Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Very well executed

Undescribable Perfection

Best movie ever!

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Warning do not read unless seen film.There always seems to be an attraction to horror taking place in camp grounds, it's hard to say way it could be because despite such a peaceful and beautiful locale away from civilization it's also unsettling because that very separation makes us vunurable for anything. But also most horror originated from the camp fire tales we've all heard at night while making a few of our own.Yeah, it another camp slasher film but it's one of the good ones, and personally this really is one of the ones that I like because it's slightly unique. This was done like most of the camp slasher films on a minimum budget but I felt they did well with it, everything is on par. There are some good blood effects, it's not exactly a gore fest but this film isn't ment to be one, it's more invested in suspense. But the kills were good or decent all the same, the one kill that sticks out for me is the curling iron which I always found unsettling despite non gory it was suggestive as it corilates with our fear of getting burned by the tool. Music is also really good from the theme which is a brief tune but really gives an unsettling tone that were all about to enter a killzone in the guise of a camp. However the end theme is just excellent, it's one of my favorate movie tracks of all time, it's the kind of song I could just dance to but perfectly fits the film's end.But of course what I really like about the film is that it's a bit of a psychological suspense thriller. There aren't many characters that stick out in theis movie except for Angela and Ricky. Ricky I really like he's got a fun sense of humor as he sometimes has some wisecracks or makes certain jokes that are actually memorable, but what I like about him is how much he defends his cossin Angela. Some would say he's being overprotective but I don't feel he is at all, he's just doing what any good sibling/friend would do which normal and I emphasize with it, I don't let my best friends and girlfriends take crap they don't deserve.Felssa Rose is just excellent as Angela, she was another one of the actresses I had a crush on when I was a kid. Angela I found really sympathetic from the beginning and even at the end, she's a tragic character that is burdened with the tramatic loss of her family, and as time went on never really gotten over it . Which is understandable and goes with an old saying on how time doesn't always heal all wounds. Angela we see is just struggling to have a normal and good life but her efforts are fruitless, let alone hardly anyone in the camp is helpful and all stupidly make things worse for her (what the hell is everyone's problem anyway). There is this little subplot where Ricky's friend (played by Christopher Colet in which this is first film, man good start) and her are trying to get something going and it actually looks like things may look up for Angela. Ricky's friend isn't a bad guy except for one big problem, he want to go a little too fast with Angela. It's understandable with his case because people that age their hormones are just getting started and are on maximum overdrive which can override anyone's better judgement, but as it's said abstanace is always the way to go. Personally with any girl I'm always willing to wait, sure there are certain things I want to do with her as long as she's ready or both of us then it's ok; you should never force anyone to do anything that's not the way to go. This adds I feel more to the sympathy of Angela as she feels uncomfortable with him going too fast which is easy to emphatsize with even I don't like moving too fast. But there is another part of the suspense as you get an uneasy feeling about the fate of Ricky's friend, I honestly felt if he doesn't learn to apply the breaks soon he's in big trouble.The suspense in this film is very not just in wondering who's going to get it next and how; but also your constantly wondering and worried about Angela's mental state. The camp itself I found added to be an unsettling atmosphere, from the populace consisting of one blowhole after another, a few of the staff like that cook or head manager that should've been in jail instead of camp, or how poorly funded the camp is in certain areas which makes me wonder how the hell it's still running even I wouldn't go here. It's kinda the perfect killing ground but just has a atmosphere that tells you things aren't right.And of course as I said the psychological aspect I feel really adds on to the suspense. One of the scenes that stick out is a flashback sequence with Angela where we see her dad having some sort of same sex relationship but also another where her late brother is pointing at her, I'll admit I always found that sequence unsettling from the fact that in those sequences there is complete darkness that surrounds them which do me gives it an almost nightmare sensibility. It really raised some questions with me like where the heck is Angela's mom, is what's happening with the Dad an affair, do both Angela's brother and her have a not so good relationship? All of this just goes to show that everything going on with Angela's family isn't entirely kosher.And of course it comes down to an ending which I'll admit really turned my blood to ice, it's to me one of the best damn twists and endings to any movie, I honestly didn't see it coming which makes it all the better. I won't say what it is, but I'll just say it's something your remember for a very long time.Overall if you're a horror fan or even a fan of the slasher sub genere than this camp is worth a visit. The next camp you sleep at could be your big sleep.Rating: 3 stars

I'd previously heard of this movie and it's disturbing twist of an ending so I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to toss this one on. With the ending already ruined for me, I was expecting it to not be that enjoyable (since I'd heard that the rest of the movie was kind of a snore); but this movie actually exceeded my expectations!This movie has some really fun horror elements and climatic death sequences. The scene with the hornets nest in the bathroom I will always remember. And even though I was prepared for the big finale, it was still a shocking, grotesque, disturbing image that greeted me.There are some parts of this that were fairly boring. I definitely could have done with out that entire baseball game, but all in all it's hard to complain about a movie that's under 90 minutes. The acting isn't spectacular but I think it tells a twisted psychological story that people might "sleep on" just because it's a cheaply made 80's horror movie. It's actually decently done.

I watched this because I read reviews raving about the twist at the end.... I was expecting a sixth sense kind of ending. So I put up with the horrible acting, ridiculous dialogue, predictable story line, and the oddest killing tools that I've ever seen. The first attempt to kill someone should have been my first clue. Pulling a chair out from someone (yes a chair not a ladder) which by the way the guy sees it coming, they fall and pour boiling water on top of them. Now I won't even get into how most people would have jumped down because it's ridiculous that anyone would grab a huge pot of boiling water to stop them self from falling, but he was alive and yelling and crying and no one thought to ask "hey who did this?" I'm assuming as they kept saying how much pain he was in that that was there way of explaining why he couldn't tell them anything. Now I've sat thru movies thinking the victim was pretty stupid to be caught like they were, but sitting on the toilet in a public bathroom when the killer uses a broom handle to keep the door from opening and then releases bees and your to stupid to crawl under the stall? I was so frustrated that I rooted for the bees. Then there was the kill with a curling iron? Where exactly does one put that to kill someone(her clothes were still on in case your mind went there). Then half way thru the movie they realize there is a killer and NO ONE goes home? Instead they continue on as if nothing is wrong. Then the writers who think we weren't paying attention have someone call the camp and they are told yes their is a killer?!?! Huh? Then we are finally at the end and I'm thinking OK this is it, this is where I get rewarded for not shutting the stupid movie off and the killer is revealed AND ITS...... well I won't go into that much detail. All I can say is that yes when I saw who it was and they flashed on why I went wow didn't see that coming.... However it wasn't worth getting there. My advice watch the first 15 min. Then the ending and call it a day.

Sleepaway Camp was released in the early heyday of 80's slasher films, sandwiched between Friday the 13th (1980) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Sleepaway Camp clung to the summer camp motif that began three years prior, as well as a particular camera angle that was first effectively used more than two decades earlier. Clinging even harder to the franchise that first began making teens afraid to attend any summer overnights, the movie opens years before its initial time setting, demonstrating a borrowed need to establish a rhyme and reason for the inevitable blood shedding.After a tragic incident while swimming in a lake (sound familiar yet?), Angela (Felissa Rose) attends a summer camp along side her protective cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten), who despite his small frame is willing to stand up to anyone for his introverted cousin. After being introduced to the crusty ex-gym teacher looking camp owner Mel (Mike Kellin), whose attempts to cover up each murder as accidents, we are quickly thrown into the cruel world that befalls Angela. As the body count rises, so does the bullying, allowing for multiple suspects to open up within the realm of psychopaths; could it be Angela, the one being bullied, or Ricky, the aggressive protector, or possibly Paul (Christopher Collet), Angela's new admirer?Throughout the film we are continually guessing, as director Robert Hiltzik admiringly utilizes the first person camera established back in 1960 with the then controversial film Peeping Tom. After being re-established in John Carpenter's Halloween, and again two years later in Friday the 13th, its use is still as effective as ever, allowing us to bare witness to the slaughter head on, while keeping us guessing until that final shot.What kept the slasher genre running strong in theaters back in the day was its innovative, gory, and clever means of killing off hapless bystanders, attempting to give audiences its moneys worth. While Sleepaway Camp certainly doesn't bore the average gore seeker, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, with the most exciting kill feeling like a tribute to Lucio Fulci's The Beyond. Where the film truly excels is its perverse nature and promiscuity, wrapped around a well structured murder mystery. Even after the final shot is revealed and we're given a twist ending not seen since Norman Bates donned his Grandmother's wig, the suggestive perversion sits with us, seeping into our skin well past the credits.While Sleepaway Camp handles material that had been utilized before in a much sleeker and effective manner, all that doesn't stop it from becoming one of the defining slasher films of its time. It doesn't quiet sit up on the throne with the likes of Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or Friday the 13th, but with it use of the first person camera and a twist ending sure to make you tweet everyone you know, Sleepaway Camp has taken its post amongst cult- horror, and it isn't going anywhere.