As far as 80's slashers go, the original Sleepaway Camp has always been one of my favorites. Between the flat out cheese, the creative kills, the debauchery and the twist ending, the original Sleepaway Camp has it all. Sure it may often be overlooked in the shadows of the mega famous slasher series with a similar "camp" storyline Friday The 13th, but I'd take Sleepaway Camp over it any day. I actually own the whole series in a box set from years back, it contained the three Sleepaway Camp films as well as "lost footage" from the never before seen Sleepaway Camp IV. Well folks, years and years later, here is the next Sleepaway Camp. Is it up to par?
Not really. I can't say I was expecting very much from a movie sequel based on a low budget camp slasher from the 80's, but with cameos and roles from a few of the original actors and actresses to sweeten the pot, I was still looking forward to it. What we get is very typical Sleepaway Camp fare, with a bunch of teenagers attending summer camp run by a bunch of counselors who really don't give a crap what they're doing half the time. Paul DeAngelo returns to play counselor Ronnie, and of course the lovely Felissa Rose makes an appearance as Angela. But the real problems here in this film lie just in the general plot. The plot focuses around this loser kid named Alan, who is picked on and bullied scene after scene after scene. I couldn't muster any sympathy for this annoying kid, whose screaming and whining reminded me of a sound that could be used to torture people in Guantanamo Bay or something. That was problem #1. Problem #2 is that while everyone of course starts accusing this kid Alan as being the killer, we all already know that Angela is going to show up. Granted it can't be easy to compete with that shock ending from the original, but the big twist in this movie just sucked. Problem #3, the awful CGI gore effects. Just horrid. I could go on and on. The acting was horrible, as was expected. Sometimes the humor was just so juvenile, but other times I did genuinely laugh.
Despite all the negatives, there were some redeeming qualities. If you were a fan of the original and liked the cheesy, campy acting then you will definitely get a kick out of the film. As bad as it was I did feel like I was sitting down on my couch years and years ago watching the original. Some of the kills were quirky and fun, despite the horrible effects. Overall though, this was a pretty big letdown. The big "suspense" with the character of Alan just wasn't there. It was just scene after scene of him being bullied with the occasional kill here and there. Don't even get me started with the plot holes.
If you are a fan of the Sleepaway Camp series, I would check this one out. The 'vibe' from the earlier films is here and the cornball acting and over the top kills may just have you reminiscing. But if you're just looking for a good horror flick to sit down with for the evening and are not a huge fan of campy films with crappy acting, skip it. As a huge fan of the original series, my heart might be a bit softened to this film, so I'm going to be a wee bit generous here and give it a 1.5/5, although a 1/5 would probably be more accurate. Any other Sleepaway Camp fans out there, I'd love to hear from you regarding your thoughts on this film.
RATING:
* 1/2 out of *****
Not really. I can't say I was expecting very much from a movie sequel based on a low budget camp slasher from the 80's, but with cameos and roles from a few of the original actors and actresses to sweeten the pot, I was still looking forward to it. What we get is very typical Sleepaway Camp fare, with a bunch of teenagers attending summer camp run by a bunch of counselors who really don't give a crap what they're doing half the time. Paul DeAngelo returns to play counselor Ronnie, and of course the lovely Felissa Rose makes an appearance as Angela. But the real problems here in this film lie just in the general plot. The plot focuses around this loser kid named Alan, who is picked on and bullied scene after scene after scene. I couldn't muster any sympathy for this annoying kid, whose screaming and whining reminded me of a sound that could be used to torture people in Guantanamo Bay or something. That was problem #1. Problem #2 is that while everyone of course starts accusing this kid Alan as being the killer, we all already know that Angela is going to show up. Granted it can't be easy to compete with that shock ending from the original, but the big twist in this movie just sucked. Problem #3, the awful CGI gore effects. Just horrid. I could go on and on. The acting was horrible, as was expected. Sometimes the humor was just so juvenile, but other times I did genuinely laugh.
Despite all the negatives, there were some redeeming qualities. If you were a fan of the original and liked the cheesy, campy acting then you will definitely get a kick out of the film. As bad as it was I did feel like I was sitting down on my couch years and years ago watching the original. Some of the kills were quirky and fun, despite the horrible effects. Overall though, this was a pretty big letdown. The big "suspense" with the character of Alan just wasn't there. It was just scene after scene of him being bullied with the occasional kill here and there. Don't even get me started with the plot holes.
If you are a fan of the Sleepaway Camp series, I would check this one out. The 'vibe' from the earlier films is here and the cornball acting and over the top kills may just have you reminiscing. But if you're just looking for a good horror flick to sit down with for the evening and are not a huge fan of campy films with crappy acting, skip it. As a huge fan of the original series, my heart might be a bit softened to this film, so I'm going to be a wee bit generous here and give it a 1.5/5, although a 1/5 would probably be more accurate. Any other Sleepaway Camp fans out there, I'd love to hear from you regarding your thoughts on this film.
RATING:
* 1/2 out of *****