Dead of Summer, “How to Stay Alive in the Woods”, Review!

Jondee here under the Blood Moon,

Joel’s older brother, Michael, gives him his Dodger jersey while he films him with a Super 8 camera. He stares at the wind moving through the window. He is getting ready for his prom. Joel enters with the jersey to see the other counselors. They know he went somewhere with Deb. Alex knows they got close. On a hike through the forest, Cricket leads the campers out to night camp. Joel lingers his camera on Deb. Amy encourages Joel’s relationship. Alex scares the campers and a young girl, Francie played by Lia Frankland, can’t breathe and gets her inhaler from Joel and Jessie. Joel sees blood come from Amy’s face, she falls, and the Tall Man points two fingers at him. He is startled by Amy. Back at the young Joel using his  camera. He goes to check on Michael and sees blood coming from the bathroom. A razor and he drops his camera to see “He Will Never Leave Me Alone” in blood on the bathroom tile, very Stephen King. They reach the camp and Deb breaks down the tasks for the counselors. Joel is worried about Amy. At the stream, Amy reads the book How to Stay Alive in the Woods when Jessie is angry about her kiss with Garrett. Deb has Joel help her hammer in a stake for a tent. He tells her about their night, but she doesn’t seem to remember. Flashback, Joel is in his tux ready for his prom, his date, Laura, but then sees the Tall Man in the mirror.

Cricket is angry at Alex as they collect wood for the fire, she stops him from falling into a bear trap, he tries flirting with her. Cricket doesn’t seem to be talking with Blair. Amy sees a picture of Joel’s prom date as the campers roast marshmallows. Joel sees the Tall Man, but can’t catch him on video. Suddenly, he appears and tells him, “Kill Amy, tonight, or someone else will die.” Alex asks Blair about Cricket’s favorite song. Drew has the song, Drew tries to apologize to Blair, and then he sees the meat does not have ice in the cooler. The Tall Man wants Joel to kill Amy. The prom, Joel gets ready and hears a voice, he sees the Tall Man in his backyard. He is haunting his family. Joel is startled by his father (Colin Lawrence). Joel goes to Deb’s tent, he tries to move in, but she backs off. Deb doesn’t remember what happened in the woods. Flashback, Joel is filming Deb’s cabin and sees her looking out in her bra. In his footage of Amy, the Tall Man tells him again to kill her! Blood moon, Blair wants Cricket to go with Alex. Joel sees the Tall Man and rushes to help a camper roast a marshmallow. Amy sits next to him. HIs prom, he sees the Tall Man, he’s trying to record the Tall Man who’s haunting him. Drew and Jessie walk in the night, running into Garrett patrolling the camp grounds, Drew continues leaving them alone. Back to the cabin with the piano, he reveals the spiritual leader was Holyoke, the Tall Man. Julie finds a secret panel in the floor, Garrett opens it to find a doll, a recording tube, and a cufflink belonging to his father, Jack Sykes.

Alex walks off to his Blood Moon meeting. Amy rushes over to bring them to a tent where Francie has left her inhaler. Cricket gives him a pocket knife as he goes for the inhaler.  Garrett plays the recording to hear a ritual, something about the “power of the lake.” Joel runs and sees the Tall Man. The prom, to the tune of Paula Abdul, he sees the Tall Man who holds Laura’s hair. He screams at the Tall Man who tells him he wants the same thing as he wanted from his brother. Joel hits him and it is a boy with a bloodied face, his date freaks out. Amy sees Joel with the knife with the Tall Man telling him to kill her. Joel is about to cut his wrist! he drops the knife. The end of the prom with the Blood Moon back drop, Joel is sitting when he is joined by Laura. She knows something was wrong with his brother, but he rejects her. At the camp, they have brought back the inhaler. Cricket is about to leave and Blair is happy. Joel confesses to the counselors about his brother, he had what he calls a “sickness”, then about the Tall Man. Jessie joins them and tells her discovery. She shows him Holyoke’s picture and Joel recognizes him. The Russian boy, Anton, has seen the Tall Man too. Cricket walks in the night and runs into a masked man who throws her into a bear trap that snaps on her head! The best part of this episode is the suicide warning and hotline at the beginning and end. Four out of Five Bracelets!