The 20 Best Summer Films for Your Film Night – Part 2

Summer films provide real summer feeling in any weather! We have compiled the 20 best summer films from different genres. In Part 1 of our 20 best summer films there are the best comedies, crazy films and romances in summer. Here finally come the scariest horror films, most exciting thrillers and most entertaining action films for summer mood!

Horror: The Best Summer Films to Shudder and Scare

11. Jaws (1975)

© Columbia – Jaws (1975)

A true cult horror film that is still considered one of the best horror films today. Steven Spielberg thus adapted a novel based on true facts.

Plot: In Amity, an American seaside resort with a lot of tourism, a shark kills a swimmer. Now the police chief wants to close the stalls and declare a shark alarm, which the city council tries to prevent in order not to endanger the upcoming tourist flow for the Independence Day of the USA. Then the Killer Shark kills a boy and Police Chief Brody, along with other men, tries to kill the intelligent monster. (RATED PG 16)

Der weiße Hai [Blu-ray]

Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss (Actors); Steven Spielberg (Director); Audience Rating: Freigegeben ab 16 Jahren

7,99 EUR

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12. Friday the 13th (1980)

© Warner Home Entertainment – Friday the 13th (1980)

It’s the longest-running horror film series in film history: Friday the 13th has 11 sequels and sparked a wave of slasher films in the early ’80s. This film is one of the great classics of the genre.

Plot: 20 years before the plot begins, two teenagers were killed at a summer camp. As a result, it remained closed. The murderer was never caught. The plot begins when the summer camp finally reopens and a group of teenagers want to spend their vacations there. As night also falls, terror also returns to the summer camp. (RATED FSK 18)

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor (Actors); Sean S. Cunningham (Director); Audience Rating: Nicht geprüft

12,35 EUR

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

© Sony Home Entertainment – I Know What You Did Last Summer

This teen slasher horror film about a memorable summer night comes from the screenwriter of Scream. It is a typical teen horror film, of which there are two sequels.

Plot: Four teenagers are driving down a road in a good mood on a warm summer night. Then the driver runs over a man who lies seriously injured on the side of the road. The friends panic and decide to simply throw the body into the sea and not tell anyone what they did. When the teens throw the man into the water, he grabs Helen’s beauty crown and Barry, who jumps into the water to retrieve the crown clearly sees that the man is still alive. Nevertheless, the teens do not help the man and want to take their secret to the grave. A year later, however, the horror really begins. (FSK 16)

Ich weiß, was Du letzten Sommer getan hast (Blu-ray)

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe (Actors); Jim Gillespie (Director)

9,99 EUR

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The Best Summer Films With Thrills

14. The Beach (2000)

© 20th Century Fox – The Beach (2000)

Who doesn’t dream of the untouched dream beach in summer? This longing is the starting point for Danny Boyle’s thriller in the heat of the tropical sun. Exceptional actor Leonardo di Caprio once again shows what he can do!

Plot: Richard Fischer is an American backpacker on vacation in Thailand. He is looking for the perfect adventure. In a Bangkok hotel, he learns from a disturbed Scotsman about an island inaccessible to normal people, an untouchable beach paradise. He finds a mysterious map the next day on the Scotsman, who has committed suicide. Nevertheless, this does not deter Richard from chasing adventure. Together with a French couple, he sets out without knowing what awaits them.

The Beach

DiCaprio, Leonardo, Canet, Guillaume, Ledoyen, Virginie (Actors); Boyle, Danny (Director); Audience Rating: Freigegeben ab 16 Jahren

5,99 EUR

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15. Swimming Pool (2003)

© Highlight Film – Swimming Pool (2003)

In 2003, French star director Francois Ozon fascinated film audiences with his double-bind summer thriller centered around a mystery writer in the French summer heat.

Plot: Writer Sarah Morton goes to France to her publisher’s villa to write a new novel in peace. But already on the second day her peace is disturbed when the pretty young Julie arrives. At first Sarah treats the girl dismissively, pretending to be the publisher’s daughter. But she begins to take more and more interest in her, her changing male acquaintances, and Julie’s life. Then the man Julie was last with disappears.

Swimming Pool

FSK 12; Rampling, Charlotte, Sagnier, Ludivine, Dance, Charles (Actors); Ozon, Francois (Director)

10,65 EUR

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16. Falling Down (1993)

© Warner Home Video – Falling Down (1993)

Hot, hotter, summer day – and then also traffic jam. Since even the most normal person can go crazy. This everyday situation, familiar to everyone, leads here to a murderously exciting game. In Falling Down, the sweltering heat of summer is combined with biting social criticism. Certainly one of the most abysmal summer films!

Plot: On the hottest day of the year, William Foster is stuck in traffic. He is on the way to the birthday party of his daughter. Actually, he would have reason to rejoice, because it is his last day at work. But the heat, a nasty mosquito and the people around him drive him crazy. It is the beginning of a momentous summer day that changes his life forever.

Match Point [Blu-ray]

Mortimer, Emily, Rhys-Meyers, Jonathan, Johansson, Scarlett (Actors); Allen, Woody (Director)

59,99 EUR

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17. Match Point (2005)

© Paramount Home Entertainment – Match Point (2005)

Guilty or innocent? The beautiful Nola (Scarlett Johansson) not only wraps the viewer around her finger from the first minute. Woody Allen’s 39th feature film is both a thrilling high-society satire and suspenseful thriller.

Plot: Handsome Chris comes from a humble background and marries into high society. His wife Chloe is pretty, rich and her family welcomes him with open arms: actually Chris life is perfect. But then he meets the fascinating, beautiful Nola and begins a disastrous affair with her. (FSK 6)

Fluch der Karibik [Blu-ray]

Depp, Johnny, Rush, Geoffrey, Davenport, Jack (Actors); Verbinski, Gore (Director); Audience Rating: Freigegeben ab 12 Jahren

9,99 EUR

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The Best Adventure and Action Films for Summer

18. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

© Walt Disney – Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

Blue seas, pirate ships and a massive treasure: these are the ingredients for the first installment of the mega successful pirate film series. Also, Johnny Depp’s charismatic performance as Captain Jack Sparrow made the film a completely unexpected audience favorite and summer blockbuster in 2003.

Plot: William Turner was rescued years ago as a castaway on the high seas. At that time, besides him, the governor’s daughter, Elisabeth Swann was also on board and steals a medallion from Will. A few years later, the charismatic, notorious pirate captain Jack Sparrow arrives in the port town where they both now live. He is on the hunt for something that draws Elizabeth and Will into his adventure. (RATED 12)

Fluch der Karibik [Blu-ray]

Depp, Johnny, Rush, Geoffrey, Davenport, Jack (Actors); Verbinski, Gore (Director); Audience Rating: Freigegeben ab 12 Jahren

9,99 EUR

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19. Dangerous Surf / Point Break (1991)

© Universum Film – Dangerous Surf (1991)

Many summer films are set in the surfing milieu: in this thrilling action thriller, you don’t just get the urge to get on a surfboard and ride waves. Unbelievable but true: Patrick Swayze, the corny dance teacher from Dirty Dancing convinces as a mystical surf guru!

Plot: A group of young surfers with their leader Bodhi lead a wild life. In their spare time they surf and go skydiving. However, the FBI suspects them of not having a clean slate. That’s why the FBI wants Utah to join the gang as an undercover agent. Utah begins to learn surfing and approaches young Tyler to become part of the surfing gang. In the process, Utah begins to love the adrenaline rush more and more and befriends Bodhi more and more. A dangerous game begins. (RATED 16)

Point Break - Gefährliche Brandung [Blu-ray]

Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey (Actors); Kathryn Bigelow (Director); Audience Rating: Freigegeben ab 16 Jahren

5,11 EUR

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20. Stand by Me – Secret of a Summer (1986)

© Columbia TriStar – Stand by Me (1986)

4 Friends, summer, adventure, and Castle Rock, the town that is the setting for many of hit author Stephen King’s novels! This is also where Stand by Me begins, an adventure film that evokes an atmospheric childhood idyll of friendship.

Plot: Four boys spend the summer of 1959 together in Castle Rock, Oregon. They learn that Ray Brower, a boy of the same age is missing and decide to look for him. They assume they will find a body. With a little pocket money, provisions and sleeping bags, they set out to become heroes. (FSK 6)

Stand by Me - Das Geheimnis eines Sommers (Blu-ray)

Dieser Artikel hat Deutsche Sprache und Untertitel.; Sutherland, Kiefer, Phoenix, River, Wheaton, Wil (Actors)

9,99 EUR

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Here you’ll find Part 1 of the 20 Best Summer films.

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Image source Cover image: © 20th Century Fox – The Beach (2000).

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