Review of Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008) by Josh S — 24 Nov 2008

It's certainly not going to win any awards, but there is much to be said for the return of seemingly one-shot director Robert Hiltzik. Perhaps he's only able to keep the style of this film so close to that of the original due to the fact that the last time he shot a film was 25 years ago, leaving him familiar with the old way. The acting is just as hammy, the children are just as wicked, and the murders are just as fun.

Hiltzik likely made the right choice in disregarding the fun but unecessary sequels, instead letting Angela fade away into the mythos of campground lore. The only person from the original incident still around to fear Angela's return is Ronnie, (Paul D'Angelo, who has been in perhaps one film a decade) who seems to spend a little too damn much time at the gym, the freaky muscular old bastard. As far as other authority figures go, they're few and far between. There's the cop speaks through one of those weird machine things for which I'm too tired to search out the name, the chef (Isaac Hayes in one of his last roles to be seen, despite the film having been done for five years) his asshole assistant, and the fellow running the camp, played by none other than Vincent Pastore.

As far as the kids go, few are likable. The focal point of the kids' story, Alan, is a fat slob liked by none. Some kids are just cruel to him, and as a result, he's a jerk to EVERYONE, deserving or not. His only friends are frogs, and more often than not, it's easy to send him into a blubbering mess. He's the obvious choice to be the killer, although without spoiling the twist, I'll tell you that's not the case.

The original Sleepaway Camp had likely the best ending to any horror film in the 80s. Although the summer camp slasher film genre is rarely anything other than laughable, the final frames of that film were crafted in a way that they've yet to leave the minds of those who saw it. Although this film is far from that effective, the twist is still good, and unexpected enough that it works (but make sure to stay through the credits for a hilarious follow-up scene).

I'm not going to say much else, other than Angela is back, and I hope she's here to stay. This is how you sequelize a slasher flick.