Sleepaway Camp
The film opens up with a horrible boating accident, in which a father and one of his children are killed. Cut to eight years later, where cousins Angela (Felissa Rose) and Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten) are departing for Camp Arawak from Aunt Martha's house. After the death of her father, Angela was adopted by her aunt.
Arriving to camp, Angela is very shy and doesn't talk to barely anyone. Many of the kids torment and taunt poor Angela, including the staff! It's not too late until horrible accidents start to occur at camp. First, one of the cooks is boiled in scalding, hot water. Then, many of the campers start to die. It then comes to the camp's attention that there is a bloodthirsty maniac on the loose. The camp owner, Mel (Mike Kellin, who passed shortly after of cancer), tries to cover the deaths up as accidents, but more and more campers are leaving due to the terrifying incidents.
Could the killer possibly be Ricky, who wants revenge taken towards the people who are cruel to Angela? Maybe it's one of the camp's staff members or campers. You'll find out at the film's shocking conclusion, which will make your mouth drop to the floor...
This film has always been one of my favorites. Upon my first viewing of this film at a young age, it shocked me with its surprise ending. Until now, I thought I was the only one to ever have seen this movie. Although, as I explored the World Wide Web, I came upon many fansites dedicated to this film and its sequels. I was astonished at the fame that followed the film. Now, I have even had the delightful opportunity to talk to other Sleepaway Camp fans, even the film's star, Felissa Rose, who I did an e-mail interview with for my Sleepaway Camp site, along with a few others! With the upcoming DVD and VHS video re-release, people will finally be able to obtain the out-of-print film. Maybe even some new fans will follow.
All of the characters are very likeable, excluding the campers that pick on Angela, especially Judy (Karen Fields). The setting might be called just another rip-off of the Friday the 13th films, but it's not. Its premise is actually pretty original, and unlike Friday the 13th, there's not that much gore at all. The movie is so enjoyable to me that it seems to just zoom by every time I watch it, along with the sequels that I enjoyed almost as much. You have to check this one out, if you haven't already! Also known as Nightmare Vacation in the UK.
