Summer camps for young people aren’t quite as much of a thing in the United Kingdom as they are in the United States, and that suited me just fine as a shy kid. The idea of leaving my family behind to sleep in the woods for weeks on end still fills me with dread even now, and I guess that’s why the legend of Jason Vorhees in “Friday the 13th” touched a nerve for so many when it was released in 1980. Ultimately, the success of Sean Cunningham’s low-budget horror film kicked off a wave of summer camp slashers (including “The Burning,” “Madman,” and “Cheerleader Camp”), and even James Earl Jones’s dad showed up in one of the ’80s most bizarre entries in this sub-genre: “Sleepaway Camp.”
To the casual eye, Robert Hiltzik’s masterwork might seem like a cheap cash-in on “Friday the 13th.” It has a familiar setup: A group of annoying kids and horny counselors descend on a lakeside camp and fall victim one-by-one to a twisted killer before a shocking twist at the end. What sets “Sleepaway Camp” (and its ending) apart from other imitators, however, is a sense that the project was very personal for Hiltzik, giving it a peculiar authenticity that gets under your skin and has helped it become a cult classic.
The largely no-name cast also makes it difficult to figure out who might survive, even if the main culprit is pretty easy to guess. Probably the most recognizable face is Robert Earl Jones. Like his more famous son, Jones Senior’s stage and screen career spanned over 50 years, most notably including supporting roles in “The Sting,” “The Cotton Club,” and “Witness.” Here, he plays Ben, an avuncular kitchen staff member who couldn’t possibly be involved with the murders … could he?
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What happens in Sleepaway Camp?
After a classic slasher movie prologue involving a deadly boating accident on a lake, we meet young survivor Angela (Felissa Rose) and her cousin Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten). Angela is clearly suffering from PTSD, but her very eccentric Aunt Martha (Desiree Gould) decides that the best thing for her is sending her off to Camp Arawak for the summer.
Once the cousins arrive, Angela becomes an instant target for spiteful bully Judy (Karen Fields) and the camp cook Artie (Owen Hughes), one of the most flagrantly open pedophiles in cinema. Ricky does his best to protect Angela, however, and after he interrupts Artie’s attempt to sexually assault her, the creepy chef suffers an extremely agonizing comeuppance. The workplace mishap is just the first in a series of bizarre accidents engineered by an unseen killer. With his staff and guests dropping like flies, camp owner Mel (Mike Kellin) battles to save his business, culminating in a final killing spree and one of the most notorious twist endings in horror history.
The performances in “Sleepaway Camp” vary wildly, even by the standard of cheap ’80s slasher movies. Regrettably, Robert Earl Jones isn’t one of the leading lights; he appears to be present in body only, presumably taking the gig for the pay check. He has little to do other than mumble a few lines and look totally confused. Chief acting honors go to Rose, who is unnervingly believable as the traumatized Angela. The rest of the performances range from comically wooden to utterly gonzo. (Gould’s turn in the latter category must be seen to be believed.)
Is Sleepaway Camp worth your time?
“Sleepaway Camp” opens with a somewhat strange dedication for a movie in which a lot of kids are maimed and murdered: “In fond memory of Mom, a doer.” Robert Hiltzik’s personal touch carries on from there, as he also shot the thrifty production in the same summer camp he attended as a kid. The real location lends the film a lot of authenticity, as does the young cast. It’s a rare slasher starring genuinely adolescent and teen actors rather than a bunch of 20-somethings acting way younger. As such, the campers are a believably obnoxious bunch, swearing up a storm and mercilessly taunting one another.
Elsewhere, there is plenty to enjoy when it comes to the film’s left-field incidental details (watch out for the cop’s fake mustache), off-kilter dialogue, stunning early ’80s fashions, and parallel universe logic. The deaths aren’t especially gory, but the practical effects are pretty well done for such a low-budget movie. It isn’t scary in the slightest, however, which paradoxically pays dividends when we reach the infamous conclusion.
If you’ve resisted the temptation so far, don’t Google it — you’ll almost certainly see the final image that left my jaw on the floor when I first watched the movie. It’s a truly shocking reveal that works precisely because Hiltzik delivers an answer to a puzzle you didn’t realize you were looking for. I won’t get into the film’s more problematic aspects of the story because it’ll ruin the surprise, so let’s just say “Sleepaway Camp” is one of the best summer camp movies of all time and a must-watch for lovers of outlandish and dated cult flicks.
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