Camp Utopia (2002)

***Doom awaits campers 33-years after a murder spree of a hippie cult guru***

Stephen Pearcy from Ratt plays the guru, but his role is limited to flashbacks of 1969 and the corresponding acid party in the woods. The main cast consists of three young women, two beaus, and a forest ranger.

Blonde Alexandra Westmore stands out as Dee Dee while redhead Sarah Megan White is worth a mention as Brittany. Jessica Jordan is effective as Gretchen, but her whiney character is a turn-off.

“Scarred” was shot two years after this, but released the same year, 2005. I bring it up because, except for the antagonist and the flashbacks to the partying hippies, it features the same basic plot: Campers and a ranger in the hills outside Los Angeles attacked by a killer.

While “Scarred” excelled with the face-stealing bit and gore, “Camp Utopia” is all-around superior as far as acting and compelling storytelling go. The tie-in to an acid party back in the hippie era is inventive and effectively milked. Its only issue is that a key story element is predictable (you’ll know what I mean).

It runs short ’n’ sweet at 1h 21m and was shot in 2002 at Lake Arrowhead in SoCal, which is located in the high country northeast of San Bernardino, 25-miles due east of Big Bear Lake.

GRADE: B-