Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)

Director:

Michael A. Simpson

Writers:

Fritz Gordon (written by)
Robert Hiltzik (based on an original idea by)

Release Date:

3 March 1990 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

...and they thought it was just another ghost story!

Plot:

Angela Baker has undergone years of therapy, electro-shock and sexual reassignment surgeries, and finally...

Plot Keywords:

Camp | Camp Counselor | Summer Camp | Double Child Murder | Forest

Cast

Pamela Springsteen	...	Angela Johnson / Angela Baker
Renée Estevez	...	Molly Nagle
Tony Higgins	...	Sean Whitmore
Valerie Hartman	...	Ally Burgess
Brian Patrick Clarke	...	T.C.
Walter Gotell	...	Uncle John
Susan Marie Snyder	...	Mare
Terry Hobbs	...	Rob Darrinco
Kendall Bean	...	Demi
Julie Murphy	...	Lea
Carol Chambers	...	Brooke Shote
Amy Fields	...	Jodi Shote
Benji Wilhoite	...	Anthony
Walter Franks III	...	Judd
Justin Nowell	...	Charlie
Heather Binion	...	Phoebe
Jason Ehrlich	...	Emilio
Carol Martin Vines	...	Diane
Tricia Grant	...	Girl Sent Home
Jill Jane Clements	...	Woman in Truck

Directed by
Michael A. Simpson

Writing credits
Fritz Gordon		(written by)
Robert Hiltzik		(based on an original idea by)

Produced by
Robert F. Phillips	....	associate producer (as Bob Phillips)
Jerry Silva	....	producer
Michael A. Simpson	....	producer
Stan Wakefield	....	executive producer

Original Music by
James Oliverio

Cinematography by
Bill Mills		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John David Allen

Casting by
Shay Griffin

Art Direction by
Frank Galline

Makeup Department
Christina Cobb	....	special makeup effects assistant
Bill Johnson	....	special makeup effects artist
Maritza Rodriguez	....	hair artist
Maritza Rodriguez	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Michael Hitchcock	....	executive in charge of production
James Oliverio	....	post-production supervisor
Robert F. Phillips	....	production manager (as Bob Phillips)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrick Graham	....	second second assistant director
Catherine Murphy	....	second assistant director
Jerry Pece	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Ellen Goldwasser	....	props assistant
Shad Leach	....	set designer
Robert Tate Nichols	....	sets assistant (as Tate Nichols)

Sound Department
Amy Carey	....	dialogue editor
Mary H. Ellis	....	location sound mixer (as Mary Ellis)
Bill Fibben	....	boom operator
Robert Gillespie	....	sound effects editor
Jim Langwell	....	dubbing engineer
Dave Wheeler	....	rerecording engineer

Special Effects by
Dick Cross	....	special effects rigging: Spectacular Effects International

Visual Effects by
Pat Kilpatrick	....	title designer: Atlanta Film Effects
Hal Pearson	....	titles and opticals: Atlanta Film Effects

Stunts
Lonnie R. Smith Jr.	....	stunt coordinator (as Lonnie Smith)

Camera and Electrical Department
Norman Andrews	....	second assistant camera
Jeff Becker	....	best boy electric
Jim Clark	....	still photographer
Suzanne Colley	....	still photographer
Dave Elliot	....	electrician
Eddie Evans	....	best boy grip
Scott W. Leftridge	....	dolly grip (as Scott Leftridge)
Bill Phillips	....	swing man
Robert F. Phillips	....	additional camera operator (as Bob Phillips)
Keith Sherer	....	additional camera operator
Keith Sherer	....	gaffer
Roger Sherer	....	additional camera operator
Roger Sherer	....	key grip
Dudley J. Voll	....	first assistant camera (as Dudley Voll)

Casting Department
Deborah Drust	....	extras casting
Steve Silva	....	additional casting consultant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laura Paris	....	wardrobe supervisor
Tracy Thornton	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Dana Middleton	....	apprentice editor
Pat Miller	....	negative matcher
Jim Schulte	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Amy Carey	....	music editor
James Charles	....	music recording engineer: OMI Studios, Atlanta
Noreen Farrell	....	assistant music coordinator (as Noreen Farrell-Herzog)
Robert Gillespie	....	music recording engineer: OMI Studios, Atlanta

Transportation Department
Russ Blackmon	....	transportation
Mark Jamieson	....	driver
Leslie Peterson	....	driver

Other crew
Lance Alford	....	security coordinator
Russ Blackmon	....	locations
Carol Chambers	....	assistant: Mr. Simpson
Carol Chambers	....	legs: second unit
Suzanne Colley	....	accounting assistant
Alison Dean	....	production secretary
Richard Eisenberg	....	insurance: Great Northern Brokerage Corp.
Kathy England	....	insurance: Great Northern Brokerage Corp. (as Kathleen England)
Paul Jones	....	accounting consultant
Ken McBride	....	medic
Kristen McGary	....	script supervisor (as Kris McGary)
Rene Mitchell	....	production assistant
Aggi Pharo	....	insurance: Johnson & Higgins
Greg Poulos	....	dialogue coach
Danny Robinson	....	production assistant
Jerry Silva	....	presenter
Rosalie Silva	....	rights consultant
Barbara J. Simon	....	assistant: Mr. Silva
Ethlyn Spires	....	caterer: Production Catering (as Ethelyn Spires)
George Spires	....	caterer: Production Catering
Lonnie Ramati	....	production business affairs (uncredited)

Thanks
Bill Anderson	....	special thanks
Curtis Beck	....	special thanks: Enigma Records
Tim Bennett	....	special thanks
Norman Bielowicz	....	special thanks: director, Georgia Film and Videotape Office (as Norm Bielowicz)
Hoyt Bilbo	....	special thanks
Linda Brenick	....	special thanks
John Capron	....	special thanks
Linda Frascino	....	special thanks
Donald Harden	....	special thanks
Jim Langwell	....	special thanks: Lanco Sound
Harold Marks	....	special thanks
Donna Smith	....	special thanks
Ed Spivia	....	special thanks
Floyd Statham	....	special thanks
Dave Straub	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Double Helix Films

Distributors

• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (worldwide) (all media)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Futuristic Entertainment (1988) (UK) (video)
• Hungaro Video (19??) (Hungary) (VHS)
• Lumina Video (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Nelson Entertainment (USA) (video)
• Oh My Gore ! Distribution (2010) (France) (DVD)
• Screen Power Home Entertainment (1988) (Europe) (video)
• Virgin Vision (1988) (Australia) (video)

Special Effects

• Spectacular Effects International (rigging)

Other Companies

• Atlanta Film Effects  titles and opticals
• Bob's Army Navy  special thanks
• CFL Film Sales Inc.  Agfa film provided by
• Camp Waco Co-Tenancy  special thanks
• Chez Group, The  special thanks (as Chez Agency)
• Cinefilm Laboratory  processing and printing (as Cinefilm Laboratory, Inc.)
• City of Bremen, Georgia Police and Fire Department, The  special thanks (as The Police and Fire Department of the City of Bremen, Georgia)
• College Press  special thanks
• Future Bank  special thanks
• Georgia Film & Videotape Office  special thanks
• Great Northern Brokerage Services  insurance (as Great Northern Brokerage Corp.)
• Image Devices International  Arriflex cameras and lenses supplied by (as Image Devices International, Atlanta)
• Imprints  special thanks
• Johnson & Higgins  insurance
• Lightnin' Truck Rentals  production vehicles
• Moto Photo  special thanks
• Omi Studios  foley and sfx design (as OMI Studios - Atlanta)
• Omi Studios  music recorded at (as OMI Studios - Atlanta)
• Production Catering  catering
• The Prop Shop  special thanks
• VTA, Atlanta  post production mixing (as VTA - Atlanta)

Also Known As:

"Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers" - USA (video title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:16 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Bremen, Georgia, USA

Company:

Double Helix Films

Trivia:

The characters are named after actors associated with quintessential 80's film culture - predominantly members of the Brat Pack. Molly (Molly Ringwald), Sean (Sean Penn), Ally (Ally Sheedy), TC (Tom Cruise), Uncle John (John Candy of Uncle Buck fame), Mare (Mare Winningham), Rob (Rob Lowe), Demi (Demi Moore), Lea (Lea Thompson), Brooke (Brooke Shields), Jodi (Jodie Foster), Anthony (Anthony Michael Hall), Judd (Judd Nelson), Charlie (Charlie Sheen), Phoebe (Phoebe Cates), Emilio (Emilio Estevez), Diane (Diane Lane).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Emilio and Charlie take nude photos of the girls from outside of their cabin, but when Angela looks at the pictures later in the film, they're pictures taken by someone inside the cabin.

Quotes:

[Talking about angela]
Judd:Hey Molly, how do you put up with that bitch?
Molly Nagle:She's not that bad.
Demi:Come on Molly, you have to amit, she's alittle bit weird.
Ally:Weird isn't the word for it. I think she's a dike.
[guys start laughing]
Ally:I'm totally serious.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor (2012)

Soundtrack:

Outta Control

No Masterpiece But Very Fun

Everybody's favorite transvestite serial killer is back…with her tongue firmly placed in her cheek… and a little something missing from between her legs. This time around, quirky Angela Baker (now being played by Pamela Springsteen) daringly returns to camp once again with a completely different persona; that of an overly blithesome camp counselor with good intentions for her naughty little campers. But her sinister past fails to stay buried as each one of the troublemaking kiddies begin to show their true colors and quickly secure a place on Angela's bad side.

Since the beginning of the slasher craze, the moral being sent out to teenagers wasn't something you'd consider subtle. Getting involved with drugs, alcohol and premarital sex wasn't just a sin in these movies, it was a first class ticket straight to hell by means of brutal slaughter. Failed attempts to instill values in these unlikable little drug-addled fornicating sinners (a.k.a. campers) leaves Angela with no choice but to follow this slasher trend and "weed out the bad". The ongoing mistake of most filmmakers, however, was allowing this sort of teen behavior to seem funny and hip instead of shunned. But in Unhappy Campers, we're given a much needed satirical take as we find ourselves rooting for the crazed killer instead of the victims, which is quite a welcomed departure.

As the campers quickly begin dropping like flies, Angela smoothly covers up her tracks by disguising all the disappearances as nothing more than kids who were sent home for unacceptable behavior. But good girl Molly (played by Renée Estevez) realizes that something isn't quite right. Even though she's the typical virginal sweetheart we're meant to root for, I was very much in favor of Angela's motive and couldn't care less if she murdered a few innocents along the way. That, my friends, is the power of Pamela Springsteen. She somehow manages to put a hold over her audience, allowing her to get away with anything and still be lovable. She made me feel free to point and laugh at the mangled corpses of these idiots and not feel guilty about it. Sure, that's an awful thing to do, but hey… these kids really had it coming, especially when they're named after members of the 80's Brat Pack and sport mullets among other things.

Although the death sequences don't have much gore and weren't executed to their full potential (as a result of budget limits I'm sure), they still came off creatively funny and deliciously mean spirited. Using silly one-liners just before brutally disposing her victims, Angela makes sure to get her point across of how uncompromisingly stupid teenagers can be, leaving us laughing and anxiously anticipating her next move. Adding to the satire, there happens to be plenty of girls who love to flash their wobbly bits just about every two seconds for no apparent reason. With acting that could barely pass as decent, there are also plenty of horribly delivered lines of dialogue peppered throughout. Don't be surprised if you're brought to laughter by the unintentional humor more than anything. But as long as you're laughing, who really cares, right? While most horror movie sequels tend to be nothing more than boring and unneeded retreads, writer Fritz Gordon thankfully brought us into new territory with his cheesy yet utterly lovable sense of cruel humor. Although Unhappy Campers isn't exactly a masterpiece and doesn't quite compare to it's predecessor, it still works nonetheless as a fun little guilty pleasure for us die hard slasher fans. After all, the world is a better place with killer Angela on the loose, ain't it?