Product Details

• Actors: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen Fields, Christopher Collet, Mike Kellin
• Directors: Robert Hiltzik
• Writers: Robert Hiltzik
• Producers: Robert Hiltzik, Jerry Silva, Michele Tatosian
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: August 8, 2000
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (209 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305841985
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,365 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Sleepaway Camp" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Teenagers at summer camp are dying mysteriously, and the cause may be the return of a dark secret from the past.
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: R
Street Date: 08/20/02
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Legacy's Uncut Version and the Anchor Bay Editing Details. September 6, 2007

By A. Palacio

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

As others have pointed out, this Legacy Entertainment (VHS-copy-quality) pan & scan edition is otherwise uncut (if not widescreen), unlike the Starz/Anchor Bay (clean & sharp) widescreen edition of which most customers purchase.

This is classic low-budget horror with the most memorable ending of any such film in it's genre, whether you care for it or not. Instead of elaborating on my opinion of the film, I thought some would be interested in knowing what makes this edition 'uncut.'

In the Anchor Bay edition, there are five (5) missing scenes which can only be found on this uncut Legacy Entertainment edition. The total cut is only 23 seconds, but they are interesting if not odd omissions. They are as follows:

1. The 'skinny dipping' scene, where the boys are shown running and jumping in to the water, is cut by seven (7) seconds. The uncut version shows them naked from behind as they were running.

2. The first death scene of the boy found under the overturned boat on shore is cut by six (6) seconds. The edited version has two (2) shots of the boy with the snake, this uncut version has four (4) shots of the boy. The first (boy only) and fourth (boy with snake almost completely out of mouth) shots are identical in both editions. In the uncut version, you see the snake as it first exits the mouth as well as an additional shot.

3. The 'water-balloon attack' scene was cut by four (4) seconds. In the uncut version, there is a shot of the boys making obscene gestures towards Angela after she is helped up from the ground.

4. During the 'kissing' scene in the woods, Judy's response ["Same to you"] following Ricky's middle finger gesture, is cut for no apparent reason.

5.... In the strangest and most complicated cut, a mere two (2) seconds were cut and altered from the shot of Mel finding Meg dead in the shower. In the uncut version, Mel didn't only say "He did it" after finding her, he also said "to get back at me." Furthermore, he twice says "I had him", but one was cut. And finally, the shot of Meg on the floor is one second longer.

In total, only 23 seconds were cut from this apparently-complete Legacy edition. However, there are two notable differences not mentioned above. One regards the credits, which begin rolling 2 seconds sooner in this edition. The other is very interesting and concerns the film as a whole.

The Starz/Anchor Bay edition purports to be fully widescreen. This is not truly the case. As another poster noted, the widescreen presentation is cut from the full film aspect ratio of 1.37:1. Thus, the viewer is losing a large portion of every frame by viewing the 1.85:1 version. If you carefully watch the scene in which Angela is seated on the beach, back turned, in each edition you will notice that the image from left to right are in sync. This should not be the case, as anyone will tell you. A motion picture filmed in widescreen format should shows more to these sides than in a pan & scan TV edit. The 'widescreen' edition of this film forces the top and bottom to be trimmed. Simply put, if you watch the Anchor Bay Widescreen edition, you are not only missing out on 23 seconds of film time, you are seeing only a portion of the more complete filmed image. Unfortunately, this means viewers would have to sit through a worse quality print from Legacy in order to fully view the film. Hopefully someday, a complete, uncut, remastered, and full aspect ration version of this film will be issued.

This information would likely only interest videophiles, but if you have any strong interest in this motion picture, you may want to know these details. If not long-winded, I hope some will find this information helpful. Read more ›

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Summer Camp Horror...With A Twist! April 22, 2000

By matt VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Sleepaway Camp is first and foremost, another summer camp slasher film. A very popular slasher subgenre originated with the 1980 classic Friday the 13th. Angela and Ricky are young teenagers off to camp Arawak for the summer, Ricky the likable popular type, and Angela, the quiet and 'different' type. When all kinds of scuzzy camp regulars begin to give Angela a hard time, they start dying rather brutally...much to the dismay of the camp's burnt out owner Mel (Mike Kellin). Sleepaway Camp is a slasher film, however, it goes a bit deeper than that, what gives Sleepaway Camp its distinction, is the bizarre homosexual themes running throughout the film. Why they are there are anybody's guess,but from the strange transvestite (?) Aunt Martha, to Angela's gay father, the truly shocking and disturbing final shot and more, Sleepaway Camp is sick, grisily, twisted, yet always fascinating. Of course, its not always great, many scenes in this film are just laughable, like the melodramatic boating accident at the film's start, or the character that wears a shirt with her name on it, and even the scenes with Chef Artie, the local camp sleazeball. Sleepaway Camp however, always manages to be charming, despite its warped themes and lurid subject matter, this one certainly isn't for everybody, but those with a taste for something not quite the norm will find much to savor here with Sleepaway Camp, a truly strange film that stands in a tired subgenre, but stands out as a unique achievement-even if partially a fluke.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Full version of the film! July 10, 2005

By Corinne Tandy

Format:DVD

This is the fully uncut version of the film! The Anchor Bay dvd has a few slight cuts to some of the death scenes. The picture and sound on this version are that of an old vhs but still watchable. If you have the box set get this one too just so you can see what has been cut from the Anchor Bay version. You cant beat a dvd for $5!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleepaway Camp finally on DVD! April 29, 2000

By A Customer

Format:DVD

Finally, the b-movie/horror flick, Sleepaway Camp is being released to DVD. It's nearly impossible to find on VHS (the original and both sequels are currently out of print!). Its a good thing this movie is getting the recognition it deserves because the story is so unique (with the bizarre aunt) and surprising (the final scene in which "Angela"'s true self is revealed). Hopefully, Anchor Bay will give this film a good DVD transfer (who can forget the garbage they gave us for the non-collector's edition of Halloween), and hopefully they'll have a new 5.1 soundtrack and anamorphic widescreen. What about Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers? Or Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland? All the films in the series need the DVD treatment, right? I'm still waiting for April Fools Day or Mothers Day.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Cult Classic Slasher Film with an Ending Unlike any Other October 1, 2001

By James K. Stover

Format:DVD

At first glance, Sleepaway Camp appears to be just another entry from the glut of early 80's low budget slasher flicks. And in most respects, Sleepaway Camp fits the bill: borderline acting, poor production values, mostly stock one-dimensional teen characters, a summer camp setting, and a mysterious killer who never seems to make a mistake when dispatching unsuspecting victims in elaborate and gruesome methods.
Those points aside however, Sleepaway Camp is probably the most originally perverse slasher film ever. The whole unsettling framework of Sleepaway Camp is supported by themes of homosexuality, pedophilia, sexual identity issues, and the slaughtering of very young teenage, and in some cases, preteen victims.
Of course, one cannot evaluate Sleepaway Camp without mentioning the shocking twist ending, which has garnered the film a rabid cult following. In fact, along with a very nice performance from newcomer Felissa Rose and some truly quirky characters (Aunt Martha anyone ?!?), the ending of Sleepaway Camp is enough in itself to recommend at least one viewing for genre fans. The majority of Sleepaway Camp is painfully by the numbers, but the ending is quite surprising and more than a little disturbing. While I would never dream of giving away the surprise ending, I will leave with two points about it. First, even if you guess the identity of the killer beforehand, the impact of the ending won't be lessened a bit. And secondly, in spite of how crudely-staged the final scene is, you will never forget it!
DVD NOTES: Sleepaway Camp is being released through Anchor Bay Home Entertainment.... As is the case with most Anchor Bay releases, the picture quality on Sleepaway Camp is simply incredible, with only a few minor notes of grain in one night scene and very brief lines in another scene. With rich colors and overall sharp detail, coupled with strong, clear audio, Sleepaway Camp's DVD presentation is amazing...especially considering the age and relative obscurity of this film.
It must be noted that the best available print secured by Anchor Bay for this DVD release was used without the knowledge of two minor edited scenes in that source print. The first exclusion is a brief shot of male skinnydippers. The second missing shot is a quick flash of the initial emergence of a watersnake slithering from a victim's mouth. Both cuts are inconsequential and the missing few seconds are a welcome trade-off for the great quality of the source print. Purists who insist on the most complete version will have to scour for the original Media version released back in 1984. The cheap Video Treasures edition release is identical to the Media version, except for the abscence of the opening dedication.
DVD EXTRAS: Widescreen and Full Screen presentations
Theatrical Trailer (Dated, short, but fun!)
Audio Commentary with Director Robert Hiltzik, Felissa Rose, and moderated by sleepawaycampmovies.com's Jeff Hayes (Not the most informative audio commentary by any stretch, but the enthusiasm between the three involved is sincere and nice!)
FINAL NOTE: If you are viewing Sleepaway Camp for the first time, DO NOT listen to the audio commentary until AFTER you have seen the entire movie itelf first, since the ending is given away through the commentary. On a similar note, if you are new to Sleepaway Camp and want to preserve the film's surprises, DO NOT watch the sequels beforehand, or visit ANY of the fansites until AFTER you have seen the film for yourself. Read more ›