Sleepaway Camp (1983)

            Sleepaway Camp is a movie that I will absolutely never forget, and for those of you that have seen this cult classic you understand why. Sleepaway Camp really embodies that of the Slasher genre. With slick kills and an ending that will have reeling for days after you first see it, GLP has nothing but praise for Robert Hiltzik’s little gem of a slasher flick.

            This title has a familiar story line to most slashers of the early 80’. Camp setting, unknown killer on the loose, ect. What it does have , however, is a fresh look & twist on what was then a fairly new formula. All the usual suspects are also present. You have the bully, the hot head, the quiet one, the old wise man, the nerdy kid, and a slew of random that are introduced but not really expanded upon. Even with that, the film manages to find a way to keep its audience captivated.

            The basic plot is 2 live in cousins Ricky and Angela go to Camp Arawak for that summer. Being the new kid at summer camp Angela is picked on by most of the camp regulars. But something sinister is picking the tormentors off one by one, until the final revile that will leave you stunned.

            At the time the formula had not been done too much, Camps however seemed to be the go to setting for horror movies in the early 80’s. Can your really blame them though. I always thought there was something extremely creepy about being surrounded by all that nature, the feeling of seclusion, the endless woods, and most of the time a bleak lake. Regardless of the popular setting, Hiltzik made it work. Not so much by focusing on the setting but developing the story around it.

            The two main characters Ricky and Angela played by Jonathan Tiersten and Felissa Rose really make this film great. The evolution of Felissa’s character throughout the film is mesmerizing. She doesn’t even say a word until almost the 30 minute mark, causing an air of mystery to the character of Angela.  Ricky on the other hand is almost an exact opposite to her. Ricky is a foul mouthed hot head teenager who is constantly sticking up for his cousin, and having been to the camp before, seems to have a good grasp on the individuals at Camp Arawak.

            The film boasts rather impressive special effects. All of the scenes are very well done. Even with a rather low amount of the red stuff, the kills are effective. I think m favorite part of the movie besides the ending is the fact that there are a large amount of deaths that don’t use traditional weapons. Hiltzik did a really good job of incorporating the setting for cause of deaths. What I mean by that is, using items that are not necessarily man made like guns and knifes, but things that nature itself created.

            All and all this film really optimizes the early 80’s slasher genre. With great special effects, a great leading cast, and a fresh take on a relatively common formula. Sleepaway Camp will deliver to just about every horror fan out there. Don’t let the lack of red stuff fool you. This film will deliver all the goods and maybe a little more than you expect! GLP gives this move 5 stabs, for its, even then, fresh take on the slasher formula, excellent leading characters and the most shocking slasher ending of all time! If you are interested in buying the film you can get the stand alone DVD here, or if your luck you can get your hands on a good copy of the special edition "Survival Kit" boxset which is now out of print here. You can view the original trailer below!

GLP Rating

Days of The Dead Weekend (Indianapolis July 6th - 8th)

The summertime always seems to be a great time for horror fans, with all sorts of conventions and events happening all over the Midwest and surrounding areas. This past weekend Days of The Dead returned to Indy for what I believe was the second time. This convention boasted celebrity guests such as Roddy Piper, Tom Savini, John Waters, Ace Frehley, Gunner Hansen, Bill Moseley, John Kassir, Felissa Rose and much more.

Being of little monetary means,We were only able to attend on Saturday. Fortunately for us, everyone seemed in high spirits and seemed to be genuinely having a great time. Usually our goal when we first arrive at a convention is to get a lay of the land. Being veterans of Indy’s Horror Hound Weekend, we had a general idea of how these things are ran. So we started off in the main room, walking around checking out all the celebrities in passing and all the vendor booths we could. Inisially we thought the convention was rather small, but to our surprise there was another room dedicated mostly to vendors, (which is my favorite part of conventions) this room was filled to the brim with posters, memorabilia, artwork, and bootleg DVD's!

After we got a general lay of the land we decided to attend the original Leatherface panel featuring the first 3 actors whom played the notorious Leatherface in the original 3 Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. The panel was head up by Spider One (aka Michael Cummings) of Powerman 5000 fame and Rob Zombie’s younger brother. Spider was the MC of sorts fielding questions from the audience as well as asking a few of his own. All questions we directed toward the 3 original Leatherfaces’ (Gunner Hansen, Bill Johnson, and R.A. Mihailoff) as well as the new comer Sam McKinzie whom plays Young Leatherface in the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D. The panel was great and shed some insight into some issues with filming these movies as well as small stories from the sets.

(Left - Right) R.A. Mihailoff, Bill Johnson, Gunner Hansen, Sam Mckinzie & SpiderOne

 After we left the TCM panel we made are way through the convention once more having fun taking pictures with fans in costumes, talking briefly to some of the celebrity guest and even taking some time for photo ops with a few of them as well. See pictures below. We got a chance to talk with a lot of people. John Kessir was very friendly initiating the conversation with the voice of the Crypt Keeper from the TV series Tales From The Crypt. Also Felissa Rose of Sleepaway Camp, and Return to Sleepaway Camp was/ is probably the sweetest woman we have ever met. She was very personable with everyone that walked up to her table, and was an all around sweetheart she even said we were cute!

This convention was really fun, but it did have some down falls. The most notable disappointments were the last minuet losses of Danny Trejo, and Derek Mears. These things are to be expected in the world of conventions, but it was still a bummer. Danny had last minute call to the set of Sons Of Anarchy, and Derek unfortunately lost his mother. Derek and his family are in our thoughts and prayers as he deals with the difficult loss. The other thing we kept noticing what that some of the events and panels seemed to be kind of thrown together and or unorganized. That was unfortunate since some of the event could have improved tremendously if they would have run a bit smoother.

Regardless, We still had a great time and can not wait for Days of The Dead to return next year. Come back on Friday for another movie review! Also this Friday we will be going to Terror in the Aisles 11 in Chicago for a Clive Barker Triple Feature with Hellraiser, Candyman, and the NEW extended cut of Nightbreed (Cabal Cut), so keep your eyes peeled for coverage and photos of that. For more information on that and Days of the Dead Weekend please visit Days Of The Dead and Terror in The Aisles.