well as the people involved and the resources used to make this feature possible.
Isberg noted:
“This area has everything a serious filmmaker needs – from talent to locations and connections.”
Final Summer will show locations that are familiar to area residents with the big screen production made possible through connections and resources such as the Central Illinois Film Office, his non-profit film collective, and Isberg himself.
