Hell of a time for Krista Nazaire, the star of the NEON film Hell of a Summer which is out in theaters now!
The fast-paced horror comedy film follows a group of counselors at a summer camp who are targeted by a mysterious, devil-masked killer. The film was co-written and co-directed by Finn Wolfhard (When You Finish Saving The World, Stranger Things) and Billy Bryk (Saturday Night) and stars Fred Hechinger (Gladiator II) as Jason Hochberg, Abby Quinn (Knock at the Cabin) as Claire, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Warfare) as Mike, Bryk as Bobby, Wolfhard as Chris, Pardis Saremi as Demi, Rosebud Baker (Saturday Night Live) as Kathy, Adam Pally (Sonic the Hedgehog franchise) as John.
The film is produced by 30West and Jason Bateman's Aggregate Films and distributed by NEON. The film first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sep. 10, 2023, and was released by NEON on Apr. 4, 2025.
Culturess sat down with Nazaire, who, in addition to starring in Hell of a Summer, can be seen in as in the television series, The Hardy Boys, and season 2 of the CBC comedy series Ghosting. As she continues to take on more diverse and compelling roles with her sharp wit and magnetic presence, Krista plays the love interest of Finn Wolfhard’s character in Hell of a Summer, bringing both heart and humor to the blood-splattered chaos. Before you flock to theaters, we’re diving into what drew her to the project, her start in Toronto, and what it was like stepping into the world of creating another slasher for the big screen.
Krista, I remember when it was first announced a long time ago. What drew you to the project?
Krista Nazaire: I read the script before I signed on to this, and I absolutely loved the setting. I'm a sucker for a good slasher, especially at a camp or a remote place. More importantly, I feel like Finn and Billy, who are the writers and the directors and are starring in it, had a really great vision. They knew what they wanted to do and what their voice would be in having an introduction as directors in the slasher genre. Their voice is so fresh. It's so fun. It made me laugh out loud. It made me belly laugh just while reading the script. I was like, this is something I want to be a part of, something fresh and written by young actors and for Gen Z. That's what really drew me to the project.
You play Shannon, the love interest of Finn Wolfhart's character, what does Shannon bring to the story?
KN: She's the no-nonsense voice of reason through this whole ordeal, even if she's not necessarily right, but her heart's in a good place. Throughout the story, you see her have an interesting dichotomy with different characters. She has this relationship with Chris on one hand, and then she has this ongoing relentless beef with Chris's best friend Bobby, the other hand. Those two dynamics bring out two completely different sides of her. I'm really excited for people to see just her multifaceted personality.
It harkens back to the horror comedies of the past. Even the theatrical poster looks like those older posters. Were you a big horror fan prior to accepting this role? What are some of your favorite horror films?
KN: Most definitely. Horror is my favorite genre. I would die, no pun intended, to be a part of this universe for the rest of my life. Favorite? The Child's Play franchise. I love Chucky as a villain. He's so funny, and I love the creative kills with a doll. I love Texas Chainsaw. It's one of my favorites. I love the franchise and Final Destination. I'll say those.
What's your favorite kill that you've seen in a movie?
KN: Oh, this is a good question. Okay, this one, probably not the most creative, but I'm going to say the most shocking and kept me up for a really long time was the beheading scene in Hereditary. In horror, most of the time, kids are off limits. I go in already assuming the kids are going to be safe, but then, I don't know if you know the scene I'm referring to.
Yes!
There's a lull in that scene, and you're not really waiting for the pin to drop. At least I wasn't. Even if I was, I wasn't expecting it for it to be like that. The aftermath of that is so jarring. I will say that is probably my favorite kill in a horror movie.
Also, Final Destination is...really good. They're trying to 'bring it back'. Interested to see! You're a Toronto native, what is it like acting in Toronto and getting further and further into your career to now?
KN: It's a mixture of a bunch of things. I was somebody who grew up really glued to the TV screen and books alike. I really was drawn to anything that gave me an escape creatively. Then, my parents put me in a theater program when I was really young, and I was like, wow, this is what it's like to be almost put into the story. This is a world in which I would love to live in: "How do I make this a career?" I was thinking these things from really young, and then I put the building blocks in place throughout the course of my life up until now to make that happen.
This premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, which I'm sure was probably a full circle moment. What did you notice maybe the audience reaction was? This was obviously pre it getting wide distribution. So what were you hearing when you were seeing it at the film festival?
KN: The thing that was interesting to me, but not that shocking, was that a lot of people haven't heard of Gen Z voices in media. For some people, it hit the mark, and for other people, it might be a little bit harder to get used to. I hope that in the future, people are more open to receiving Gen Z media and ideas because it's such a fresh and unique take that I would love to personally consume more of.
Since the film is going wide as well, I'm sure you're seeing on social media that there's a big horror fan base that you can't really escape. Have you gotten any new vested interest after being a part of a film that I'm sure is going to get even more and more buzz?
KN: One thing I really love about the horror genre is that the fans are really diehard and very supportive! I'm so grateful for everyone who's reached out to me so far. A lot of young females that are Black are like, "You know what, girl? You represented for us, and we're so proud of the work that you did." That is what means the world to me; Conversations about how people are reacting to me and my character. This is something that really means a lot to me to hold space in this genre.
Check out the trailer on NEON's official YouTube channel:
Hell of a Summer is out in theaters now! You can follow Krista on Instagram!