Sleepaway Camp

“…you won’t be coming home!”

Angela is an extremely introverted young girl who is joining her cousin Ricky at a summer camp. Right away Angela is looked upon as a strange girl and ridiculed by a few of the campers. Ricky is constantly coming to her defense, unfortunately with little more than unrestrained yelling and cursing at the perpetrators. As the days go by though, Angela begins to open up a little, and even catches the eye of one of Ricky’s friends, Paul. However, the camp may not last all summer as deadly “accidents” seem to keep happening to staff and campers. 

Sleepaway Camp is a great variation of the traditional camp killer horror films. One of the big benefits is the fact that the story focuses on the kids at the camp compared to other camp slasher films where the counselors are the focal point. To add to this point, the campers are actually performed by kids and the counselors range in age from adult to teenager. It feels more authentic than a lot of other camp killer films where the campers and counselors are all close to or at 18 years old and played by mid twenty actors.

Also, the mystery of the killer is not revealed in a campfire story or some other method early in the film. Instead of a legend or connection to the camp already existing (Jason killed at the camp in Friday the 13th, Madman Marz living near the camp in Madman, etc.), Sleepaway Camp is actually the beginning of a camp legend. The killer never existed prior to the events in this movie nor was tied to the camp before this film. The mystery of the killer makes the film entertaining (that and a twist at the end).

The story of the film is punctuated by dreamlike flashback scenes of Angela and Ricky being raised by Ricky’s mother and their home life. These initially don’t seem to be connected in any way with the events that are happening at the summer camp. However, it is eventually all brought together and you find yourself suddenly connecting dots as the credits roll for the movie. Sleepaway Camp also delivers some great oneliners and quotes in a slasher film. My favorite coming from the bully Judy about a “carpenter’s dream” (don’t want to spoiler it for you).

A lot of the performances in Sleepaway Camp are quite good. Felissa Rose (Victor Crowley, Death House) stars Angela and while a good portion of her role requires staring intensely at others, her expression gives you the creeps as you wonder what is going through her head. As the movie progresses and Angela begins to open up, she is able to express more with the character and you find yourself no longer creeped out by her, but enamored by her innocence.

Karen Fields (Judy)  played the selfish, angry bully of Angela who was phenomenal at making me despise her. Her manipulation of people, her venomous dialogue, and her arrogance just made you wish she would become a target. Another solid performance came from Mike Kelin (God Told Me To, The Boston Strangler) who plays the camp owner Mel. Finding out after that Mike was very ill during the shoot and sadly passed away before the film was released makes his performance much more impressive. Don’t get me wrong. There are poor performances in the film, but for a low budget slasher film, even the worst performances are still entertaining. 

For a slasher film, you may expect most of the effects to be bloody wounds created by say a knife or other sharp object. In Sleepaway Camp, you get quite a variety of creative deaths. These include bee stings, drowning, boiling, and more. The best (most disturbing) effect in the film has to be the boiling scene. It can unsettle more sensitive viewers when you watch the skin bubble. The effects are not high end, but they are striking. I feel that sometimes low budget practical effects force creativity from the artists and you get some good results. Other times not so much. Here, you get the good results.

Sleepaway Camp has been released to home media a few different times, but I think the best viewing is through the Scream Factory release. This version got a clean video scan from the original film that gives you a sharp vibrant picture and clear sound. It comes with a bunch of special features and sports some great custom artwork for the cover. There is also an out of print DVD released from Anchor Bay.

While Sleepaway Camp is mostly typical camp slasher horror fare, it does bring its own flavor to the sub-genre. The younger actors being most of the main characters, the vaguely sinister background of Angela and Ricky, and of course, the surprise ending makes Sleepaway Camp something special in an area of horror that is overwhelmed with films. For fans of cult films and the slasher horror genre, Sleepaway Camp will keep you entertained from beginning to end. So pop it into your player, maybe invited over your strange cousin, relax on your couch, and save me some popcorn! 

Rating:

Jack Savage:

Is Sleepaway Camp Oscar-worthy? No. However, this cult slasher film delivers solid entertainment, creative kills, quotable lines, gruesome effects, and an iconic ending. It ranks high with me.

Trailer:

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