We waited five years for this?! It's kind of annoying that people are running around claiming that if you didn't like this fourth (discounting the unfinished SLEEPAWAY CAMP IV: THE SURVIVOR) installment in the series you're not a real fan of "Sleepaway Camp." Wrong! I really like the first three. Sure, they're just stupid/cheesy 80s slasher flicks, but there's something really fun and entertaining about them. I liked both the more straight-forward, gritty slasher feel of the original film, as well as the comic splatter of the second and third films. Both Felissa Rose (as the shy, confused teen) and Pamela Springsteen (as the one-liner-spouting 'moral' killer she'd eventually transform into) were both great fun in the Angela role and helped make the first three films very enjoyable. RETURN, however, is anything but fun. Well, unless you're a not-so-bright 10-year-old who snickers any time someone uses the "f" word.
Also, series fans can't help but feel short-changed by the fact that Angela (who IS the series if you ask me) is on-screen for such a short amount of time. It's like going to watch a NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movie where Freddy makes a 5-minute cameo at the very end. Even worse, the majority of Angela's scenes have her dressed in this incredibly lame and obvious cop disguise with a horrible-looking fake schnoz. Her voice is also electronically altered. It never really feels like Angela is a big part of the film. In fact, disguise or not, she's not a big part of the film at all. By the way, if you didn't know that was her in the policeman get-up, sorry but you're every bit as retarded as the characters who populate this film.
Jonathan Tiersten (as Angela's brother Ricky) and Paul De Angelo (as head counselor Ronnie) get to reprise their roles from the original here, as well. Joining them are guest stars Vincent Pastore (of "The Sopranos") and the late Isaac Hayes. Unfortunately, none of these people are given much - if anything - of interest to do in this film.
These kind of movies need some kind of reprieve from all the constant screeching, insulting and nastiness, or else they become shrill, dull and monotonous. This movie had absolutely no balance whatsoever because the one person we're supposed to feel sorry for ("Alan") is such an obnoxious and hateful tool himself. In fact, every single character with a decent amount of screen time was an irritating moron. In the original, the action centered around Angela, who was shy, sweet and seemingly innocent. In the second and third, we had Molly and Marcia as heroines, and they were both nice gals. Even the Angela of the sequels - psycho as she may be - was polite and mannered. Of course, many of the supporting characters in these films were jerks who got what they had coming to them, but the earlier movies were somewhat grounded by having at least a couple of normal and somewhat sympathetic people in lead roles. In this one the action is all centered around a repulsive, loud-mouthed, vulgar, completely annoying slob who is every bit as much a bully as the people we're supposed to want to die. In fact, I wanted him to die more than anyone else in the film! Sadly, my wishes were never realized. Instead I was subjected to an hour and a half of headache-inducing screaming and overacting, with humorless profanities spilling from the mouths of uninteresting people who didn't die soon enough for my tastes.
I gave this movie 3 out of 10, and that's because a few of the murder scenes were somewhat creative. That's all this has going for it. I have no doubt that this will go down in history as one of the worst slasher sequels ever made. Now it's clear why it took five years to finally get this out on DVD.
Also, series fans can't help but feel short-changed by the fact that Angela (who IS the series if you ask me) is on-screen for such a short amount of time. It's like going to watch a NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movie where Freddy makes a 5-minute cameo at the very end. Even worse, the majority of Angela's scenes have her dressed in this incredibly lame and obvious cop disguise with a horrible-looking fake schnoz. Her voice is also electronically altered. It never really feels like Angela is a big part of the film. In fact, disguise or not, she's not a big part of the film at all. By the way, if you didn't know that was her in the policeman get-up, sorry but you're every bit as retarded as the characters who populate this film.
Jonathan Tiersten (as Angela's brother Ricky) and Paul De Angelo (as head counselor Ronnie) get to reprise their roles from the original here, as well. Joining them are guest stars Vincent Pastore (of "The Sopranos") and the late Isaac Hayes. Unfortunately, none of these people are given much - if anything - of interest to do in this film.
These kind of movies need some kind of reprieve from all the constant screeching, insulting and nastiness, or else they become shrill, dull and monotonous. This movie had absolutely no balance whatsoever because the one person we're supposed to feel sorry for ("Alan") is such an obnoxious and hateful tool himself. In fact, every single character with a decent amount of screen time was an irritating moron. In the original, the action centered around Angela, who was shy, sweet and seemingly innocent. In the second and third, we had Molly and Marcia as heroines, and they were both nice gals. Even the Angela of the sequels - psycho as she may be - was polite and mannered. Of course, many of the supporting characters in these films were jerks who got what they had coming to them, but the earlier movies were somewhat grounded by having at least a couple of normal and somewhat sympathetic people in lead roles. In this one the action is all centered around a repulsive, loud-mouthed, vulgar, completely annoying slob who is every bit as much a bully as the people we're supposed to want to die. In fact, I wanted him to die more than anyone else in the film! Sadly, my wishes were never realized. Instead I was subjected to an hour and a half of headache-inducing screaming and overacting, with humorless profanities spilling from the mouths of uninteresting people who didn't die soon enough for my tastes.
I gave this movie 3 out of 10, and that's because a few of the murder scenes were somewhat creative. That's all this has going for it. I have no doubt that this will go down in history as one of the worst slasher sequels ever made. Now it's clear why it took five years to finally get this out on DVD.