Cinema Review: Sleepaway Camp II & III are campy, fun sequels to the original


Last week at the New Beverly Cinema, I watched a double feature of Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989). These are sequels to the cult classic slasher horror film Sleepaway Camp (1983), which was written and directed by Robert Hiltzik. The sequels were directed by Michael A. Simpson, and have more of a comic tone than the original film. Even though the sequels are campy, they are fun to watch. The rock star of the films is Angela Baker—a complicated, psychologically damaged, yet entertaining and likeable horror character.

The original film tells the story of Angela, played by Felissa Rose, who experiences traumatic events at an early age. She is sent to Camp Arawak with her cousin and is bullied there due to her introverted nature. Angela exacts her revenge by slowly killing the offending campers one-by-one. There is a twist ending to the story, but I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t seen the film. In Sleepaway Camp II, Angela is played by Pamela Springsteen—Bruce Springsteen’s younger sister. Wearing her hair in a single braid down the back of her head, she masquerades as a camp counselor. She sings campfire songs and presents herself as a role model. At the same time, she gleefully kills any campers who misbehave. In one especially disgusting scene, Angela drowns her victim in an outhouse toilet filled with human waste and leeches.

In Sleepaway Camp III, Angela is back with a new approach—and a new hairstyle. She infiltrates a local camp for troubled teenagers, posing as a camper and wearing sunglasses to disguise her true identity. Once again, Angela exacts her own brand of social justice by killing those who disrespect others, abuse drugs, or fornicate. She gets very creative with the kills and delivers many humorous one-liners. For example, Angela hoists a privileged girl to the top of a flagpole, then releases the rope causing the victim to fall straight to the ground head-first. When one of the counselors asks about the girl, Angela replies “She has a headache.” At the end of the story, Angela is seriously stabbed by one of the girls, and is taken away in an ambulance. Inside the ambulance, Angela kills the two technicians, implying her survival for future sequels.


Although Sleepaway Camp may be deemed to be a rip-off of Friday the 13th, Angela is much more than a female version of Jason Voorhees. She has more personality than Jason, and the audience can be made to sympathize with her. What gives Angela her allure is that she seems so nice, yet she is so sick. Angela is a victim of childhood trauma, and she acts out by getting rid of teenagers who offend her or others. In doing so, she is trying to protect innocent young people from being damaged the way she was. On the other hand, the viewer may feel that Angela has gone too far. It is this moral ambiguity that makes Angela such an interesting character. Robert Hiltzik, creator of the original film, now owns the rights to the franchise. Let’s hope that rumors of a reboot are true, and not just another campfire tale.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blu-ray Review: Slumber Party Massacre III (1990) has beach volleyball, dancing party girls, and a Driller Killer!

Image
Slumber Party Massacre III (1990) is a fun, thrilling sequel to the original slasher cult classic. Jackie Cassidy (Keely Christian) is a high school girl who hosts a slumber party at her house while her parents are out of town. At the party, coeds drink beer, eat snack food, and dance to the music. They are having a great time by themselves until a few guys from school crash the party as a practical joke. Meanwhile, a mysterious serial killer with an oversized power drill is stalking Jackie Cassidy and her friends. As the party guests start turning up dead, the girls and guys have to fight for their lives. There is a suspenseful story, good acting, excellent use of music, and gory effects. The story keeps the viewer in suspense wondering the identity of the Driller Killer and who will end up dead next. At the beginning of the film, Jackie Cassidy and Diane (Brandi Burkett) are sunbathing at the beach while watching their friends play volleyball. While they are discussing life, an o
Read more

Blu-ray Review: The Initiation (1984) is a slasher with mystery and psychological thriller plot points

Image
The Initiation (1984)—directed by Larry Stewart—is a slasher film that incorporates mystery and psychological thriller plot points. It was a late entry in the slasher cycle that began with John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), and continued with imitators such as Friday the 13th (1980). But The Initiation proves to be a film far superior to many other movies that preceded it. In this college-based slasher, Kelly (Daphne Zuniga) is a student who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare. In addition to dealing with the troubling dream, she is pledging a sorority and must break into her father’s department store at night—alongside some other pledges—to complete a hazing ritual. What begins as an innocent prank turns deadly when the young coeds get locked inside the building and are stalked by a killer. This film has a fascinating story, interesting characters, and stylish cinematography. Although it is not entirely original, The Initiation takes the slasher movie to unexpected places.
Read more

Blu-ray Review: Double Exposure (1982) is a mystery-psychological thriller with slasher elements

Image
Double Exposure (1982)—written and directed by William Byron Hillman—is a mystery-psychological thriller with slasher and giallo elements. Michael Callan stars as Adrian Wilde, a prolific photographer for men’s magazines, whose life begins to unravel when he experiences disturbing dreams in which he kills some of his models through various gruesome means. Meanwhile, a killer is stalking and murdering women on the street. Two LAPD sergeants are trying to track down the serial killer. When Adrian learns that some of his models have met with violent deaths, he begins to suspect that he may actually be the killer. Double Exposure features an interesting story, very good acting, and a haunting music score. Right at the beginning of the film, the two LAPD sergeants are seen sitting in an unmarked car waiting for the serial killer to appear so that they can apprehend him or her. A policeman dressed up as a prostitute to attract the killer walks by on the sidewalk. When the police decoy reac
Read more