(Spoilers) One of the several derivations of this movie is clearly the superior "The Boys Club" (Canada,1997), in which three somewhat younger boys, about 14, encounter in the woods a wounded man who manipulates them in brutal fashion similar to Summer Scars through lies and flattery. In the process of derivation, however, the director of "Summer Scars" has lost the original's tightness of story -- in fact there is almost no plot development and little character development. (At one point, one hopes the director is creating a character in crippled Ben whom we can cheer for, but inexplicably, he wastes the opportunity, choosing instead to plod ahead with his predictable agenda of mild sensationalism.) Thirdly he has neglected to cast, or could not afford, child actors with adequate experience, which results, among other things, in the greater part of the dialog among the children being indecipherable. On the DVD, this is complicated by the fact that there are no subtitles. The viewer might wonder if there are no subtitles because no one can figure out in fact what was actually being said.In the case of derivative movies, one would hope to introduce improvements over the original, not defects.

It has six 14-year-olds playing truant in the woods where they are befriended by a drifter (Kevin Howarth). First he gains their trust by joining in their games but they realize too late they are being held prisoner and when Peter acknowledges he has gone too far, things really get out of hand.I was impressed by the film. Very good performances from Kevin Howarth and the young cast, a thoroughly believable group of teenagers and their interactions are good. Summer Scars is a well acted and frequently tense (most notably the scene with the girl at the end) film.A film that everyone must see!

Before i watched this i wondered how this film would turn out considering the subject matter but i have to say it was very watchable. It did have a few funny moments and i very quickly warmed to some of the characters. The kids in this film were very believable and enjoyable to watch. Kevin Howarth was very convincing as Peter, the drifter who gets the kids confidence and very quickly becomes someone they really will wish they had never met. Peters actions do make you feel uncomfortable in places but the whole film keeps you gripped wondering what will happen next. This was brilliantly shot and thoroughly enjoyable, another great film by Julian Richards.

A group of rebellious kids find themselves in over their heads when one of their gang accidentally hits a man with the bike they stole. The man, Peter (Kevin Howarth, The Last Horror Film, Razor Blade Smile) at first seeming friendly to the gang, has more sinister motivations.I found myself engaged with the film up to a point and Howarth brings a fairly good performance, but the kids, as hooligans, aren't really that likable (not to say that the situation they find themselves in isn't tense, it is) But that coupled with an ending that seemed rushed and a tad bit anti-climatic made the film seem less then the sum of it's parts. Sadly this one is a well-intentioned misfire.My Grade: C- DVD Extras: Director's commentary; A 30 minute Making-of feature; Stills gallery; Original trailer for this film; and trailers for "Dante's Inferno", "Hell's Ground", "Pistoleros", & "the Living and the Gead"