I only recently saw the original Sleepaway Camp maybe half a year ago and overall was not very impressed. I can see why it's garnered such a vehement following --- it has all the required elements, down to an ending that truly is pretty freaking well-done in its depravity --- but it's at best a B-tier copycat to slashers of the era that had better actors and plots. SC was always kind of a local Summer Stock production set in Jersey...and that's not a total knock.
That said, I have to admit that this 2008 (released) direct-to-video sequel by Hiltzik is a nice tongue-firmly-in-cheek constantly-winking in-joke. It's also somewhat of a genius move as it excuses the director from bringing any sort of commercial appeal to the outing at all. it's nothing more than a love letter to the fans who gave him a (sort of) career.
Is that so wrong? Well, not really, if you know what you're getting yourself into.
I wasn't expecting horror and didn't get it. What I did get was an almost chaotically paced hybrid of Porky's and a parody of the original Sleepaway Camp. It's so off-the-charts amateurish and intentionally bad at times that it's like a car crash...it's fascinating. One of the most original things Hiltzik does with this film is take absolutely nothing seriously except for the Legend of Sleepaway Camp.
That means the head counselor, played by NY vet Vincent Pastore, can cut in bits and pieces of Sorpranos shtick when he's not winking at the camera (yo, can you believe I'm IN this s***?). It means the lead "protagonist" (ha!) can be the Most Annoying Fat A**hole Kid in History, and that the deaths can cross the line into rip-roaring teen exploitational torture porn. Deaths this sick can't possibly be taken seriously, and Hiltzik knows it.
The casting of Michael Gibney for the role of Alan is interesting for its almost snuff-film like sadisticness. If you get off seeing a fat kid tormented to the point of hysteria, this one's for you. But then again, it's probably why he's portrayed as such an over-the-top dickweed. Angela (Felissa Rose) had it easy by comparison in the original.
Occasionally Hiltzik will surprise you. Casting Kate Simses as Petey was a good move considering her uncanny resemblance to Rose, and the ending, though not terribly original, may somewhat surprise you in its sheer South Park-esque audacity.
Just don't go in expecting a serious legitimate film, and you'll have a good time. Kinda.
That said, I have to admit that this 2008 (released) direct-to-video sequel by Hiltzik is a nice tongue-firmly-in-cheek constantly-winking in-joke. It's also somewhat of a genius move as it excuses the director from bringing any sort of commercial appeal to the outing at all. it's nothing more than a love letter to the fans who gave him a (sort of) career.
Is that so wrong? Well, not really, if you know what you're getting yourself into.
I wasn't expecting horror and didn't get it. What I did get was an almost chaotically paced hybrid of Porky's and a parody of the original Sleepaway Camp. It's so off-the-charts amateurish and intentionally bad at times that it's like a car crash...it's fascinating. One of the most original things Hiltzik does with this film is take absolutely nothing seriously except for the Legend of Sleepaway Camp.
That means the head counselor, played by NY vet Vincent Pastore, can cut in bits and pieces of Sorpranos shtick when he's not winking at the camera (yo, can you believe I'm IN this s***?). It means the lead "protagonist" (ha!) can be the Most Annoying Fat A**hole Kid in History, and that the deaths can cross the line into rip-roaring teen exploitational torture porn. Deaths this sick can't possibly be taken seriously, and Hiltzik knows it.
The casting of Michael Gibney for the role of Alan is interesting for its almost snuff-film like sadisticness. If you get off seeing a fat kid tormented to the point of hysteria, this one's for you. But then again, it's probably why he's portrayed as such an over-the-top dickweed. Angela (Felissa Rose) had it easy by comparison in the original.
Occasionally Hiltzik will surprise you. Casting Kate Simses as Petey was a good move considering her uncanny resemblance to Rose, and the ending, though not terribly original, may somewhat surprise you in its sheer South Park-esque audacity.
Just don't go in expecting a serious legitimate film, and you'll have a good time. Kinda.