Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Slightly disturbed and painfully shy Angela Baker (Felissa Rose) is sent away to summer camp with her foul-mouthed cousin Ricky Thomas (Jonathan Tiersten). Not long after Angela's arrival, things start to go horribly wrong for anyone with sinister or less than honorable intentions.

This film is either loved or hated, and with good reason, but it has been embraced more and more as the years go on by fans of the horror genre. The acting is excessively cheesy, especially from Desiree Gould, but purposely so. The kills are grisly and nasty, even if not always shown on screen. When that curling iron strikes, you know the situation. And the pedophile cook? Oh man... that is pushing boundaries that even horror films dare not cross (Freddy Krueger can be a child killer, but not a child molester).

One cannot vouch for the next two sequels, which have little connection to this film, but the original stands as a true modern classic, and if you have not seen it, you are really missing out on an important piece of horror history. What could have been a ripoff of other horror slashers that take place at camp (notably "Friday the 13th") turns out to be far different from any other title out there. And keep in mind the whole crew, more or less, had just come from "Creepshow", so these were folks who knew what they were doing.

Writer-director Robert Hiltzik (who graduated NYU with Ang Lee) mysteriously went decades without directing again. Many of the actors also never acted again, at least for a long time. And then you have Christopher Collet, going on to make such things as "Prayer of the Rollerboys"... does that make him the biggest success from this film?

Not only does the film get better with repeated viewings (which make the humor and camp more fun), but there are actually some clever subplots that will likely be missed on the first time or two. Mel Kostic (portrayed wonderfully by the late Mike Kellin) not only is one of the best characters, but has his own story and relationship with the campers and counselors that may not be immediately evident.

The Scream Factory Blu-ray is ridiculously good and worth owning. Beyond the excellent presentation, it has three different audio commentaries, where you learn odd trivia like Felissa Rose's husband Deron Miller meeting her as a fan, and much more. There is even a short film showing whatever happened to Judy (although it is not very good).

Fmovies: After you watch Sleepaway Camp, you will either love it or hate it. I loved this movie after I watched it... The weird thing about this movie though it has everything I hate in Horror movies. Sometimes the acting was cheese. Especially that horny kid that keeps trying to hookup with Angela. He dropped some one-liners that made me laugh cause it was so lame. It reminded me of the 50's for some reason.... But somehow it suited the movie, which didn't make me hate it. The story is pretty predictable. You have an idea what is really happening in the movie but the ending throws it all out the window cause you never expected that to happen... I think it was the ending that made it all worth watching and made me appreciate it. The ending made me zone out and gave me the chills. The reality of the story is twisted which is why I watched again after I first saw it. Overall, I highly recommend this cult-classic. It's truly one of a kind.

When I first picked up the box cover of Sleepaway Camp, I said to myself, "Just another stupid slasher film with a camp setting." Yes, it was another stupid slasher film with a camp setting. It was the best damn slasher film with a camp setting of all time. It provided a simple story with sexy teenagers from the early 80s innocently attending a Christian sleepaway camp. It was really good. The acting and writing alone could not make the movie good though, it was the ending. It had the best movie ending in cinematic history (until I saw Multiple Maniacs). I will not reveal the specifics, but I will urge you to rent the movie and see for yourself, because it is one of the most surprising and shocking endings ever conceived. You will not be disappointed.

Sleepaway Camp fmovies. This is 80's American Cheese at it's greatest! The cast does a great job and the script is actually really good. If you're a fan of cheesy slasher flicks this is one you should certainly check out...and absolutely DO NOT MISS THE ENDING!!!! One of the creepiest endings I've ever seen in a movie which is sure to give anyone the chills. A truly wicked low budget horror flick.

This was part of a Cheesy Horror night and most of the time my friends and I were just amused by the funny 80s hair and clothes but the ending freaked us out, it is really creepy! And, they freeze it on a freaky image for nearly(if not all) the whole credits. Ick. Nobody expected the ending to be what it was. Most of the film is your standard summer camp horror movie - though the body count is rather high - kids getting it on, pranks etc.

I recommend this film for its 80s value AND shock ending, though now everybody has told you the ending is shocking then you will probably spend the whole movie trying to figure out what it is.

Robert Hiltzik's "Sleepaway Camp" is one of the most memorable slasher movies ever made.Of course the acting and dialogue are terrible,but writer/director Robert Hiltzik manages to create very creepy atmosphere throughout,the killings are original and gruesome and the ending is very shocking and twisted.Felissa Rose is marvelous as Angela,especially with her creepy stare."Sleepaway Camp" is a little bit different than your standard slasher fare-it's filled with strange and deviant characters,disturbing flashbacks and sexual subtexts.There is only a little bit of gore,still we do get an arrow through the neck,severed head,a bloody stabbing and death by hair curler.Overall,"Sleepaway Camp" is a fast-paced slasher flick with a wonderful central character of Angela.Highly recommended.