Summer Slashers: Gory Horror Reads for the Hottest Days of the Year

Breathe In, Bleed Out – Brian McAuley

Midsommar meets Scream at a remote desert healing retreat, where yoga mats, sound baths, and spiritual awakenings give way to a rising body count.

I’m hoping for a sweaty, sun-bleached slasher with some culty vibes, escalating kills, and strong final-girl energy, the kind of book that leans into the absurdity of wellness culture while delivering plenty of blood. Isolated desert settings always feel extra unhinged in the summer, and I’m fully expecting this one to get brutal fast. Also, the Final Girl is hiding something, and I can’t wait to see that come to light.

Smile for the Cameras – Miranda Smith

A former final girl returns to the spotlight when the cast of her cult-classic slasher reunites to film a documentary — only for fiction to start repeating itself in deadly ways.

I’m hoping for a full meta-slasher moment here: Hollywood nostalgia, secrets buried behind the scenes, and kills that mirror an old movie franchise gone wrong. I want final-girl trauma, messy cast dynamics, and someone in a mask picking people off one by one at a remote cabin. Bonus points if it leans hard into Scream-style commentary, one of my absolute favourite slashers and a great way to cut right to my heart.

Heads Will Roll – Josh Winning

An adults-only digital detox at a remote summer camp turns deadly when an old campfire legend starts feeling a little too real.

I’m hoping for classic summer-camp slasher vibes here: isolated cabins, spooky folklore, escalating paranoia, and a body count that builds fast. The mix of modern internet shame, forced offline isolation, and an old woodland legend feels like the perfect setup for a fun, bloody, back-to-basics slasher — especially if it leans into campfire horror and people making very bad choices after dark.

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre – Phillip Fracassi

A slasher set in a retirement home, featuring a final girl in her late seventies who refuses to go quietly.

I have high hopes for this one; some amazing reviews out there. I’m hoping this one leans into some dark humour, escalating lots of paranoia, and the sheer joy of subverting slasher tropes. An elderly protagonist navigating a growing body count in a supposedly safe space feels both unsettling and oddly refreshing. Give me clever kills, a sharp mystery, and a final girl who proves you’re never too old to survive a massacre.

How to Survive a Slasher – Justine Pucella Winans

A slasher survivor is dragged back into the nightmare when her trauma becomes a true-crime phenomenon — and a new story starts predicting fresh murders.

I’m hoping for a sharp, meta slasher that plays with horror rules, true-crime obsession, and final-girl mythology. This feels like the perfect mix of Scream-style self-awareness and genuine stakes, with a protagonist who knows exactly how these stories are supposed to go… and what happens when they don’t. Give me commentary, tension, and a body count that refuses to follow the script.

How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive – Craig DiLouie

An ’80s slasher–soaked Hollywood nightmare where making horror finally means making it real.

This is my third Craig DiLouie, and I’m going in primed for a great read. I’m hoping for a love letter to grimy, blood-soaked 80s slashers with a heavy dose of cursed media, behind-the-scenes chaos, and scream-queen ambition. The mix of sleazy producers, artistic desperation, and a Final Girl stepping into a role she may not survive feels like peak meta slasher energy. If this delivers practical-effects gore, cursed objects, and a film-set body count, I’ll be very happy indeed.

Summer Camp for Slasher Victims – Matthew Mercer

A summer camp designed to help slasher survivors heal becomes the setting for another nightmare when a killer starts stalking the grounds.

This sounds like it could be the perfect set-up for a slasher novel. I’m hoping for a sharp, self-aware slasher that plays with trauma, survival, and final-girl expectations, all wrapped in classic summer-camp horror. The idea of victims being forced to relive their worst experiences while someone picks them off feels brutally effective, and I’m expecting escalating tension, clever twists, and plenty of genre-savvy moments.

Daphne – Josh Malerman

A ghost story told on the eve of a perfect summer begins to feel terrifyingly real as teammates start disappearing one by one.

I loved Incidents Around the House, so I’m excited to read another Malerman. I’m hoping for a slow-burn slasher with heavy summer-night nostalgia, creeping dread, and an iconic female villain. The idea of a killer who may be summoned simply by being remembered feels deeply unsettling, and I’m expecting this one to lean into paranoia, coming-of-age fear, and the way stories take on lives of their own. If it delivers atmosphere over outright gore with a sharp emotional edge, it’ll be the perfect counterpoint to the bloodier picks on this list.