Pages

Ads 468x60px

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Sleepaway Camp

   Sleepaway Camp was a B grade slasher flick that was saved by an original and unexpected ending. An ending which I won't reveal here. I recommend that any horror fan check it out.

   The movie centers around a typical '80s summer camp. You know the one where the counselors are sexed crazed morons who let the campers go wild. And like any '80s summer camp someone is intent on making it a summer to remember.

  The main characters are Angela, a strange mute girl and her overprotective cousin, Ricky. Felissa Rose plays Angela and I must say that she's a phenomenal actress. She can emote more with a single glance than most actresses can do with a whole monologue.

  Other actresses of note are Karen Fields who plays resident bitch, Judy and Desiree Goulds who plays Aunt Martha. Karen plays the bitch to a Tee, she's unlikable but in a really enjoyable way. I really wished the role of Aunt Martha was bigger. Desiree Goulds is just adorable as a perky Stepford wife on the edge of a nervous breakdown. I only hope the rumors about her renewing her role in a future sequel are true.


   For a slasher the kills are pretty top notch. Very inventive and different from anything Jason or Leatherface have done. Let's just say you'll never look at a curling iron in quite the same way. The film builds a perfect amount or suspense and throws in realistic red herrings to keep you from guessing the killer too early in the film.

   The only thing I didn't like were the filler camp scenes. I know they were there for atmosphere and mild character development but it does hinder the film some. There's a scene with a baseball game that runs way too long and too slow.

    This film is a must see for any horror fan. However watch these films in order as watching any of the sequels out of order will spoil the surprise.

8 comments:

Amanda said...

I still haven't seen this one but I REALLY want to. I already know the surprise ending after watching a doc on slasher flicks, but I still don't know much about the story. It just seems like a fun watch!

LadyJ3000 said...

Even if you know the ending it is still a fun watch.

Chris Dimick said...

Sleepaway Camp just screams 80s slasher horror. It is a true classic. Though as you said the ending really makes the movie, I also love how it portrays the ugly side of humanity. The adults, the kids, everyone is just horrible in this flick. Can kids really be that rotten to each other? Yes, they can! You just don't see it on film that much.
They just don't make 'em like Sleepaway Camp anymore :)

Jonathan Tiersten said...

Alas, you say it was saved by the ending but is that really true? Is The Crying Game (which won the Oscar for best screenplay and was nominated for six including best picture) still relevant? You said as much yourself, about Felissa Rose and Desiree Gould. I have spent much of my life trying to figure out the allure and endurance of the film. I still don't have a definitive answer, but I will say this. All the fans know all the lines. They even play drinking games. I know at least three punk bands called, 'Eat Shit and Live.'

LadyJ3000 said...

That's the beauty of a cult classic, no one can explain why they garner such huge followings. It just seems to happen.

Rocky Horror for instance originally tanked at the box office. A couple of years later it had a huge following.

Thanks for commenting, I am glad to see the perspective from someone involved in the film.

Horror Fan said...

LadyJ, would you mind refollowing www.funwithhorror.com

I've re added the friend connect plugin since exporting to Wordpress, but I've lost all of my followers who registered on the bloggger hosted site. Thank you!!!!

Tyler

LadyJ3000 said...

No problem Tyler. I am doing it as we speak.

Horror Fan said...

You're the best!!