This summer, Polish teenagers will have more to worry about than just record-breaking heat—at least in the world of 13 Days Until Summer Vacation, the first Polish home invasion horror film directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski. Inspired by real-life events, the film thrusts viewers into a chilling story where a carefree house party in a modern villa spirals into a blood-soaked nightmare. In cinemas from August 8.
FRIDAY NIGHT. INSTEAD OF CHIPS – A MASK AND A CROSSBOW.
The first teaser and poster offer only a glimpse of what awaits the film’s characters—and its audience.
Friday nights in Poland have never been this bloody. When someone shows up to a party with a mask and a crossbow instead of chips, a fun evening quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival. Technology fails—an intruder hijacks the home’s security system. The doors lock, the windows seal shut, and the house becomes a trap.
The only question is: how do you survive when you don’t know who’s hunting you?
Starring: Katarzyna Gałązka, Antek Sztaba, Teodor Koziar, Julia Mika, Nicole Bogdanowicz, Hubert Łapacz, Borys Otawa, Olga Rayska, and Bartek Deklewa.
A STORY WRITTEN IN BLOOD
While the plot of 13 Days Until Summer Vacation is fictional, its roots are disturbingly real. The creators openly admit the screenplay was inspired by true and unsettling cases of violence and murder—stories that have shocked the public both in Poland and internationally. Though the film doesn’t recreate any single event, its mood and narrative were shaped by real tragedies that have made headlines in recent years.
“We live in a bubble of false security, unaware that the crimes we see on the front pages—and the ones that go unspoken—happen every day, right next door,”
says director Bartosz M. Kowalski, one of Poland’s most uncompromising genre filmmakers.
His 2016 debut Playground was met with both controversy and acclaim, compared to the works of Michael Haneke and praised as “unflinching and hard-hitting” (Starburst). In Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020) and its sequel (2021), he proved his command of gore, irony, and slasher tropes. In Hellhole (2022), Kowalski took audiences into a gothic monastery from hell, earning praise from critics and audiences alike on Netflix. His most recent title, Silent Night, used psychological horror to explore themes of loneliness and death.
In 13 Days Until Summer Vacation, Kowalski returns to a more grounded, claustrophobic social thriller. The film blends teen horror with the brutal truth of a world where the danger lies just beyond the threshold.
A HOUSE THAT BECOMES A TRAP
More than just a bloodcurdling horror, 13 Days Until Summer Vacation is a reflection of modern fears, in which a home—once a sanctuary—becomes a prison. The film sharply critiques our digital comfort bubble: in today’s world, you don’t need to go deep into the woods to find yourself in a nightmare. All it takes is locking your own door.
The film is produced by Akson Studio.
Polish distribution is handled by NEXT FILM.
13 DAYS UNTIL SUMMER VACATION
Friday nights in Poland have never been bloodier.
When someone shows up to a house party with a crossbow and a mask instead of snacks, the carefree mood turns into a brutal fight for survival. With the intruder taking control of the smart home’s systems, escape becomes impossible.
The doors slam shut, the windows are sealed, and the house turns into a deadly cage.
How do you survive when you don’t know who’s hunting you?
Release Date: August 8, 2025
Director: Bartosz M. Kowalski
Writers: Bartosz M. Kowalski, Mirella Zaradkiewicz, Thor Magnusson
Cinematography: Cezary Stolecki
Music: Carl-Johan Sevedag
Production Design: Natalia Giza
Costume Design: Weronika Orlińska
Make-up: Marcin Rodak
Sound: Radosław Ochnio, Piotr Pastuszak
Editing: Jakub Kopeć
Casting Director: Paulina Krajnik
Producer: Jan Kwieciński
Executive Producer: Małgorzata Fogel-Gabryś
Production: Akson Studio
Line Producer: Paulina Bareńska
Creative Producer: Mirella Zaradkiewicz
Polish Distribution: NEXT FILM
Cast: Katarzyna Gałązka, Antek Sztaba, Teodor Koziar, Julia Mika, Nicole Bogdanowicz, Hubert Łapacz, Borys Otawa, Olga Rayska, Bartek Deklewa.