Fuck me if this movie isn't all kinds of awesome.
So I guess this is the 5th installment in the Sleepaway Camp series. I remember seeing the first 2 when I was younger and I wasn't all that impressed by them at the time, especially compared to the Friday The 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street series'. So I wasn't expecting a whole out of this one, but man was I pleasantly wrong.
Little bit of back story for y'all in case you have no idea what gave the original so much buzz. SA Camp 1 is famous for the fact that the killer, a girl, is revealed in the end to be a guy or a hermy, either way the last shot of the movie is of this chick with her wang out. Apparently she went so insane over her affliction or whatever that she just started murdering kids.
OK then, fast forward to this film.
It's got a wonderful look to it as it's taking place current day but has a decidedly 80's look and vibe to it. All the camp cabins and interiors look like they could be right at home in the original which came out over 20 years ago. Even the dialog, while rough, never feels like todays "fuck fuck fuck fuck" dialog, it's salty, but it's 80's salty.
Now on to the cast and story. The cast is pretty much all awesome for a variety of reasons. It's hard to describe but the male lead plays the absurd and ridiculous to the total maximum without becoming a dumb caricature. He completely nails the fat, doofus, maybe slightly retarded character and is a fucking joy to watch get picked on and be the pickee, so to speak.
All the other kids are pretty damn good as well playing stoners, jocks and just general teenage pricks, they too are all enjoyable to watch. Even the bad acting in the movie is awesome, especially the lead counselor who wears zubbas and muscle shirts and delivers his lines with a wooden awesomeness that had me rolling every time he tried to emote.
The script in an of itself is nothing all that special when it comes to the plot but most of the dialog is really good. Both the words and the young actors delivery of the words are fun. I should also note that all the kids look like kids, no 25 year old dudes who look 25 playing 15 year olds here.
So the story is that the main dude, who I referenced earlier, is getting picked on the whole film. People start dying in pretty cool ways. The gore is above average and the kills are fun. The big finale is a bit obvious but doesn't detract from the film at all as it's done very quickly.
What a joyful surprise this movie was after my last 2 viewing endeavors. Nicely executed from script to screen, full of blood, guts and laughter and just an overall enjoyable romp. Spend at least 1 Autumn night at Sleepaway Camp, but be nice to the fat kid!
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