Sleepaway Camp

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

*** (out of 4)

Angela (Felissa Rose) goes with her cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten) to a summer camp where she's constantly picked on and harassed by the most popular girl in camp (Karen Fields). Over and over again Angela is picked on due to her shyness, which causes Ricky to have to defend her and before long dead bodies begin to pile up.

SLEEPAWAY CAMP is a pretty notorious entry in the 80's slasher genre due in large part to a terrific twist at the end, which I obviously won't spoil here. If you want to play a uptight critic it's easy to really cream this film because there are some pretty bad things throughout including some at times hideous acting. However, if you're a fan of the genre, which I am, there's no question that this film has a lot going for it and it fits nicely into the genre, which at times delivered one cliché after another. There's no doubt that SLEEPAWAY CAMP has some clichéd moments but there's still no doubting it's impact on the genre and the all around good time you can have with it.

I think the best thing about the film is that it just feels so much like the 80's. The movie has the basic set-up taking place in a camp with a psycho running around but there's a lot of other stuff thrown in including a bizarre subplot dealing with a pedophile and there's even some stranger stuff that I won't go into so that I avoid any spoilers. The film also shows how bullying was handled in the 80's, which was usually with a big fat nothing. The film manages to really make you feel the time that it was set in and I think writer- director Robert Hiltzik deserves some credit for putting some of the more bizarre things in here.

It also doesn't hurt that you've got a group of characters that you can root for and against. One can't help but feel sympathy for Angela and you also can't help but like Ricky and Paul. The villains in the film are so over-the-top cruel that you also don't mind seeing them get knocked off one at a time. Then there's Judy who's certainly one of the most memorable villains in the history of the slasher period. Fields performance is just so spot-on that you can't help see the glee in her as she torments Angela. Rose is also quite charming in her role and there's certainly not a better slasher actor than Tiersten when it comes to saying profanity.

The murder scenes are mostly off-camera, I'm sure due to budget reasons but they're still quite memorable and especially the aftermath when we see what actually happened. The make-up effects are quite simple but effective enough. I also liked how the main goal of the film wasn't the gore and violence but instead the characters and especially the mystery. I'm sure some will guess what's going on but if you go through the film without knowing and just guessing who's doing the killing, it certainly adds to the entertainment level. SLEEPAWAY CAMP has a lot of nostalgia going for it but it's also one of the more entertaining films in the 80's slasher cycle.

As far as discount Friday the 13th slasher ripoffs go, this one is pretty average for the most part. It's weird, and the ominous tone of uncertainty is held throughout the entire film. It's a movie that's not afraid to deal with some heavy subjects while at the same time sticking to the slasher genre. For its time and budget, the effects are pretty good too. It's an extremely campy movie but it's one that stands out from the others in the sense that it's one you'll never forget for the twist ending. It's perhaps one of the most well-known - and shocking, especially given the societal changes between then and now - twist endings in history. But I'm not here to spoil the movie; go give it a shot and see what you think.

A family is destroyed by a speedboat in a lake nearby a camp. Eight years later, the outcast teenager Angela (Felissa Rose), who survived the accident and was raised by her nutty Aunt Martha (Desiree Gould), travels with her protective cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tierston) to spend vacation in the Arawak Camp owned by Mel (Mike Kellin). Soon the pervert cook of the camp has a tragic accident in the kitchen that is followed by the death of several teenagers and kids. Who might be the killer?

"Sleepaway Camp" is a campy American slasher that is worthwhile watching because of the surprising ending. The plot is silly and the acting is terrible (Aunt Martha is laughable so bad it is) and becomes funny for the viewer. But the last scene turns the movie into a cult for horror fans. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Acampamento Sinistro" ("Sinister Camp")

This is 80's American Cheese at it's greatest! The cast does a great job and the script is actually really good. If you're a fan of cheesy slasher flicks this is one you should certainly check out...and absolutely DO NOT MISS THE ENDING!!!! One of the creepiest endings I've ever seen in a movie which is sure to give anyone the chills. A truly wicked low budget horror flick.

this was definitely a weird one. the realisticly ruthless portrayal of kids at camp, the pedophiliac in the kitchen, the unexplained insanity of the aunt, the homosexual undertones, the ENDING! i was utterly floored when i rented this one. if you can find it, rent it. watch it. show it to your friends and watch them cringe. Just follow my advice and hold onto something when it winds down to the end. i promise, you will be shocked, and will probably have the final image stuck in your head for a week.