Review of Sleepaway Camp (1983) by Scott A — 27 Aug 2012

Sleepaway Camp is the perfect example of you cannot judge a film by its DVD cover. After watching Friday the Thirteenth and Halloween, there is an expectation to what you what formulates a slasher film.

And there can be great storytelling in horror movies. In Sleepaway Camp, like in the first Friday the 13th, the antagonist has a believable motive to commit bloody murder. Because it is also a mystery, the third act twist is both believable and cathartic.

However, much like The Crying Game or The sixth sense, there is no way to adequately review Sleep-away camp without completely ruining the movie. The film does not strike unadulterated fear the like Michael Myers does in Halloween.

All I can say is stick through the uninspired dialogue, poor acting, and somewhat laughably murder sequences to find a truly rewarding film about what happens when punk kids pick on the wrong individual.