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| Film vitals |
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· Year: 1983
· Also known as: Nightmare Vacation
· Director: Robert Hiltzik
· Writer: Robert Hiltzik
· Cast: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten
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| Series info |
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Part of the Sleepaway Camp series.
· Another sequel, Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor, was abandoned during its 1992 production.
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Amazon.com
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| Synopsis |
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Kids and counselors at a summer camp are terrorized by a knife-wielding killer.
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RATING
Out of 100 |
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73
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| COLD ANALYSIS |
| 2.25 -ATMOSPHERE |
| 2.75 -GORE |
| 2.0 -HUMOR |
| 1.0 -SCARES |
| 2.0 -TENSION |
Many people probably judge Sleepaway Camp to be a Friday the 13th rip-off, without even seeing it. I can understand that--it's certainly the approach I took when I popped the DVD in for the first time. A campground, horny counselors, screaming children, and so on. And though Sleepaway Camp opens with a death that is chilling and surprisingly effective, all of the other killings are standard for the genre; strictly a series of contrived set-ups followed by bloody slayings. However, it's elsewhere that the film finds its value. The writing and characterization have realistic touches--even with some appropriately juvenile humor--that achieve a feeling of authenticity, and though some of the writer's intent is frustrated by leaden acting, a few of the players (especially Jonathan Tiersten) are enthusiastic. And as for the ending, well . . . it's weird--really weird, even if it does kinda make sense--and I've the stones to admit I didn't see it coming.
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