Return to Sleepaway Camp (Video 2008)

It's summer camp as usual at Camp Manabe where the kids torment each other for fun while the underpaid camp staff provides as little supervision as possible. Greedy camp owner Frank and ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Hiltzik

Writer:

Robert Hiltzik

Stars:

Vincent Pastore, Michael Gibney, Paul DeAngelo

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Pastore	...	Frank
Michael Gibney	...	Alan
Paul DeAngelo	...	Ronnie
Jonathan Tiersten	...	Ricky Thomas
Isaac Hayes	...	Charlie the Chef
Lenny Venito	...	Mickey (as Lenny Vento)
Erin Broderick	...	Karen
Adam Wylie	...	Weed
Kate Simses	...	Petey
Brye Cooper	...	Randy
Michael Werner	...	Michael
Christopher Shand	...	T.C.
Jaime Radow	...	Jenny
Shahidah McIntosh	...	Bella
Jackie Tohn	...	Linda

Storyline

It's summer camp as usual at Camp Manabe where the kids torment each other for fun while the underpaid camp staff provides as little supervision as possible. Greedy camp owner Frank and junior partner Ronnie do their best to keep everyone in line, but something sinister is about to put a slash in the roster. When campers and staff mysteriously begin disappearing and turning into gruesome corpses, paranoid Ronnie can't shake the memory of a series of grisly murders that took place at Camp Arawak, where he worked two decades earlier. Has a ghost from the past come back to haunt him? As the paranoia worsens, Ronnie's list of possible killers starts growing just like the body count. Everyone becomes a suspect from vicious kids to shady members of the camp staff, and even former Camp Arawak camper Ricky who mysteriously works nearby. Who is knocking off these victims and why? Only one thing is for certain, something is carving a bloody new trail at Sleepaway Camp where kids can be so mean ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder | summer camp | suspicion | basketball net | angst | 

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Taglines:

Kids can be so mean.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence and gore, pervasive language, some sexual content and teen drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2010 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Sleepaway Camp V: The Return

Filming Locations:

Hancock, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Go2sho, Return to Sleepaway Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Isaac Hayes's last film, although it was shot five years before his death, and he had a subsequent cameo in Soul Men.

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Goofs

A boom mic is visible during the scene near the end when the campers are gathered around the bunkhouse. It is visible right before Ricky enters the scene.

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Quotes

Random Camper: [runs over by Karen and Michael then pauses] Did you hear?
Michael: Hear what?
Random Camper: Somebody just killed T.C.
Michael: All right, get the fuck out of here...!
Random Camper: No, really! They stuck a spear right through his head! Man, it's unbelievable!
[keeps running]

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Crazy Credits

Once the credits at the end are over, another short scene starts up. A female motorist's car breaks down on a deserted road. Sheriff Jerry stops to help. With the car jacked up, he crawls under it to check it out and it suddenly falls, crushing his head. The woman turns around, revealing herself to be Angela.

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Connections

Referenced in Teen Wolf: The Tell (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Croquet"
Performed by Rodney Whittenberg

User Reviews

A real let down.

I am a huge fan of the original "Sleepaway Camp" film and its two original sequels.

Like most fans of the series, I was ultra-excited when I heard that the original director was going to make his own sequel to his film. Though I do like the "Unhappy Campers" and "Teenage Wasteland," they are tad to thick on the humor than I would have preferred. So, I waited and waited and waited patiently for this film to finally be released. Well, it was, and while I appreciate the nostalgic feel to the film, and the fact that is a slasher film through and through and knows its origins, the film, for me, was a huge let down for ONE reason alone: the character that we are suppose to sympathize with the most and who is by all accounts the main character of the film (Alan) has to be one of the most annoying characters in film history. He is rude, disgusting, nasty to everyone, and not likable in the least. When campers pick on him, we root them on and I really wanted him to be the first to die.

What made the first film effective was that Angela, who got picked on the very same ways Alan does in this film, doesn't deserve it. She is quiet, sweet, and introverted. She doesn't cause any problems for anyone, so when the people who harass her the most begin to meet their deaths, the audience can silently cheer. Having a unlikable main character can ruin any film, and this is a prime example.

If you can get past the annoying Alan, "Return to Sleepaway Camp" follows virtually the same plot as the original, but with less originality and more clichés. Ronnie, the counselor from the original, now owns his own camp. Typical teenage behavior is shown, and when the campers begin picking on Alan (who again, DESERVES IT!), they begin to meet grisly deaths. Ronnie quickly blames Angela, even going as far as to accusing another counselor who is OBVIOUSLY much to young to be her, of being Angela. Unfortunately, due to a pretty lame disguise, the killer's identity is not hard to figure out. The "Angela" aspect of the film is also played down quite a bit, so much so that this really could have been any typical camp slasher unrelated to the "Sleepaway Camp" series. Yes, Angela is mentioned, but she is hardly a crucial component to the plot, and even the ending is abrupt and explains very little and certainly isn't the return to glory that one of the most interesting slasher film killers in history deserved.

There are some creative kills, but I honestly thing the original sequels are better and more brutal in this department. The acting is atrocious by most involved and the script is just really bad. In the end, I wanted more from this film and expected the original director to really bring it. Unfortunately, he didn't and the film pales in comparison to the original and even to the original sequels.

I only hope that if "Sleepaway Camp: Reunion" DOES happen, it is much better than this. The series deserves it.

My Grade: D