Review by: Madness Poet
https://madnesscinemablog.wordpress.com/
Sleepaway Camp (1983) is a movie directed by Robert Hiltzik and stars Felissa Rose as Angela Baker, a shy teenager traumatized by the death of her father. One summer, Angela is sent, along with her cousin, to a summer camp to have fun and find her summer love. Yeah, this is a slasher, things didn´t work up quite as planned.
Oh god, what the hell did I just watch? Sleepaway camp my ass!! This flick should have been called The Pervert Molesters and The Jerks Summer Camp. I don’t know if it was normal for 80s kids and teens to be jerks to each other, but god they really don’t like shy and weird people. Angela gets picked on in every single scene and almost molested. The 80s is a pretty fucked up period.
The acting isn´t that good. Some actors while delivering their lines looked like they were or reading from cue cards, or just spoke like lifeless robots. But you know what? I actually enjoyed the awkward dialogue. The main characters are all enjoyable to watch, they aren´t just killer meat, you never get that desire to watch them get killed. Unless it´s Judy, I hate that bitch!!! The scene transitions are a bit choppy, some are very small and end abruptly. The kills are in a POV shot, it reminds me of some other movie that happens in a summer camp and you only see the arm and hands of the killer until the end. Just can’t remember the name of the movie, oh well. The killer´s arm shot isn´t very consistent, sometimes looks like a female arm other times a men’s arm. The kills are pretty good and imaginative.
Sleepaway Camp is quite funny, when it´s not fucking disturbing and weird. The acting, the killings and the characters interactions are so weird and uncomfortable that makes the movie a treasure box of funny stuff. “weird” is a nice way to say it. A lot of people remember this movie from its ending, and I assure you it´s one pretty choking and scary moment. I’m not going to spoil the ending, you need to experience it as intended by the director.
I loved this movie and highly recommend it.
Official Trailer:
