Sometimes the real horror of a scary movie isn’t the demonic plaything, the alien monster or the immortal butcher who can stand against 5 shotgun blasts to the face. Sometimes the real horror is the evil that men do. When I say that, I don’t mean getting revenge by murdering your high school bullies at the class’s 20-year reunion, I mean the systematic alienation and discrimination of an entire community. A community that looks just like you and me, acts just like you and me, loves just like you and me, but is written off and cast to a spiritual slum. One that is ridiculed by the heterosexual, cisgender ruling class. Until May of 1990, only 35 years ago, the World Health Organisation labelled homosexuality as a mental disorder, and it wasn’t until 2013 that the American Psychiatric Association replaced the term ‘Gender Identity Disorder’ with ‘Gender Dysphoria’. What could be more horrific than convincing the sanest people that they were the most insane of all?
‘Sleepaway Camp’ is a relic of its time. Upon release, it was written off as another ‘Friday The 13th’, a quick cash-grab of horror tropes, which is why I think it’s fair to say its notoriety came from its killer. If you don’t want me to spoil it for you, go ahead and watch the film before returning here, but the twist ending, in my opinion, does nothing but contribute to the dangerous attitudes of its era. It doesn’t link any major plot points, it doesn’t throw you off the scent of the killer, it doesn’t do anything clever. The frame-freezing twist? Angela, our main character, is the killer, and they have a penis.
Angela is a traumatised child, haunted by the death of their father and brother, rendered mute for years afterward. They are sent to Aunt Martha and raised alongside cousin Ricky. One summer, Angela and Ricky are sent off to Camp Arawak, where Angela is bullied by the other teens for staring and staying quiet. As the torment continues, the bullies are killed off one-by-one, but Mel, the camp owner, is quick to sweep everything under the rug. The kids are in trouble and they don’t even know it.
Felissa Rose plays Angela and does a magnificent job at portraying them as an innocent alienated young teenager. It’s easy to feel bad for them, but something in Felissa’s stare that’s haunting. It’s as if she’s listening to everything and nothing, you can’t tell what she’s thinking, what’s motivating her. She’s both a blank canvas and the portrait of a psychopath. Since ‘Sleepaway’, Felissa has maintained a heavy presence in horror B-movies, but also had a small role in ‘Terrifier 2’ as the school principal.
Karen Fields plays Judy, Angela’s main tormentor, and absolutely nails it. She perfectly encapsulates the bi**hy high school prom queen trope, constantly flirting with older teens, teasing the less attractive women and always looking for ways to exact revenge. She’s the perfect bodybag, with such a satisfying comeuppance. This film was Mike Kellin’s final film, and though I haven’t seen any of his other performances, it’s certainly a bang to end his career on. Mel is obviously a very incompetent character and Kellin portrays this hilariously, his indifference to each murder is on the verge of satirical, and I applaud for that.
During the last couple of minutes of the film, it’s revealed that Angela was raised by a homosexual couple and after the accidental killing of one of their fathers and their brother, they’re sent to live with Aunt Martha who treats Angela as a female, always having wanted a daughter. Was this pure creativity, or was this an example of the discrimination of the LGBTQ+ movement in the 20th century? Was the message that non-nuclear families breed antagonistic offspring? Was the message that gender dysphoria is one of the stepping stones to insanity? Or a twist to differentiate from other slashers? Could it have just been an ill-placed gimmick?
Curiously, this is one of only two films Robert Hiltzik worked on, the other being a direct sequel 25 years later. Shortly after the release, Hiltzik sold away the franchise rights, resulting in 3 sequels. Hiltzik disappeared from cinema and studied to be a lawyer, staying in the shadows. While the ending lead the way to a serious villain that’s more than worth a discussion on their psyche, the sequels bastardise Angela and turn her into an antagonist that enjoys the killing, rather than carrying out murder silently and cathartically. In ‘Unhappy Campers’, Angela is more assertive, outspoken and unafraid to murder, which I feel, betrays the character and turns her into yet another horror villain template.
However, it has to be said, I had a great time with this film. The kills were creative, the shooting locations were nostalgic and the relationships formed still felt genuine. Some films aren’t able to pull off a realistic and believable bond between characters, in films like ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘Friday The 13th’, the main motivation seems to be to get drunk, have sex and smoke weed, but ‘Sleepaway’ is somehow more mature than that. This felt like it could have easily turned into a charming and heartwarming ‘coming of age’ film that was suddenly hijacked by John Carpenter. People may say ‘Sleepaway’ is just another ‘Friday The 13th’ rip-off, but I disagree. Films like ‘Friday’ and ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ and ‘Evil Dead’ put heavy emphasis on violence, gore and the desperation to stay alive, but I would argue that ‘Sleepaway’ is more about trying to preserve the innocence of children. Of course, Mel always had money on his mind, but even after the first “accidents”, the counselors were intent on keeping fun for the children going. In some ways, ‘Sleepaway’ is a problematic relic, in other ways, I think it’s a beautiful genre blend.
Mason’s Top 3 Reasons to Watch ‘Sleepaway Camp’
- One of the only times you’ll see anyone killed with a curling iron
- One of the most iconic and creepy final frames of the genre
- An incredibly interesting killer to analyse, especially on the second watch-through
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