Sleepaway Camp

The 1980's were a strange time for horror films. It was essentially the decade of the slasher films; from "Nightmare on Elm Street" to "Halloween", or "Friday the 13th", they were all popular. I am a fan of all of the above, but I had never even heard of "Sleepaway Camp" until recently. So I threw caution to the wind and decided to give it a try....

Angela has been living with her cousin Ricky, and his mother ever since an unexplained incident we assume caused the death of her parents. They are both sent to camp for the summertime. Ricky is supposed to keep an eye out for Angela because she doesn't really talk much, or even interact for that matter. As time progresses at the camp Angela is being picked on and Ricky is having to stand up for her. Soon a friend of Ricky's starts a relationship with Angela and she starts to come out of her shell.

Not long after the start of camp however, began a series of incidents. Sometimes - well mostly to be honest - they involve death. The head of the camp seems to have his eyes on Ricky for the crimes, but we know it isn't him. The thing is, that's about all we know. There are a lot of nasty people at the camp and it is difficult to pinpoint anyone in particular. Needless to say the killer is eventually caught; the scene of the film is actually still shocking, even now.

There is not a lot I actually liked about this film, it was poorly acted, not very gory and the plot was generally poor - forgetting the fact that it is sort of a horror staple. The death scenes in the film range from dull to mildly traumatic, but never really shock in the way that modern horror manages to. It is a shame really, as I may have enjoyed the film more had I watched it at a younger age.

A lot of my dislike for this film is most definitely due to it being horribly out of date, as it has not stood the test of time.

If you are looking to watch a film this Halloween that is the absolute cookie cutter mould of a horror movie, then you could certainly choose worse. However, don't expect to be entertained. For me, the only thing that made it worth while was the last screen of the film, but sadly you need to watch the entire film to understand and get to this part.

I would recommend this film for horror film completionists and fanatics only.

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Friday the 13th
Halloween
Nightmare On Elm Street

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King