Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008)

**_The writer/director of the first film returns for an unpleasant sequel_**

This was shot in Sept-Nov 2003, 21 years after the original movie was filmed, yet it took five years to add special effects and get distribution, which explains its late 2008 release date, direct-to-video. It’s technically better than the first film since mastermind Robert Hiltzik had twelve times as much money with which to work. As of this writing, these happen to be the only two movies he’s made.

“Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers” (1988) remains the most entertaining flick in the series, followed by the initial 1983 one and “Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland” (1989). That’s my order of preference anyway. Hiltzik incidentally had nothing to do with II and III (or the unfinished ‘film’ noted below).

This one comes in last mainly because it’s so unpleasant. I’m talking about the emphasis on the bullying element that brings to mind “Carrie” (1976), just with the milieu of a summer camp. Unlike “Carrie,” however, the victim of the bullying isn’t much more agreeable than the bullies (although I have a soft spot for his friendship with the frogs in the forest). Bottom line, the flick is just too mean-spirited for its own good.

Thankfully, there are a couple of likable characters, such as Petey (Kate Simses) and Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo), but they’re peripheral, particularly Petey; her role should’ve been bigger. You might remember physically fit DeAngelo from the first movie and there’s an amusing homage to his short shorts. Two other actors return from the 1983 film, but I’ll leave them for you to discover.

A couple of other positives should be noted, such as the well-done opening credits with the titular song, as well as the amusing post-credits sequence at the very end (so stick around). Like the first three flicks, the proceedings are over-the-top, but here it’s to the point of unpalatable satire or black humor. Yet the last act takes a more serious turn and is genuinely disturbing, if that’s your thang.

A fifth piece was sort of added to the franchise in 2012 called “Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor.” This was pretty much a gift to fans because it takes footage of the sequel to “Sleepaway Camp III” and mixes it with clips from the previous movies. The problem is that the production was shut down after a day or three in 1992 due to the company going bankrupt. So, it’s not a real movie; at best, it’s a glimpse of what could have been. Still, devotees of the franchise should find something of interest.

The film runs 1h 26m and was shot mostly at Camp Starlight located in northeast Pennsylvania, but also five miles away across the border in Hancock, New York. The original movie was shot at a camp in Argyle, New York, which is 3h 10m drive northeast of Starlight/Hancock, about an hour’s drive north of Albany.

GRADE: C/C-