Sleepaway Camp

1983's Sleepaway Camp is widely (and deservedly) considered a cult classic amongst fans of 1980s slasher films. The story follows 13-year-old Angela Baker (played by Felissa Rose) and her cousin Ricky (played by Jonathan Tiersten) when they are sent to summer camp. Soon after they arrive, dead bodies begin to pile up, leaving everyone to wonder who the killer could possibly be. I feel like there really is a lot to compliment about Sleepaway Camp. While it's nothing groundbreaking, I genuinely like a lot of the acting in the movie. Felissa Rose as Angela is clearly the standout performer to me. She doesn't have a lot of dialogue, and she makes her limited amount of speech genuinely work. Most of the time, the character has this blank stare on her face. This is a movie that I actually think is genuinely rewarding to watch twice. The first time, it's good to go in as blind as possible, thanks to the film's twist ending which I don't dare spoil. When you watch a second time, knowing the film's ending, you can actually pick up on the clues. The kills are pretty creative as well. One of my personal favorites is one you see silhouetted and involves a curling iron. You kind of have an idea of what's happening, but it's left to the imagination just enough. The directing isn't the strongest in this film, which makes sense when you consider this is the first of only two films directed by Robert Hiltzik (the second one being 2008's Return to Sleepaway Camp). Overall, Sleepaway Camp has some very small rough patches, but the overall product is a film that genuinely works. It deserves to be seen by any fan of the slasher genre.

8 / 10