Customer Reviews

Sleepaway Camp: Survival Kit

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Well... Anchor Bay has done it again! This very cool box set of the cult classics - The Sleepaway Camp Trilogy has a cute "first aid" motif with bloody handprints on the slipcover. The red paint used on the slipcover for the blood actually FEELS STICKY, like real blood! Open the slipcover up and you have pictures of first aid items like band-aids, first aid cream, gauze, antiseptic wipes and the like with the DVD's right inside. Utter PACKAGING GENIUS!

Also included is a "Sleepaway Camp Diary" that gives the history of all three films and includes addresses for cool Sleepaway Camp fan websites.

All three of the features are presented in widescreen with audio commentaries, still galleries, theatrical trailers, outtakes, behind the scenes, deleted scenes and MUCH, MUCH GORE!!!

You won't believe the odd cast list in these fun movies! The first installment has a group of total unknowns with Felissa Rose as the shy, teenaged Angela. In the second and third installments Pam Springsteen (Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen's little sis) takes over the challenging, over the top role of Angela. Also in the cast are Tracy Griffith (Melanie Griffith's sister)who plays "Marcia", Renee Estevez (sister of Emilio Estevez & Charlie Sheen)as "Molly" and even an Academy Award Nominee in Michael J. Pollard (Bonnie & Clyde, 1967)as a lusty "Herman"!!!

The names of the characters are references to the pop culture for the times, with names purposefully taken from "The Brady Bunch", "The Munsters" and "West Side Story".

The real star in these three pics, however, is the special effects! Great stuff, even compared to present day F/X. The soundtrack to Sleepaway Camp II, "Unhappy Campers" has the likes of Anvil, Obsession, and even the Dead Milkmen!

Sleepaway Camp III, "Teenage Wasteland" is a very bold and different teen slasher movie as most of the "slashing, hacking, stabbing and the like" is done in the middle of the afternoon with the bright sunshine of Camp Sleepaway making the blood run "redder than ever"!

If you enjoy The Friday The 13th series, "Slumber Party Massacre" films, "Halloween" movies, or other slasher movies in this genre, you will ABSOLUTELY LOVE Sleepaway Camp as it is really in a genre of it's OWN (don't wanna give away Angela's REALLY BIG SECRET, you know)!

Happy Watching and KEEP ON CAMPIN'!!!

For goodness sake, don't read the back of the box when you get this... it gives away the big secret of the first movie. I have no idea why they would do this. There ARE people who are interested in this, but never saw it, ya know?? I heard so many good things about this movie, especially about how there was a surprise ending, so I got the box set. Well, the first thing I did was read the back of the box... you wouldn't think they would give away the MAIN secret on the back of the freaking box, but they did. This was a really good, cheesy, 80's slasher film... with a surprise twist at the end... oh, did I mention though, that it is ruined by reading the back of the box??? I still really enjoyed the movie, even with the end being ruined for me, by the damn box it comes in. Soooo... take it from me... DO NOT read the back of this box before you watch the first movie. REALLY!!! It ruined what could have been such a freaking cool ending. In fact, during the whole movie, I felt I knew what was going on, but I thought, naaaa... surely that can't be it... they wouldn't say it on the back of the box... but yep... they sure did!! DON'T READ THE BACK OF THE BOX BEFORE YOU WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!! I really can't stress that enough.

I make it the point in my DVD reviews to make the review more about what the DVD offers than what it is to review the movie. When I shop for DVD's, I often already own the VHS and am looking for lots of extra features.

In the case of this latest box set from Anchor Bay, you really can't ask for more. All three movies with bonus commentary and tons of added features not to mention a "survival guide" and bonus DVD in a deluxe package edition. How can you ask for more?

To be honest, I had only seen bits & pieces of the first "Sleepaway" when I purchased this boxed set but when I was done watching all three, I felt more than pleased with my purchase. All three movies are cheesy B-horror flicks similiar to that of FRIDAY THE 13TH. Admittingly, I was more partial to the two sequels with Pam Springsteen but the ending of the first film was just crazy. If you are a cult horror fan, this set is easily worth adding to your DVD collection.

The "Sleepaway Camp" series has long been known as a "Friday the 13th" knockoff by many mainstream critics. But to fans, this series is so much more. From its shocking and haunting finale of the original, to the pre-"Scream" self-mocking style of part 2 ("Unhappy Campers") to the full-circle feeling of part 3 ("Teenage Wasteland")... the "Sleepaway Camp" series has grown quite a devoted cult following.

Anchor Bay Entertainment (aka the Horror Fan's Best Friend) has issued a boxed set of all three "Sleepaway" films. Featuring new cover art and a collectible booklet, this set is a must have for any fan. Here's a breakdown of what all three movies include:

Sleepaway Camp -- Feature-length commentary by director Robert Hiltzik, star Felissa Rose and moderator Jeff Hayes; theatrical trailer.

Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers -- Commentary with director Michael A. Simpson; behind-the-scenes footage; video trailer; still galleries.

Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland -- Commentary; behind-the-scenes footage; deleted gore scenes; video trailer; still galleries.

The only complaint would be that the original movie is the same disc that was released in 2000... a non-anamophic transfer with no additional extras. But the extra footage on the next two films is a real treat for any fan, providing a rare inside look on the making of these classic films.

Visit "Sleepaway Camp"... and become a dismember.

5 stars for the box set! 3 stars for "SLEEPAWAY CAMP"! 4 stars for "part 2(UNHAPPY CAMPERS)"! & 3 stars for "part 3 (TEENAGE WASTELAND)"! Slasher fans for the money you can't go wrong here! You got 2 good slasher ficks(part 1 & part 3) & one great slasher flick(part 2) & then you even get some production footage from the 1992 scrapped part 4(THE SERVIVOR) & once you watch this footage you will be so glad they scrapped it! It would have been a total insult to the saga! Anyway if your a sleepaway fan then get this box set.

Every entry in to the Sleepaway Camp series is entertaining, campy, and bloody. What more could you ask for? Angela Baker, the male/female killer has some pretty imaginative tricks up her sleeves when it comes to slaughtering kids who come anywhere near Camp Arowak. And behind most of the killings is some sort of message (reminds me of South Park in a way); do not smoke marijuana, or Angela will soak you in gasoline and light you with your joint; do not have sex at camp, or you will be beaten with whatever Angela can find ie. a big stick. With a lot of the slasher movies of the 1980s we were treated to some very trite acting and poor plots. And with Sleepaway Camp, we get the same treatment, only with more gore and gratuitous nudity than most others in the genre (Slumber Party Massacre trilogy aside). Sleepaway Camp is obviously in the vain of the Friday the 13th franchise, which is not a bad thing. When all you want is to watch some decent kills, not have think too hard about what is going on, or maybe you are just tired of seeing a masked killer with not much screen time, well throw on Sleepaway Camp and just veg to classic 80s mayhem. It's too bad that Best Buy had the best deal for this box set which isn't as widely available anymore as it was ($29.99 plus free shipping with the scrapped Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor included as a bonus 4th disc). But don't worry, you didn't miss much if your box set doesn't have the fourth SC entry, the original three are where the fun is.

Also, keep an eye out for the new Sleepaway Camp due sometime in the near future featuring music by CKY (Camp Kill Yourself. Ha...ha)

The first Sleepaway Camp is fabulous. It is a pretty typical early 80's camp murder film, but with a few great twists. Some of the murders are pretty out there, but at least they are creative! The best part of this movie is the ending. Granted you pretty much know all along who the killer is, but the final scene of this movie is quite bizarre. All in all its campy horror at its best! 2 and 3 are downright funny! For anyone who appreciates the fact that comedy and horror, along with some bad acting, can go hand in hand, its well worth the measely [money]!

It's nice to see these films collected in a fairly cheap DVD set, but be advised, the original film is presented in an edited version which has cut scenes of gore and nudity. The old Media and Video Treasures VHS versions are the uncut version.

Well, I've already reviewed each Sleepaway Camp Individually. So this review will pretty much deal with the packaging of this "Survival Kit" as its called. First off, like my title indicates, this set does NOT include the fourth disc. But believe me, I have the four-disc set, and promise you, its not worth it anyway!! And I am really puzzled that the set that contains 4 discs in actually cheaper than this set. This set is way overpriced!! Anyway, as far as the movie quality you're getting here, eh...not that great. This first Sleepaway Camp is pretty good, but the other two sequels get increasing worse, as they go into a entirely different direction as far as horror movies go. Now each movie has Director's Commentary. The first one, again, being the best, since it also has the original Angela, played by Felissa Rose. The other two commentaries for Sleepaway 2 and 3, I couldn't bare to sit through cause the moderator, some guy from a fan website, (God only knows why the hell they would put him on the DVD), sounds like a complete moron, and there is no commentary by Pamela Springsteen on either sequel. The fourth disc, which is nothing more than production footage from an abandoned Sleepaway Camp 4, makes me thankful that this project was abandoned!! All it contains is take after take of boring crap, nothing important what so ever. The disc also has a "trailer" to the fourth film, which is one of the worst things I've ever seen! Horribly stupid!!! So, like I've said before, if you're wanting the Survival Kit with this fourth disc, believe me, you're not missing a thing!!! Now as far as packaging, this set is actually pretty cool. It comes with a little Sleepaway Camp diary, yeah, kinda cheesy, but still, pretty cool. All the films fit into a sturdy holder that slides into the case. For mainly this reason, I'm giving this set 3 stars. If you're a die hard horror fan, like myself, this set is worth having. But I wouldn't pay as much as they are asking for it on here. You can find it cheaper elsewhere!!

Sleepaway Camp what else do i have to say? With this box set you can go from when angela showsoff her penis and the head of her boy friend to her drowning a filthy mouthed girl in an outhouse to death by firecracker to the nose. WHAT MORE CAN U ASK! this set comes with a 14 page booklet overviewing all 3 flicks.I have heard that some people dont get the 4th disc with their set but dont worry your not missing much.it shows about 15 minutes of production on Sleepaway Camp 4. Its very stupid and doesnt make much.All 3 movies have great sound and picture.Great packaging.I warn you though if you dont like dry , campy humor in horror movies dont buy this.Each film comes with some sub-par extras, but it shouldnt really matter.It's a cult classic any horror fan should own.

5 outta 5 perfection