Customer Reviews

Sleepaway Camp [VHS]

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

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 but I have not heard another mention it.

Regarding the final scene (frontal nude shot) and just prior (when Angela is sitting, turned away from the camera) there is a rumor that this famous scene was edited (post-production) in 1.33:1 aspect ratio, unlike the rest of the motion picture which remained with a 1.85:1 ratio. Being that it was the most complicated shot, it is easy to understand the mix-up. However, the Starz/Anchor Bay edition purports to be fully widescreen. How so?

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 widescreen edition shows more to these sides than in a pan & scan. Carefully watching again, you will also notice that top and bottom appear to be cropped in the so-called widescreen edition. This is to account for the fact that the scene was edited in 1.33:1 ratio as mentioned above. The 'widescreen' would force the top and bottom to be trimmed.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Who knew that there was a good 80's slasher film that I somehow over looked. I really do miss that genre of movies, and I was ecstatic to see in all the pile of mixed baggage there was one that came out on top. Even though this had a lot of the same qualities as all of the other slasher films ( Friday The 13th in particular) Sleepaway Camp still brings you enough originality and twists to make it an instant classic.

After surviving a horrific accident 8 years prior Angela is forced to live with her crazy Aunt Martha and cousin Ricki. Ricki and Angela are persuaded by Angelas aunt to go on a vacation at camp Arawak. Angela is a very quiet girl that makes all of the other teenagers at the camp uncomfortable, which in return makes her the object of everyones taunting. Ricki tries to stick up for his cousin, but it seems he is always too late to do anything helpful. After a few people end up dying the individuals at Camp Arawak are all suspects and victims at the same time.

Never did the film become dull nor was it over the top exciting edge of your seat thrills. The film is not overly gory, but does not take away from the greatness. There is some descent acting, and if you are familiar with slasher movies you will understand the rareness of good acting in that genre. I know there are a lot of other reviewers that have raved about the very twisted ending, I agree with all of them. I will admit that the finale is one of the very top finales in a horror movie ever. It had me sleeping with my lights on that evening, and like I stated in a another review, I am a very hard person to scare. The last image of this cinematic adventure will be forever implanted in my brain. If you go into this film blind you will be nothing less of blown away, just by the ending alone.

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.

"Sleepaway Camp" qualifies as one of those oddball entries in the horror genre, a movie so offbeat and sleazy in its implications that it isn't any wonder that it found its way to DVD quite rapidly. Fully deserving of its cult status, this low budget film about, surprise, a summer camp and the bloody shenanigans wreaked within its confines by a deranged killer ranks as one of the movies you simply must watch (after you have seen it) with someone unfamiliar with its sordid secrets. Regrettably, at some point a few years ago I accidentally stumbled over a major spoiler on one of those Internet review sites and ruined my experience when I finally sat down to watch the film. Don't worry, I won't spoil this gem for you, but you may want to take note of my experience and become very selective about the various synopses you may read about this picture. "Sleepaway Camp" is well worth watching, although your initial impressions about Angela and the gang might give you a certain initial degree of pause. I can't speak for the sequels based on the original film as I haven't seen any of them, but I cannot imagine they are better in any significant way than this one.

"Sleepaway Camp" opens with a tragedy as a family-two small children and their two dads (!)-sail around a lake on a little boat. When a careless gang of people with a speedboat runs over this family's vessel, only one of the children survives the catastrophe. Flash forward a few years to a new family getting ready to send the youngsters away to summer camp. Aunt Martha, a character played so over the top that her voice would melt steel, coos over her son Ricky and his cousin Angela. She wishes them the best and prepares to send them to a camp that very quickly resembles the type of place the Marquis De Sade might run if he was still alive. Called Camp Arawak, the place simmers with teenage intrigues, seething jealousies, and homoerotic situations. The hormones flow like water throughout the camp as various individuals jockey for power over other people. At the bottom of the social totem pole sits the wretched Angela, a rail thin, mousy haired young lady with eyes the size of saucers. Angela rarely talks to anyone, provoking outraged responses to her presence among her counselors and fellow campers. She finally does meet a nice boy with whom she willingly talks, but for the most part, she bears silent witness to the increasingly bizarre behavior occurring in camp.

Ricky, about the only normal guy at Arawak, takes Angela under his wing at camp, sticking up for her when needed and introducing her around to the various psychotics masquerading as counselors and fellow campers. Of course, Ricky has his own problems: his camp girlfriend from last year underwent a significant growth spurt during the intervening months and now only has eyes for older, better developed guys. Then there are the obnoxious older campers and sadistic counselors, several of whom decide to launch a vendetta against Ricky and his cousin. The quarrels between Ricky and several specific individuals become so well known around camp that when the murders start happening, and the sauce begins to flow, the head counselor seriously considers Ricky as the primary suspect in the crimes. The various killings aren't all that impressive to serious gore fans, with the exception of the cook who takes a dip in a huge pot of boiling hot water, but at least these moderately disturbing crimes lead up to a conclusion that explodes across your consciousness with the force of a nuclear bomb. The last scenes of "Sleepaway Camp" provide the most important reason you should watch this movie, but not the only one. This picture often surprises with its daring portrayals of the darker side of human nature. Controversial issues such as child molestation appear regularly as plot points, making this movie one of the seedier slasher films around.

The DVD of "Sleepaway Camp" rises above your average schlock horror film release by including a commentary track with director Robert Hiltzik, Felissa Rose (the actress who played the Angela character), and moderator Jeff Hayes. Obviously, those involved with the making of the movie realized how memorable of an experience they created. If the commentary isn't enough for you, you also get a trailer and picture quality that is quite good for a film of this age and budget. Anyway, give this morbid little piece of trash cinema a whirl in your DVD player; it may not rank as the best film ever made, but it will sure throw you for a loop once or twice. Boy, I am I glad I never went to summer camp!

"Sleepaway Camp" is one of those movies that came out between the late 70's and early 80's that still inspires countless horror movies today. While this film isn't as famous as movie like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or
"Friday the 13th" it's just as worthy. In fact, this movie is better than "Friday the 13th". It's pretty campy, the dialogue sucks, and the acting is awful...But that's how horror films were then and it's actually pretty damn disturbing. The final moments especially are like "Holy s**t!". Not in the sense that you couldn't see it coming, but you know. The movie's cast features actors that, as far as I know, never worked again but anyway Felissa Rose plays Angela;
When Angela was a young girl, her father and brother were killed in a boating accident and she was sent to live with her Aunt Martha, who's simulataneously funny, stupid, and very disturbing and Martha's son Ricky. 8 years after the accident, Angela and Ricky are sent to Camp Arawak. Ricky blends in, but Angela is the constant staple of torment by the other girls because she's not as "filled out" and doesn't speak to often. Suddenly, people begin to die in some horrible ways; but the owner of the camp Mel atttempts to play it off as a series of accidents to avoid bad publicity. The first death, in which a man is burned by a huge pot of boiling water is impressive for a movie done in the 80's. It looks pretty damned real, in fact...
His burns look more real than the death scenes in "Final Destination 2". Anyway, the final frame of the movie is very disturbing and creepy. As in all good horror films, the music helps the scene achieve that. This is truly one of the forgotten classic 80's horror movies. Why this isn't placed up there with TCM or A Nightmare on Elm Street I'll never know. Sure, the characters are kind of stupid and you really don't care about any of them...It's an entertaining and sincerely creepy movie.

GRADE: A-

I will say, I am huge horror fan, but always steered clear of the "Sleepaway Camp" series until today. I always thought the movies looked and sounded really stupid. And I was pretty much right, but in a good way. ;P

Sleepaway camp is one of those movies that has cheesey and over-the-top acting, plenty of stereo types, but somehow it all works.

This movie is about a girl named Angela and her cousin Ricky going away to summer camp. It of course is supposed to be a lot of fun. But Angela is very shy and doesn't want to talk to anyone or play any games or anything so she is picked on a good deal. And not to far after they get to camp, people start to die.

Its pretty clear who is the killer from the get-go, but it still keeps you interested because its a fun movie, and you keep wondering "WHY?" are they killing. It actually has a nasty little twist of an ending too. And the sad thing is, that what happened to the killer isn't far from what has happened to some people(seen a similar case on dateline, except without all the murders).

I didn't think this movie was slow, but I don't have a short attention span either. But I'd say that if you like horror movies, or movies that are so bad their good, then you'll like "Sleepaway Camp", its worth at least one view, its pretty darn funny(unintenionally most of the time.). The gore is pretty good too, its not to explicit so it leaves some to the imagination, but it shows just enough. All in all, worthwhile horror film. :D

God Bless & *enjoy* ~Amy

SLEEPAWAY CAMP was awesome. I stumbled upon it on the web one day and I thought it looked cool. So, I went to my video store and rented it. I watched it with my best friend and till this very day (or this very second, even), we are trying to put the pieces together & figure out the ending! This movie truly makes you think very psychologically and with depth, unlike other horror movies. At first, it seems like a slasher flick, but after you see the ending (which, by the way, is so incredibly shocking and unexpected, that I found myself comparing it to anything Hitchcock has ever done) it turns into a very deeply disturbing movie that you need to watch over and over to get the clues. It is so easy to guess who the killer is and why, but when the ending comes, you realize that there was a MUCH different motive besides revenge. The gore was REALLY good and it was so medically accurate, that I completely forgot they were props! And, the deaths (were not only gruesomely realistic) but they were very creative! I liked the killer's sneaky approach and the cunning idea that he/she had! I thought the gore was pretty shocking, but then that ending comes! The way the killer just silently hums as he/she handles a human head is VEEERRRRRRY eerie, because they show no remorse for what they've done and they truly seem insane & very unstable (and for good reason!). I won't even begin to mention the plot because the ending just steals the whole movie! It is the single most shocking moment in cinematic history! Nothing can prepare you for what you see! I could not believe it and till this day, I still do not believe that they did what they did! All I can say is you'll never forget itt!