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SLEEPAWAY CAMP
(Robert Hiltzik, 1983)
angela baker is sent away to summer camp with her cousin
SLEEPAWAY CAMP
(Robert Hiltzik, 1983)
angela baker is sent away to summer camp with her cousin
1983. when these kind of flicks were selling like hotcakes
Sleepaway Camp begins with a melodramatic boating accident which kills little Angela's father and brother. flash forward 8 years, Angela now lives with Aunt Martha and a cousin, Ricky. Ricky is the cocky and sociable type, whereas Angela is shy and different. Aunt Martha sends the two young teenage cousins to Camp Arawak for the summer. and for the record, i have no reservations in saying the aunt is creepier than Mrs Bates in Psycho
once Angela and Ricky get to camp, we meet an array of characters. counselers, campers, a creepy cook, and the owner of the camp, Mel. the campers begin to make fun of Angela. Judy and Meg are the ringleaders and are pretty brutal to our main character. it's kids being kids in a summer camp setting. bad things start to happen. while many slasher flicks have a heavy revenge theme, i'd say this one is a bit more focused on bizarre sexual subtext throughout. the cast is full of amateur unknowns, which adds a fun and unique vibe to the story
Conclusion: this is a movie that would be really easy to spoil. i was lucky enough to not know its twist beforehand, which is pretty freaky. if i go further in depth it will spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. i found it to have its own strange and messed-up charm, and thought it a hidden classic of 80's slashers... as i hadn't heard of this movie until i began searching through titles to watch for this thread. Sleepaway Camp has an ending that is pretty scary and memorable... and adds a whole other layer to everything we think we just watched. would probably make for an interesting commentary movie
Favorite Kill: Mel getting an arrow through the neck may the be only kill where you actually see what happens. a lot of the kill scenes are a bit hokey in the sense that the kill is implied rather than shown. although, if i am interpreting this other one right, Judy is served her dose of karma by way of a burning hot hair curler inserted into her, well, nether regions. that seems to be what happened
Rating: + 6.5 / 10
once Angela and Ricky get to camp, we meet an array of characters. counselers, campers, a creepy cook, and the owner of the camp, Mel. the campers begin to make fun of Angela. Judy and Meg are the ringleaders and are pretty brutal to our main character. it's kids being kids in a summer camp setting. bad things start to happen. while many slasher flicks have a heavy revenge theme, i'd say this one is a bit more focused on bizarre sexual subtext throughout. the cast is full of amateur unknowns, which adds a fun and unique vibe to the story
Conclusion: this is a movie that would be really easy to spoil. i was lucky enough to not know its twist beforehand, which is pretty freaky. if i go further in depth it will spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. i found it to have its own strange and messed-up charm, and thought it a hidden classic of 80's slashers... as i hadn't heard of this movie until i began searching through titles to watch for this thread. Sleepaway Camp has an ending that is pretty scary and memorable... and adds a whole other layer to everything we think we just watched. would probably make for an interesting commentary movie
Favorite Kill: Mel getting an arrow through the neck may the be only kill where you actually see what happens. a lot of the kill scenes are a bit hokey in the sense that the kill is implied rather than shown. although, if i am interpreting this other one right, Judy is served her dose of karma by way of a burning hot hair curler inserted into her, well, nether regions. that seems to be what happened
Rating: + 6.5 / 10