The original Sleepaway Camp movie is particularly noteworthy for several reasons: its box office success, how it launched the career of Felissa Rose with that envelope pushing ending and for setting the bar for any camp related horror movies that followed. It became so iconic in fact that it also managed to jump start an entire franchise as seen with Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988), Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989) and Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor (1992). While the 1983 debut feature was an exploitative slasher that went to theaters, the following two sequels were released straight-to-VHS and were more black comedies… especially due to the outlandishly dreadful performances from Pamela Springsteen.
Due to a series of unfortunate events, the third sequel – The Survivor, never got to see the light of day. This was due to the fact that the backing production company, Double Helix Films, went bankrupt during principal photography and an estimated 34 minutes of footage was cataloged, sealed and put on the shelf for more than ten years. Luckily, Jim Markovic was able to get his hands on the footage that was recorded on the very first day of filming and released it as a short film interlaced with clips from the previous movies in the form of various editions. This wasn’t the only way Sleepaway Camp was resurrected in the new millennium. The fifth film, Return to Sleepaway Camp, was released in 2008 to major fanfare.
Return to Sleepaway Camp seemingly ignored the events of the previous movies and saw Felissa Rose taking back her throne as Angela Baker. Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo), Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten), Cafeteria Cook (Mike Tatosian) and Dee Dee Friedman all took back their roles in the film, too. Following its release by distributor Magnolia Home Entertainment, the movie was destroyed by negative reviews across the board, where critics panned it for being sloppy and extremely unfunny. Sources list the movie’s budget as $4,000,000 and I find it difficult to believe that it was able to recoup more than 25% of that. Despite its disastrous reception, Return to Sleepaway Camp got filmmakers talking about more sequels again.
It was first reported in 2009 that writer/director Robert Hiltzik would complete his trilogy, which was started with Sleepaway Camp and then Return to Sleepaway Camp, with a third feature titled Sleepaway Camp Reunion. However, as of 2013, it was reported that Hiltzik was working on a remake/reboot producer Jeff Hayes. The movie, or any updates, has never materialized. Michael Simpson, director of Sleepaway Camp II and III, was also rumored to have a sequel script in the works – Sleepaway Camp: Berserk, though he retains no rights to the franchise. Still, Sleepaway Camp and its franchise are a cult classic and beloved by horror fans. This, of course, begs the questions… A) Should the franchise ever be continued? and B) How should the franchise be continued?
Would you pack your clothes, toiletries and survival kits for another Sleepaway Camp movie, whether it be a new installment or a remake? What are your ideas for a new movie, should one ever head into production? Leave your comments on this post and on our social media pages and let me know your opinions!
