‘Dead of Summer’ Preview: ‘Heathers’ Meets ‘The Shining’ at Summer Camp

Photos: Freeform

What is it about ‘80s horror films that drove Once Upon a Time creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis to write a coming-of-age story inspired by them? Dead of Summer is set at a summer camp in 1989 that bears a clear resemblance to the camp in Friday the 13th and features ghostly apparitions that would do Poltergeist proud.

Clearly, based on their work with OUAT and as former writer/producers of Lost, they’re comfortable using the supernatural as a metaphor for real “inner demons.” We spoke with Horowitz, Kitsis, and their star, Elizabeth Lail, about the reality behind metaphor, and exploring the connection between the sweet romances of John Hughes and the stark terror of John Carpenter.

“It’s a very personal story for us,” says Kitsis. “We were both chased by demons!” jumps in Horowitz with a laugh. “The summer of '89, we were both at camp,” Kitsis continues; for them, the show is “a way for us — as writers — to reflect on our growing up and things that mattered in the late '80s.”

“Being a camper and a counselor at a summer camp is a time in your life when you really discover who you are and you start to create who you are,” says Horowitz. For many people, “It’s the first extended time away from home.” Without the safety net of parents and family, they get a sense of independence that he says “helps make you the kind of person you’re going to become.”

Kitsis draws a comparison to their last show. “We always said Once Upon a Time is about hope: This is a show about identity. Why is it that we go to summer camp and we feel brave enough to be who we want, but we hide it during the year? We wanted to talk about growing up.”

So what does that have to do with old scary movies? Well, it has more to do with the '80s in general. “A lot of the characters from ['80s horror] movies are the same iconic types that you find in the John Hughes movies of the era as well,” says Horowitz. “We wanted to do a show that explored character against a backdrop of horror.”

So you’ll see the traditional archetypes — the jock, the stoner, the cheerleader — but their plan is to “dig deep beneath them and create some really surprising and interesting stories about them.” Or, as Kitsis puts it: “A lot of times, in horror movies, four people go somewhere and three die. We’re really going to explore who these characters are. So, if they die, you’ll know who the hell they are!”

Where the creators have been able to draw on their real-life experiences, star Elizabeth Lail — who plays Camp Stillwater’s newest counselor, Amy Hughes — faces a host of new challenges. “This is my first time doing anything horror,” she says, but she loves it. “I’ve never had to act so afraid before! I’m pleasantly surprised at how easily it came.” With a bemused air, she notes, “I’m learning that I’m really great and running and screaming.”

Though she wasn’t even born in the year that the show’s set, Lail feels a connection to the era. “I’ve always loved the '80s! I love the fashion, the music. It’s really fun for me to get to live in this world non-stop.” She says her favorite '80s song is “Like a Prayer”, which is appropriate since her character is a huge fan of Madonna as well — as evidenced by her wardrobe. She also shares some of Amy’s personality traits. “I get really nervous and awkward talking to people in the same way that she does. I’m definitely an introvert,” says Lail. “Just not to the same extreme.”

Amy’s very different from the last role she played for Kitsis and Horowitz, though. In Once Upon a Time, Lail plays Anna — based on Anna from the Disney movie, Frozen. “They can both be socially awkward, but in completely different ways,” says the actress. “Anna likes to talk a lot and Amy is much more to herself.”

Which speaks to her powers as an actor, because Horowitz says that even though Anna is miles apart from Amy, the role was written specifically for her. “When she did the Anna arc for us, we just thought she was so talented. We had this idea in the back of our head and we thought she would be the perfect Amy for us.” Beginning with that role as well as that of camp owner Deb Carpenter — written especially for Elizabeth Mitchell who had worked with the pair on Lost — they crafted the show.

Though Dead of Summer is littered with references to the '80s (Amy Hughes is a nod to Sixteen Candles director John Hughes) and horror (Deb Carpenter = Halloween director John Carpenter) and is steeped in the aesthetic of the time — Kitsis calls it “Heathers meets The Shining at summer camp” — the most important thing is character.

“What was interesting to us,” about the '80s archetypes, says Horowitz, “Is those are all labels that are put on you from the outside. Anyone who was a jock or a cheerleader or a stoner or whatever – if you ask them, they were so much more than that.” Dead of Summer aims to get under those labels. “Inside there’s so much more explore and learn about.”

Dead of Summer airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on Freeform.