Ten classic camp movies that will launch you into summer.

Summer camp can mean a lot of things: a first kiss, a first horseback ride, a first time away from home.

It also means lots of rich material for movies. Here are 10 summer camp films to get you in the mood for the oncoming dog days:

10. Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)

It’s a stupid movie, but the late Jim Varney (Ernest) will live on forever as a Pee Wee Herman-type icon who can make people both laugh and cringe in equal measure. Plus, there are some good displays of solid, summer camp personal growth.

9. Camp Nowhere (1994)

A parent-free Shangri-La with no rules and Christopher Lloyd in tow as comic relief sounds like a sweet alternative to traditional summer camp. But these kids – who tricked their parents into letting them attend – begin to crave the routine and structure they resisted.

8. Little Darlings (1980)

15-year-olds Tatum O’Neal and Kristy McNichol use summer camp as a platform for a heated competition: “Whoever loses their virginity first, wins.”

7. Jesus Camp (2006)

This documentary delves into the evangelical culture taught at Kids on Fire, a Christian fundamentalist summer camp where kids learn about sin, creationism and speaking in tongues.

6. Space Camp (1986)

The universal childhood fantasy of being an astronaut becomes reality for a group of kids who are accidentally launched into orbit. Check out Joaquin Phoenix in his feature film debut.

5. Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977)

Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty and the rest of the Peanuts crew head to camp and take part in a river-rafting race. The competition is just one of the gang’s summer challenges: The beloved characters are also forced to deal with bullies from a rival camp.

4. Poison Ivy (1985)

Before Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox played camp counselor Dennis Baxter, who becomes smitten with the new camp nurse, Rhonda. There’s one problem: She’s engaged. Summer camp romances are cliché but Fox’s performance makes this familiar plot shine brighter than Teen Wolf’s fur coat.

3. Friday the 13th (1980)

There has to be at least one horror movie on this list. And Jason’s slash-spree at Camp Crystal Lake is the perfect archetype for summer camp ghost stories. Nubile Kevin Bacon, as a camp counselor, and mastermind makeup artist Tom Savini, add additional flavor to this adored relic.

2. Meatballs (1979)

Who the hell wouldn’t want to have Bill Murray as a camp counselor? In between nutty jokes and juvenile shenanigans, Murray’s character, Tripper, helps campers deal with self-esteem issues as they prepare for the Camp Olympics.

1. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

This 100-minute fiesty farce – set in 1981 – is a collage of every summer-camp stereotype submerged in an enjoyable haze of laughing gas. Camp romances, pranks on younger campers, blatant counselor neglect and silly field trips (involving cocaine and guns), are lovingly satirized in this gem of a cult classic.