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Camp Hell

Stars: Dana Delany, Andrew McCarthy, Caroline London, Will Denton, Bruce Davison, Jesse Eisenberg, Connor Paolo | Written and Directed by George VanBuskirk

When reviewing a movie about a Christian summer camp and you are an atheist it’s quite an interesting prospect really. You have to try not to judge the characters for their beliefs and you have to try and watch it as a film where the events are affected by their religion, not your own beliefs. Or of course you can beat your chest as a disbeliever and pour scorn on the people in the movie for being silly for believing in something you do not. For me I went for what I saw was the fairer view and went with their belief system.

This is the story of ultra-Christianity in some respect. When Tommy goes to Christian camp he’s already having a crisis of faith.

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I'm willing to bet that when Jesse Eisenberg was cast in George VanBuskirk's Camp Hell (now on DVD from Lionsgate), he was beyond ecstatic. I'd even go as far as to say he called his parents and said, "Mom, Dad, guess what? I'm gonna be in another movie!" But now he's a big star, you know, the guy from Zombieland and The Social Network. And being a big star, it's damaging to your reputation to be featured in a crappy direct-to-disc title. I understand it stings, especially now, but Jesse is the one who accepted money, signed a contract and agreed to take part in the indie production. Yet, Eisenberg has decided to play the "douche card" and is suing both Lionsgate and Grindstone for featuring him on the cover even though he only cameos for about 5 minutes. So what? You can read all about the breaking news inside.

How bad could the horror movie Camp Hell be? Well, actor Jesse Eisenberg is suing Lionsgate Entertainment over the movie, so it must not be too terrific.

The actor is seeking $3 million in damages, accusing the studio of capitalizing on his name to sell DVD copies of this critically panned supernatural thriller, which finds a group of children becoming possessed at a local community camp. The DVD cover offers a prominent image of Jesse Eisenberg, with only his name above the title, selling the film as a starring vehicle for the Oscar nominated actor.

Jesse Eisenberg only has a cameo in Camp Hell, clocking less than five minutes of screen time. And he was only paid $3000, which is considerably less than what he usually receives for his acting services. Because of this, Jesse Eisenberg has cited alleged misappropriation of right of publicity and unfair business practices.

The actor states that...

Title: Camp Hell (Aka Camp Hope) Directed by George VanBuskirk Starring: Bruce Davidson, Dana Delany, Andrew McCarthy and Jesse Eisenberg Running time: 99 minutes, Rated R Camp Hope is place where Christian children can be amongst each other to find friendship and learn more about their religion. It’s also a place where dark and evil things lurk and attack those children who are questioning their faith and don’t adhere to the strict rules of the camp. Hate is a strong word. I hated this movie. They put Jesse Eisenberg’s name on everything just to cash in on his recent fame and Oscar nomination for The Social Network, yet he has...

by Michael Pickle, MoreHorror.com

Despite what I say in the following paragraphs; I enjoyed Camp Hell. A lot. Does it have some flaws? Yes. Is it what the title suggests? No. It doesn't even have many of the elements that make a great horror movie. What it does have is an interesting story, endearing characters, quality acting and a narrative that, while slow at times, pulled me so far into the drama that I didn't care that the name was deceiving or that, while it did have some scary moments, it was almost unrecognizable as a horror film.

Another misleading thing about Camp Hell is that, despite the DVD cover art, it does not star Jessie Eisenberg. He plays a bit part that is an integral piece of the story, but a bit part nonetheless. The real star here is Will Denton who turns in a stunning and natural performance as the confused,...

It's always fascinating to see trailers for films like Camp Hell. It's got a bizarre cast, including Bruce Davidson, Andrew McCarthy (!), Dana Delaney (mmmm...), and then, the curveball -- Jesse Eisenberg. Yep, the movie-Zuckerberg zombie slayer, himself. The trailer plays like a combination of Jesus Camp meets The Rite, which I'd be down with (even though The Rite featured way more misses than hits), except that it's going direct to DVD and it feels like a direct to DVD movie. The thing that stands out the most, honestly, is that Eisenberg looks like he might actually be acting, instead of just stammering through his lines and playing Jesse Eisenberg. Here's a little synopsis for you:

"Camp Hope is a place where Christian children come together to share and study their faith. Deep in the woods and far from distraction, they learn how to better serve their maker and the perils of tangling with the Devil.

The red band trailer for Camp Hell is here, giving you a taste of what Jesse Eisenberg was up to somewhere between Wes Craven's Cursed and David Fincher's The Social Network . Bruce Davison, Dana Delany, Valentina de Angelis, Christopher Denham and Andrew McCarthy star in this religious thriller directed by George VanBuskirk. It hits DVD on August 9 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Synopsis: Camp Hope is a place where Christian children come together to share and study their faith. Deep in the woods and far from distraction, they learn how to better serve their maker and the perils of tangling with the Devil. Unfortunately their charismatic leader unknowingly leads them into a world of evil, and the nightmare begins, as each child.s body soon becomes possessed by something...

Your horrifying vacation at Bible camp begins August 9th, 2011 on DVD with Camp Hell. Previously titled Camp Hope, this thrilling title stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network),Dana Delany, Andrew McCarthy and Will Denton. In the film, the devil tries to tempt camp-goers with the sins of the flesh, while possessing those too weak to resist. Maple Pictures will distribute this horror title and believers and non-believers are invited to enjoy the trailer below, which is full of sin!

The synopsis for Camp Hell:

"At the end of every summer, the children of a local community attend Camp Hope. While teaching them the ways of a proper society, one teacher leads them, unknowingly, into a world of evil. As deep dark secrets are exposed about Camp Hope, the children’s bodies slowly start to be taken over by something evil. What was supposed to be a safe summer camp...

Lionsgate Home Entertainment is releasing Camp Hell, a horror film that is supposedly inspired by true events for August 9th to DVD, Digital Download, and VOD. The film’s been sitting around unreleased for a while, but as seen on the cover art, it co-stars Jesse Eisenberg, the new go to guy in Hollywood thanks to the Oscar-baiting The Social Network.

Camp Hope is a place where Christian children come together to share and study their faith. Deep in the woods and far from distraction, they learn how to better serve their maker and the perils of tangling with the Devil. Unfortunately their charismatic leader unknowingly leads them into a world of evil, and the nightmare begins, as each child’s body soon becomes possessed by something evil.

George Van Buskirk directs with Dana Delany and Bruce Davison actually starring.

Source: Arrow...

2011 - 99 mins. - Rated R

D: George VanBuskirk

C: Will Denton, Bruce Davison, Connor Paolo, Dana Delany, Andrew McCarthy, Jesse Eisenberg, Valentina de Angelis, Spencer Treat Clark

A teenager experiences his first love while at a bible summer camp, however a sin committed during the course of that relationship leads to demonic and supernatural powers being unleashed.

An examination into the politics of religion, how religion affects youth counterbalanced against a horror film is an intriguing concept, unfortunately the execution is lacking. Almost all of the horror film elements are saved for the finale. With Camp Hell (aka Camp Hope), there needed to be a juxtaposition between the internal feelings of the character and how those feelings manifested themselves into demons or something supernatural throughout the course of the film, instead of just in the finale. That way it would have drove the narrative, which has a habit of dragging at times,...

Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives), Andrew McCarthy (Weekend at Bernie's), Caroline London, Will Denton, Bruce Davison (X-Men), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl), James McCaffrey and Spencer Treat Clark (The Last House on the Left) head an all star cast in the religious themed horror film Camp Hope (aka Camp Hell) from director George VanBuskirk.

Originally the $3 million production, Camp Hope, was scheduled to have a limited theatrical run back in August, but that has been delayed due to a new distribution deal that is underway with the film's director and producers. Director George VanBuskirk commented saying that the goal was to have the film out early next year instead.

Camp Hope is a religious themed horror outing that finds a teenagers first love and a sinful act committed in the course of his first teenaged relationship turning deadly as demonic infestion and supernatural possession sweep his bible camp.

We were lucky enough to speak to George VanBuskirk the director behind Camp Hope (aka Camp Hell). The film features Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, Cursed), Spencer Treat Clark (The Last House on the Left), Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl), Bruce Davison (X-Men), Dana Delany (Desperate Houewives) and Andrew McCarthy (Less Than Zero, Mannaquin). Camp Hell has been described as "a tender coming of age yarn with illicit sex and demons". So hopefully with Camp Hell, VanBuskirk will capture that sense of morality and death like earlier classics Prom Night (featuring Jamie Lee Curtis) or Friday the 13th (with the legendary Betsy Palmer) where teenagers got punished for their bad behavior with a ghastly death! Here's what George VanBuskirk had to say about Camp Hell.

So who is George VanBuskirk and what is he all about?

Wow, I'm still trying to figure that out. From the film side, I started Holedigger with my...

Fresh out of Zombieland, star Jesse Eisenberg has another frightening destination coming up that fans may want to pay a visit to. A little place called Camp Hope.

George VanBuskirk's Camp Hope tells the story of what happens when evil invades a children's spiritual retreat. As if spiritual retreats weren't evil enough!

Check out the official synopsis and trailer below.

Synopsis

"Camp Hope A feature length horror film. At the end of every summer, the children of a Christian community from a suburb of New Jersey attend Camp Hope. They travel deep into the woods far from any distractions the world provides. Here, the children are taught the ways of the Lord, the perils of the flesh, and the horror of the Devil. A charismatic priest leads them in their training. But, he unknowingly has brought something with him, something evil. What was supposed to be a safe place,...

George VanBuskirk turns a spiritual camp into a haven for something demonic in Camp Hope , an upcoming horror film starring Spencer Treat Clark ( Mystic River ), Jesse Eisenberg ( Zombieland ), Andrew McCarthy, Dana Delany, Connor Paolo and Bruce Davison ( X-Men ). VanBuskirk makes his feature directorial debut with this one and we've got promo art (to the left), a synopsis and a clip reel (or rough trailer) to share courtesy of New Film International, the outfit behind the upcoming Dark Moon Rising . No distribution plans yet for Camp Hope but a deal might come out of the American Film Market in Santa Monica, California next month! Synopsis: At the end of every summer, the children of a Christian community from a suburb of New Jersey attend Camp Hope. They travel deep...