have wanted to watch this for many years as i was led to believe it was a decent,gorefest 80's slasher!everything about it was sooooo bad it was almost good!i couldn't work out if it was originally meant to be a genuine horror but with all the horror cut out or an overlong Goosebumps style movie aimed at 12-13 year olds!
the shock ending was just waaaaaay too bizarre!!lol
You realize this was meant to be a cheesy campy movie, and not an actual believable horror movie, right? It's actually more like a PARODY of horror movies even, it's supposed to be a bit bad. Not to mention, this was done in the early 80s. Their idea of horror elements compared to what we're used to now are pretty different.
But again, it's more of a campy parody of horror movies, not a horror movie that's supposed to be taken seriously.
was it originally meant as a parody though?or has it since been labelled as one over the years as it was soooo bad!?
for example Friday the 13th was early 80's and had a lot of the same elements as Sleepaway camp(ie some bad acting, horrendous fashions and stereotypes) but it could never be labelled as a parody
I really doubt the director was going for parody. And if so, he didn't do a very good job. It's obviously a horror film with humor in it, but the rest is "so bad it's kind of good" territory.
http://www.freewebs.com/demonictoys/
[deleted]
Not true. The first two sequels are intentional "camp". This one is legit.
shareThis isn't a parody. It's a real horror film. The Scream films are a parody.
Your chains are still mine, you belong to me! - The Phantom Of The Opera
I must disagree with you. The pedophile counselors, the pranks, the killings, the big ending...This did NOT feel cheesy or campy AT ALL. It's WAY too dark and sick and twisted to be a parody. I haven't seen the sequels, but, they HAD to go the comedy route because they couldn't get much darker than this without totally losing their audience. I think it's one of the best of its kind ever.
"May the Force be with you."
Just finished the movie for the first time and I'm having the same reaction. What the fck did I just watch?
I know I was born gay because my first sentence was, 'Get those boobs outta my face!'
It wasn't a parody. The acting was just so bad that it felt like one. I can't understand why this has developed a cult following over the years. I just watched it and it really is lame. Boring kills and bad acting = crappy slasher film.
shareThis movie is actually really good to me because it defies classification. It's part slasher film, comedy ( some unintentional), camp/kitsch, and some parody. It's the sum total of all of those things in their exact ratios that give the movie it's personality. What makes it REALLY weird to me is the music and how it punctuates the oddest moments. It makes the atmosphere feel super creepy. Of course, there are the things in the movie that are supposed to be creepy, i.e. Aunt Martha, the ending, etc..., but the musical cues tend to trump them all. Also, the actors are so ernest about their material. No one EVER breaks character or smirks at the camera. If the movie IS in fact a joke, then everyone on set is in on it. Even the camera workers. It takes itself super seriously which also adds to it's creepiness. I believe that all involved thought they were making a straight forward suspense/horror movie! Perhaps they were, and all of the weirdness was cultivated in the editing room. Who knows how this movie would have played if it had a different film/music editor. It would have probably been very straight forward and typically boring. I love this movie for being the weird oddball that it is. That said, you can't judge it on just one set of criteria. It's too weird for that.
Another thing that sets this movie apart is it's inability to be reproduced. It would be nigh impossible to re-create the very specific conditions that made up this film. Many have tried and failed. I don't even think the director could do it himself! It's probably because the whole venture was one big accident. Accidents are hard to duplicate, even in a lab.
The acting in this movie should not be mistaken for "bad" since it is intented to be this way. They are supposed to over-act and deliver catchy lines.
shareJust watched this. 5.9 my ass. A poor effort on every level.
You can't palm off a second-rater on me. You gotta remember I was in the pink!
One of the worst slashers I've ever seen.
shareI watched this a week ago and loved this film, I only heard about this after my sister recommended it to me but its just so damn fun. Its cheesy, bad and definitely a guilty pleasure but it was such a blast.
shareDo I really have to explain the film to you?
Do you honestly not know what you just watched?
I'm so tired of seeing the comment
"wtf did I just watch...?"
Like its funny to be stupid?
You watched a horror film called Sleepaway Camp, genius! That's why you're on the message board for the film.
horror moovie at its best. the 80's had the best run in movies nudity,death at every corner, scary music...i miss those days
The difference beteween genius and stupidity... genius has its limit