ABC Family Picks Up Dead of Summer to Series

Prior to their relaunch as Freeform in January of next year, ABC Family has already begun expanded their original programming with their “becomers” demographic in mind. Freeform/ABC Family has ordered the horror tale Dead of Summer from Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis straight to series. The duo have previously created the ABC hit Once Upon a Time and wrote the Disney sequel Tron: Legacy.

Dead of Summer is about what happens when summer camp goes wrong — really, really wrong. Set in the late 1980s, school is out for the summer, and a sun-drenched season of firsts beckons the counselors at Camp Clearwater, a seemingly idyllic Midwestern summer camp, including first loves, first kisses – and first kills. Clearwater’s dark, ancient mythology awakens, and what was supposed to be a summer of fun soon turns into one of unforgettable scares and evil at every turn. Part coming-of-age story, part supernatural horror story, “Dead of Summer” is a bold, new series that mixes genres as it examines the light and dark of a summer like no other.

The show will be produced by ABC Signature Studios and Kitsis/Horowitz. As mentioned, ABC Family will become Freeform in January 2016.