I saw a slasher on the schedule for Fantastic Fest 2025, and I made a beeline for it. I didn’t read much about the film, so I could go in as blind as possible: I was pleasantly surprised! 13 Days Till Summer follows Antek, Pauline, and her friends as they try to survive after someone crashes their party, while their dad is away. The kills come swiftly, the acting is excellent, and the killer’s reveal was unexpected. It is worth watching, and the 80-minute runtime is a cherry on top. Let’s dig into the deets.
Party Time
We are introduced to Antek (Teodor Koziar) as he’s having the day from hell. He’s discovered a dead body, he’s getting bullied at school, and his sister keeps ordering food he dislikes. Additionally, Antek and Pauline (Katarzyna Gałązka) are constantly arguing about why their mom left, blaming each other. The tension between the family is already thicker than cold grits. Even without the threat of a killer, I knew that the sibling rivalry would come to a head if their dad wasn’t going to be there to referee.
To spice things up, there’s relationship drama added to the mix when Pauline’s boyfriend, Piotrek (Antek Sztaba), has a past relationship that spills into the present. His ex-girlfriend, Magda (Olga Rayska), has been stalking Pauline. This situation intensifies when Magda comes to the door and interrupts the party. After that situation is “settled”, the kids continue to party. At this point in the film, the other shoe hasn’t dropped, and the killer could be anyone. The movie turns up once all the characters fall asleep.
Dominoes
The audience spent the first half of the movie watching the dominoes get set up to fall, which happens in rapid succession. Pauline gets up and notices that one of their friends is missing; the dog is dead (I understand if that’s a dealbreaker). Then she realizes that they are trapped because someone has hacked into their smart home system. She immediately begins waking everyone up, and within 10 minutes, the killing starts (again).
The character decisions are a mixed bag of smart and “what the hell were you thinking?”, but they are teens, so I will give them some grace. Their separation ultimately leads to their doom, which is on brand for a horror film. The kills were brutal, but mostly quick (except that last kill–yikes!). Although it seems like a standard home-invasion flick, the final twist turns up the heat a notch. The gasps from the audience could be heard throughout the theater. I highly recommend 13 Days Till Summer; the tension will keep you locked in, and the twist will set it apart.
