21 Movies That Feel Like Summer

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Summer is a time for love, adventure, and relaxation. However, it is also a time to binge-watch our favorite sun-soaked movies. Partying next to the pool is fantastic, but sometimes you watch to escape the scorching heat and enjoy the air conditioning with a film that reminds you of what summer used to be. 

Today, we want to explore some films that ooze summer vibes. From coming-of-age stories to family vacations, these films will surely give you that summer feeling you have been missing. So settle in, and let’s explore the internet’s favorite summertime films. 

1. Grease (1978)

While Grease isn’t set in the summer, it does embody the spirit of freedom and love that the season is known for. The film highlights the shackles of conformity and the pressures of their current lives. Only in the summer are they free to explore new romances and party until their hearts are content. 

2. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Set during summer vacation, I Know What You Did Last Summer warns about the cost of drunk driving. People love to party during the summer months. The warm air and bright sun are perfect for an excellent get-together.

However, sometimes the festivities get taken too far. After our characters run over a man with their car, they decide to hide the evidence to avoid a DUI and murder charge. Unfortunately, this action makes them relentlessly hunted by an apparition for their crimes. 

3. Dazed and Confused (1993)

Being in high school is a confusing time. No film demonstrates this lack of understanding better than Dazed and Confused. Set in the 1970s, Dazed and Confused follows several high schoolers as they prepare for their graduation party. 

Teenagers are faced with a crossroads in their lives and must decide who they are going to become. The last summer of high school brings a feeling of fear. No adult will ever forget this period in their life. They are no longer children, but they are not yet adults either. 

4. E.T. (1982)

There is a wonder in childhood that we lose along the way. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is a story about the magic of friendship and adventure we experience as children. The tale follows Elliott and his alien friend trying to outsmart the United States government and get E.T. back to his home planet. This classic film embodies the sense of adventure that can only happen in the summer.

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5. Jaws (1975)

Destination vacations are one of the best aspects of summer. However, these vacations often have a significant impact on the surrounding community. No film highlights these impacts quite like Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. 

Set in the small town of Amity Island, Jaws highlights a city torn between safety and profit as a shark threatens to kill the visiting populace. The film magnifies the sense of danger and excitement that can be felt each summer. 

6. Independence Day (1996)

Summer wouldn’t be the same without big-budget action films. Set over the Fourth of July weekend, Independence Day follows a group of government agents trying to stop an alien invasion from wiping out humanity. While the effects may have aged a bit at this point, no film meets that summer blockbuster feel quite like Independence Day. 

7. You Might Be The Killer (2018)

Summer is often a time for freedom and adventure. However, some children spend their vacation with friends at a group camp. If 80s slasher films are to be believed, that camp is almost certainly cursed by the vengeful spirit of a former camper.

You Might Be The Killer takes this trope and spins it on its head. There is still the isolated cabin and roaring campfire to set that classic summer scene. However, this meta film plays with the classic horror formula in a delightful new way. You Might Be The Killer gives a refreshing take on the slasher genre that any classic horror fan will surely enjoy. 

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8. Midsommar (2019)

Summer is a time to see the world and enjoy the company of those you love, especially in your early twenties. However, Midsommar warns us that traveling to that idyllic Swedish village may not be all it’s cracked up to be. 

Instead, Midsommar focuses on the less pleasant aspects of summer. The film highlights the craving for social acceptance and how fickle young love can be. While not the most upbeat film on this list, Midsommar captures the feeling of young adulthood in a way few other films can.

9. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

This cult classic horror film uses the summer camp niche from a slightly different angle. Sleepaway Camp features all the classic slasher tropes: a mysterious murder on the loose, morally bankrupt camp counselors, and young love.

However, Sleepaway Camp presents these ideas in a queer lens. The film highlights a struggle many young campers have to suffer through in silence at an early age. While Sleepaway Camp may not approach this subject material in the most delicate matter, it is a one-of-a-kind experience that resonates with summer vibes. 

10. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Who doesn’t love a good camping trip with friends? The Cabin in the Woods is a meta-horror film that mocks horror as a whole. The film attempts to break down the standard horror tropes and explain their origins. Not only is Cabin in the Woods a terrific horror film, but it also oozes summer party vibes. 

11. IT (2017)

Being a preteen is a difficult time. Even more so if you are being hunted by a cosmic Clown hell-bent on eating your family. IT is the quintessential childhood summer film. While the overtones focus on the murderous clown aspect, IT is also a film about the fear of growing up. Few films encapsulate that last summer as a child like Stephen King’s IT.

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12. Stand by Me (1986)

Speaking of Stephen King, Stand by Me is another coming-of-age tale perfectly fitting the summer vibe. The film follows four young friends as they embark on their last summer before beginning the road to adulthood. 

Stand by Me highlights the bittersweet nature of growing up. Although presented with a tinge of melancholy, the film highlights the freedom children experience during the summer, even if only for a few years. 

13. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Many people can recall a family road trip that didn’t go as planned. Long car rides in the hot summer sun are rarely as enjoyable as we would like. Little Miss Sunshine perfectly showcases a dysfunctional family’s struggle to keep it together during a summer trip for their daughter. 

14. Clueless (1995)

Based on Jane Austen’s Emma, Clueless is a film about self-discovery. On the surface, Clueless is a film about young love, adventure, and freedom. However, the film also speaks to issues regarding class, identity, and forming a morality system. Clueless does a marvelous job of highlighting just how much a person can grow in a short amount of time. 

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15. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

This black comedy presents us with the most ridiculous party movie ever conceived. Weekend at Bernie’s follows Larry and Richard as they live it up in their boss’s beach house. There is one little problem, though. Their boss is dead. 

Luckily, the boys don’t see this as a problem and parade their boss’s corpse around, allowing them to continue their party. Weekend at Bernie’s may have a ridiculous plot, but it is filled with the wacky hijinks and party vibes that make the summer such a great time.

16. Caddyshack (1980)

Unfortunately, not all of us can fully enjoy the summertime. Most of us must stay employed throughout the summer months for one reason or another. Caddyshack follows Danny Noonan, a poor caddy working to raise money for his college tuition.

Caddyshack is a time capsule from an era when someone could work part-time to pay for college. However, many of its themes about class and wealth are still important today. It is also a fantastic comedy film featuring Bill Murray in his prime. 

17. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

There was a time when National Lampoon dominated the comedy world. Although it has aged a bit, a few road trip films are as hilarious as National Lampoon’s Vacation. The film follows Clark Griswold, his wife Ellen, and their two children as they drive from Chicago to California. 

National Lampoon’s Vacation changes things up a bit by focusing on how hard the summer months can be for parents. The drive to provide the perfect vacation, combined with financial limitations, can be a massive source of stress for many parents. Luckily, National Lampoon’s Vacation does a terrific job of highlighting these issues playfully and hilariously. 

18. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

This high school film highlights one of the best parts of being a teenager: the lack of actual responsibilities or consequences. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off follows three teenagers who decide to skip school and enjoy their dwindling freedom.

However, unlike most coming-of-age films, Bueller doesn’t learn or grow from these experiences. Instead, he simply enjoys his freedom and continues on. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a fun summertime flick that doesn’t weigh itself down with morality or metaphors. 

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19. The Sandlot (1993)

This coming-of-age tale follows Scott Smalls and his family as they try to adjust after moving to a new neighborhood in California. The Sandlot is the perfect archetype for the childhood summer experience. This heartwarming tale has inspired viewers of all ages for generations. It remains one of the best summer films ever produced. 

20. Mamma Mia (2008)

This musical romantic comedy is based on the works of ABBA. Mamma Mia takes place during the summer in Greece and follows Sophie as she tries to find her birth father during her wedding. The delightful soundtrack and lovable characters make Mamma Mia an excellent film that encapsulates the feeling of summertime love. 

21. Friday the 13th (1980)

There are hundreds of summer films set in campgrounds. These wooded areas are a staple of American culture during the warmer months. However, Friday the 13th is why we all have that slight sense of panic while alone in the woods. The odds of a masked killer hunting you for sport are very unlikely but never zero. 

The film may be showing some age at this point, but Friday the 13th is still the quintessential summertime horror movie. It’s classic tropes and masked villain have become the staple of every summer camp movie for almost fifty years. This film should be on every summertime watch list, even if it is only for a quick laugh. 

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