By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Sleepaway Camp (1983) is one of the most bizarre films of all time. From start to finish, the movie is insane though the last two minutes is an entirely different kind of crazy. It’s a cult classic that spawned (debatably) 4 sequels.
The first two sequels, Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers and Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland told the story of Angela (Pamela Springsteen) who upon getting gender reassignment returned to a campsite and began murdering unsuspecting teenagers. The third sequel Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor follows Allison (Carrie Chambers) who suffered memory loss after surviving Angela’s original massacre. She endures nightmares and visions prompting her to return to camp and face the events which prompted her amnesia.
For a decade, the fourth installment had been shelved with only a little more than a half an hour filmed. During production, the company that was releasing the film went bankrupt. In 2012, a version of the movie was put together by using the shot footage and scenes from the prior movies. Due to the lack of a traditional release, many do not consider this an actual entry in the series.
In 2003, Return to Sleepaway Camp was filmed however it was shelved until 2008 when it found distribution and corrected scenes that originally made use of unrealistic CGI. Robert Hiltzik, the writer and director of the original returned and brought most of the cast back with him. This film ignores the other sequels and continues where the Sleepaway Camp left off.
Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo) now works for Camp Manabe where his boss and the camp owner Frank (Vincent Pastore) refuses to listen to anything pertaining to the murders Ronnie witnessed all those years prior. Even after the murders begin, Frank’s greed takes priority over keeping everyone safe. Despite the gruesome nature of the murders, Frank attempts to call the deaths “accidents.” Ronnie, however, is convinced Angela is back. At first he suspects Petey (Kate Simses) for two reasons. One, her name is Petey. In the original it is revealed that Angela’s original name was the same. Second, she seems to be around every time something goes awry. She claims she is merely trying to defend camp outcast, Alan (Michael Gibney) but Ronnie isn’t buying it.
Meanwhile, Alan (Michael Gibney) is continuously picked on by nearly everyone including counselors. Generally, in horror movies the nerd is sympathetic. Here, however, he is horrible. Though, Alan is tricked to smoke cow manure, beaten up, and constantly made fun of, he most certainly deserves the brunt of it. He goes beyond the annoying behaviors typically utilized to show a character is geeky. He isn’t the standard D&D playing, glasses wearing, small kid with braces. Instead, he’s a large, awkward kid who uses his size to push smaller kids around. He’s rude, obnoxious, and disgusting. He doesn’t change his clothing, he tells everyone that their ass stinks, and he is insulting towards everyone.
Those rude to Alan are the first victims of the killer.
(Spoilers for this film and first film) Sherriff Jerry (Felissa Rose) begins investigating the deaths. Upon hearing about Angela’s rampage, Jerry finds Angela’s cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten) and asks him to come to camp.
The ending is very predictable yet still the movie is entertaining. It is revealed that Sherriff Jerry is actually Angela who is still crazy.
Now, I read on IMDB that there is actually a twist that was intended but never vocalized. I’m not sure how accurate this is, but it certainly sounds pretty cool. In the first film, Angela and her brother Peter are in the water with their father. An accident occurs and both Angela and her father die. Their Aunt Martha (Desiree Gould) adopts Peter but as she already has a son, so she raises Peter as Angela. At the end, when Angela is revealed as the killer, she stands naked with her penis fully exposed.
The twist discussed on IMDB stated that the real Angela actually lived. Peter is in an asylum where Ricky visits him every week. Angela reemerges and is the killer at the end of this film. Now as this isn’t delved into at all, I am of the mindset that Peter is still the murderer; however I would love for that to be developed in the next chapter.
(End of Spoilers)
On the Sleepaway Camp Films website, there have been discussions regarding another sequel entitled Sleepaway Camp Reunion 3D. Though the latest information I could find stated the release date was planned for 2011, I’m still hoping that this will come into fruition. It seems as though Hiltzik would return as both the writer and director.
Desiree Gould is named as a returning face which Sleepaway Camp fans will clamor for. Aunt Martha was such a crazy character, that her comeback is definitely something to anticipate. Angela and Ricky are supposed to return as well. The plot follows Mike who is a survivor of the original camp. He receives an invitation to a 25 year reunion. Upon arriving the resort is closed down. This is intended to be Hiltzik’s final Sleepaway film as he wanted to complete a trilogy. The synopsis sounds great. Typically, movies about reunions are fantastic. Class Reunion Massacre (1978) is one of my favorites. It’s actually really creepy and extremely well-done. It’s one of the movies that as a child, I was petrified watching. Then, I saw it years later and realized I wasn’t petrified because I was a kid. I was petrified because the movie was scary!
Slaughter High (1986) is another good example. Though, it’s not as good as Class Reunion Massacre, it’s still a great horror entry. The ending leaves a lot to be desired but the overall premise is really fun.
As for Return to Sleepaway Camp, I really enjoyed it. It’s a fun and nostalgic ride which is well-done. The acting is fantastic. Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tiersten, especially did a fantastic job! It was also great to see Isaac Hayes in the role of the chef. This was his last role, before his untimely death. He was a wonderful actor and a talented singer.
It was so great to see everyone from the first film again. For fans of the original, I recommend it and am definitely looking forward to the final entry.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
RIP ISAAC HAYES
