ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - November 18th
"SLEEPAWAY CAMP" released in 1983
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In 1975, John Baker (Dan Tursi) and his boyfriend, Lenny (James Paradise), take John's children Angela (Felissa Rose) and Peter on a boating trip. After the boat capsizes, John and the children attempt to swim ashore, but they inadvertently swim into the path of a reckless motorboat and are struck, killing John and Peter. 8 years later in 1983, Angela is now traumatized and is living with her eccentric aunt, Dr. Martha Thomas (Desiree Gould), and her cousin Ricky Thomas (Jonathan Tiersten). Sent to Camp Arawak for the summer, Angela is bullied due to her introverted nature by fellow camper Judy (Karen Fields) and camp counselor Meg (Katherine Kamhi). Hiding from her tormentors in the kitchen, Angela is almost assaulted by the camp's cook, Artie (Owen Hughes), but is saved by the by the sympathetic head counselor Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo). But later, when Artie is alone, an unseen figure causes Artie to get severely scalded by the water he is boiling!
Campers Kenny and Mike also mock Angela, prompting Ricky and his friend Paul to get into a fight with them; after which Paul becomes friends with Angela. Kenny is later mysteriously drowned, although his death is also ruled accidental by the camp owner Mel Costic (Mike Kellin). When another camper is killed after being trapped amongst a beehive, Mel starts thinking there is a killer in the camp. The relationship between Angela and Paul also grows strained when Angela catches Paul kissing Judy. Guilty, Paul attempts to explain himself but is shooed away by Judy and Meg, who throw Angela into the water and has sand flung at her by small children.
The night of the camp social, Meg is killed in the shower, Judy is killed by being raped with a lit curling iron, and Mel finds four of the six children who threw sand at Angela hacked to bits. The camp is thrown into a panic with all the deaths, and Mel beats Ricky mercilessly (believing he is the killer), only to be shot in the throat and killed with an arrow by the real killer. Unbeknownst to him, Paul goes the lake to keep his rendezvous with Angela, while Ronnie and the police frantically search for them before they become the killer's next victims - but find the killer is not what they would have ever suspected!
Campers Kenny and Mike also mock Angela, prompting Ricky and his friend Paul to get into a fight with them; after which Paul becomes friends with Angela. Kenny is later mysteriously drowned, although his death is also ruled accidental by the camp owner Mel Costic (Mike Kellin). When another camper is killed after being trapped amongst a beehive, Mel starts thinking there is a killer in the camp. The relationship between Angela and Paul also grows strained when Angela catches Paul kissing Judy. Guilty, Paul attempts to explain himself but is shooed away by Judy and Meg, who throw Angela into the water and has sand flung at her by small children.
The night of the camp social, Meg is killed in the shower, Judy is killed by being raped with a lit curling iron, and Mel finds four of the six children who threw sand at Angela hacked to bits. The camp is thrown into a panic with all the deaths, and Mel beats Ricky mercilessly (believing he is the killer), only to be shot in the throat and killed with an arrow by the real killer. Unbeknownst to him, Paul goes the lake to keep his rendezvous with Angela, while Ronnie and the police frantically search for them before they become the killer's next victims - but find the killer is not what they would have ever suspected!
GOOF: At the end, when you first see Angela sitting and humming, a crew member is visible way over on the other side of the bleachers.
Top: Angela (Felissa Rose) is having a hard time fitting in at Camp Arawak;
Above: Joining her at camp, is Angela's cousin, Ricky Thomas (Jonathan Tiersten).
The feature debut of writer/director Robert Hiltzik, Sleepaway Camp was intended to take advantage of the slew of slasher horror films being released in the early 80's, specifically Friday the 13th. For the pivotal role of Angela /Peter Baker, Hiltzik cast then unknown teenage actress Felissa Rose. Apparently, Rose's mother did not want her to be the killer in the film due to her being too young, so in the scenes where you see the killers arms they are in fact actor Jonathan Tiersten (cast as Angela's cousin, Ricky Thomas) arms. This was done because he had more masculine hands with veins, which could better throw off the audience in regard to the killer's identity. Tiersten also doubled for Rose for the scenes when the killer appears underneath the canoe with Kenny and for Judy's death scene when you see the killer standing in the door way (where Tiersten is obviously wearing a wig).
Sleepaway Camp is also infamously known for its twist ending, which is considered by some to be one of the most shocking endings among horror films. The climactic scene was accomplished by using a nude man wearing a mask cast from Felissa Rose's face. There were talks, and even molds created for a strap-on prosthetic penis for Felissa herself to wear, but the idea was ultimately scrapped. The thin man who stood in for Angela in this one scene was a college student who needed to get drunk before he was able to do the scene.
Sleepaway Camp is also infamously known for its twist ending, which is considered by some to be one of the most shocking endings among horror films. The climactic scene was accomplished by using a nude man wearing a mask cast from Felissa Rose's face. There were talks, and even molds created for a strap-on prosthetic penis for Felissa herself to wear, but the idea was ultimately scrapped. The thin man who stood in for Angela in this one scene was a college student who needed to get drunk before he was able to do the scene.
TRIVIA: Christopher Collet, who played Paul, had a latex version of his head created for the final scene. Someone on the set took the head!
Top: Angela's main tormentors, Judy (Karen Fields) and camp counselor Meg (Katherine Kamhi);
Above: Camp owner Mel Costic (Mike Kellin) starts to discover the bodies left around the camp!
The original artwork for the Sleepaway Camp Survival Kit boxed set, which included the unauthorized sequels, was recalled after complaints were made by the American Red Cross. Sleepaway Camp was released theatrically on a limited basis by United Film Distribution Company, who had previously enjoyed success with other genre titles, including, Mother's Day (1980), Creepshow (1982), Class of 1984 (1982) and 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982). On its opening weekend, it grossed a total of $430,000 and became one of the top-grossing film in New York, beating out its horror competition by taking in almost double the gross of Amityville 3-D, earning just over $11 million (against a estimated $350,000 budget).
Sleepaway Camp received positive reviews from critics, with many critics praising the film's twist ending, and has since gained a cult status amongst horror fans. Contemporary reviews of the film have also been positive, with Bloody Disgusting praising Felissa Rose's performance and the film's twist ending calling it "one of the most shocking seen since, possibly, Hitchcock's Psycho". AllMovie wrote in its review on the film, "While most of the gender-bending story's sexual confusion is ultimately half-baked", "Sleepaway Camp is distinctive enough to warrant required viewing for genre enthusiasts."
Sleepaway Camp received positive reviews from critics, with many critics praising the film's twist ending, and has since gained a cult status amongst horror fans. Contemporary reviews of the film have also been positive, with Bloody Disgusting praising Felissa Rose's performance and the film's twist ending calling it "one of the most shocking seen since, possibly, Hitchcock's Psycho". AllMovie wrote in its review on the film, "While most of the gender-bending story's sexual confusion is ultimately half-baked", "Sleepaway Camp is distinctive enough to warrant required viewing for genre enthusiasts."
[Angela stands up and makes a sinister bear-like noise, and Paul's severed head falls from her lap. Susie covers her mouth in horror]
Ronnie: ...How can it be?
[Angela is revealed to be male, she's fully naked and has a bloody knife clutched in her hands]
Ronnie: My god, she's a boy!
Top: One of Angela's bullies meets a grisly end;
Above: The final, shocking twist-ending that has made Sleepaway Camp a cult classic!
In the late 1980s, Michael A. Simpson directed two sequels, Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989). In them, Angela (now played by Bruce Springsteen's younger sister, Pamela Springsteen) resurfaces at a nearby summer camp, but this time masquerading as a counselor after a sex change that made her entirely female. Much like at the previous camp, she gleefully tortures and kills anyone who misbehaves or annoys her.
Over the years, Hiltzik had no idea that his Sleepaway Camp had gained such a devoted following until he was contacted in March 2000 by Sleepawaycampmovies.com's Jeff Hayes who then arranged for him to record a commentary for the Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD. After a number of sequels directed and written by others, Hiltzik decided to return to write and direct the sequel, Return to Sleepaway Camp. He decided that this newest chapter would ignore the storylines of the other sequels, stating that he wanted to pick up from where the original film had ended. Although filming was completed in 2003, Hiltzik struggled to complete the visual effects for the film. According to Fangoria.com, the digital effects were redone from 2006 to 2008, before finally being released by Magnolia/Magnet Picture on November 4th, 2008.
The purportedly final film in Hiltzik's Sleepaway Camp trilogy, titled Sleepaway Camp Reunion, was also announced to be in the works, although Hiltzik and "Return To Sleepaway Camp" producer Jeff Hayes have since stated their starting working on a reboot/remake that would retain the key characters and elements of the original film with additional storyline elements and a dose of modernizing. As of Summer 2014, Hiltzik was reportedly tweaking the script, although he had no rights to the film series. Michael Simpson, the director of Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland, is also reportedly writing a script for his series of Sleepaway Camp movies as well, titled Sleepaway Camp: Berserk.
Over the years, Hiltzik had no idea that his Sleepaway Camp had gained such a devoted following until he was contacted in March 2000 by Sleepawaycampmovies.com's Jeff Hayes who then arranged for him to record a commentary for the Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD. After a number of sequels directed and written by others, Hiltzik decided to return to write and direct the sequel, Return to Sleepaway Camp. He decided that this newest chapter would ignore the storylines of the other sequels, stating that he wanted to pick up from where the original film had ended. Although filming was completed in 2003, Hiltzik struggled to complete the visual effects for the film. According to Fangoria.com, the digital effects were redone from 2006 to 2008, before finally being released by Magnolia/Magnet Picture on November 4th, 2008.
The purportedly final film in Hiltzik's Sleepaway Camp trilogy, titled Sleepaway Camp Reunion, was also announced to be in the works, although Hiltzik and "Return To Sleepaway Camp" producer Jeff Hayes have since stated their starting working on a reboot/remake that would retain the key characters and elements of the original film with additional storyline elements and a dose of modernizing. As of Summer 2014, Hiltzik was reportedly tweaking the script, although he had no rights to the film series. Michael Simpson, the director of Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland, is also reportedly writing a script for his series of Sleepaway Camp movies as well, titled Sleepaway Camp: Berserk.
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 83%
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