6 Best Summer Camp Movies of All Time

By Vlad Zakh · February 25, 2026

Summer camp’s freedom, friendship and first romance make for warm, nostalgic comedies. Moonrise Kingdom has two twelve-year-olds running away together, The Kings of Summer has three teens building their own house in the woods, and Wet Hot American Summer has counsellors dealing with absurd entanglements on the last day. The Parent Trap and Meatballs round out the list, and Sleepaway Camp is the dark exception.

The Kings of Summer (2013)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Three teenage friends build their own house in the woods to escape their overbearing parents.

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts · 1h 35m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Essential · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.8

Two twelve-year-olds fall in love and run away together, prompting a town-wide search.

Directed by Wes Anderson · 1h 34m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

TMDB ★ 6.3

The counsellors of a 1981 summer camp spend their last day scrambling through absurd romantic and comic plots.

Directed by David Wain · 1h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

TMDB ★ 5.8

A shy, traumatised girl's first summer at camp coincides with a string of gruesome murders.

Directed by Robert Hiltzik · 1h 25m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Parent Trap (1961)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Twin sisters separated at birth swap identities after meeting by chance at summer camp.

Directed by David Swift · 2h 09m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Meatballs (1979)

TMDB ★ 6.3

A free-spirited summer camp counsellor helps a shy young camper come out of his shell.

Directed by Ivan Reitman · 1h 32m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+, YouTube TV, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Summer Camp Movies of All Time

The Kings of Summer (2013)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

The Parent Trap (1961)

Meatballs (1979)

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