Premise: A series of mysterious murders happen at a camp, but it's not Friday the 13th.
I struggle with this movie. It's not my favorite flavor of horror at all. Slashers aren't my go-to horror genre. And, whatever my Mendoza line for bad acting in horror movies is, Sleepaway Camp is on the wrong side of it. This acting is really dreadful in many places. You could argue that it's campy, but camp doesn't appeal to me much either. Still, there are a few things the movie does very right. It's got some inventive kills. It's rather transgressive and regressive at the same time. The twist ending is very successful as a surprise. I'm still untangling what it's saying about trans people and becoming serial killers. Whatever it is, it's not the most elegant message.
Regardless, I'm trying to increase my exposure to horror film history, and this is a quiet essential of the mid-80s. When looking at any era, it's important to look at the marquee movies, but it's just as important to see the movies that push up against the trend. Sleepaway Camp does exactly that. While not wholly successful, it looks for a fresh, boundary-pushing way to expand the slasher genre. If nothing else, that's pretty cool.
Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend
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