Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K 1988 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

A dangerous maniac, released from a mental institution and recognized as a cured patient, arrives at a Rolling Hills summer camp, where he begins killing teenagers who, in the villain's opinion, misbehave ...

Review 4K Movie

To be honest, the first Sleepaway Camp disappointed me—mainly because of a spoiler: I knew the main secret, and the whole intrigue of the film was gone. As for the “scary” scenes, they were very different from the slasher format—throwing a wasp nest into a toilet cubicle is certainly original, but not quite what you expect from a film advertised as “Friday the 13th meets Carrie”!

From my friends' reviews, I heard that the sequel, Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers, is much weaker than the original, and what intrigue is there when all the cards were revealed in the finale of the first film? Not expecting anything remarkable, I started watching and was pleasantly surprised! Yes, the writers had no room left to mystify the audience, so the killer's identity is revealed from the very first minutes of the film: the same thing happened with the first sequel to Friday the 13th, by the way! But what a character! Felissa Rose, who played Angela in the first film, was unable to appear in the sequel (college got in the way), and although Felissa went on to play many roles in horror films (currently in 34 horror films, with titles such as Horror, “Dead Forever,” “Armageddon Zombie,” “Satan's Playground,” etc.) and even returned to the franchise in 2008 (“Sleepaway Camp 5”), I don't regret at all that in “Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers” (1988).

The sister of famous singer Bruce Springsteen and a talented photographer, Pamela tried her hand at cinema in the 80s, starting with none other than Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), but soon gave up on cinema to focus on her professional career as a photographer. I believe that she still left her mark on horror cinema. Her Angela in Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers is no longer an autistic transsexual teenager, but a confident, uninhibited, and calculating killer. Her face never loses the expression of righteousness in her actions, mixed with the enthusiasm of a true “pioneer leader.” She literally follows her credo: “There are many good children. We just need to get rid of the bad ones!” Watching Angela go from heartfelt conversations with her friends accompanied by guitar strumming to bloody dismemberment and back again is, in my opinion, the highest level of skill for such a character. I would even compare her to a young Sigourney Weaver from the first Alien in terms of charisma and energy.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers is dripping with black humor, which, in my opinion, was lacking in the first film. Some scenes are simply classic. For example, Angela is sitting in the car with another disobedient “pioneer”:

Angela: This is your last chance. Apologize immediately.

“Pioneer”: No! I'd rather die!

Angela (calmly): OK (turns around and rummages around in the back seat of the car for a long time).

“Pioneer” (mockingly): Are you looking for a gun in there?

Angela (businesslike): No, an electric drill! (turns to the “pioneer” and starts drilling holes in her).

This time, the “bloody” scenes fully comply with the canons of the ‘slasher’ genre: decapitation with a machete, severed limbs, dismemberment with a chainsaw... There are generous references to classic slashers of those years: “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It is generally accepted that the idea of “crossing” the Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger franchises began with the ninth Friday the 13th (1993), where Jason's mask is grabbed by Freddy's clawed glove. However, in Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers, five years earlier, these characters already meet, and they are even joined by Leatherface!

I apologize to those who did not like Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers, but I genuinely enjoyed watching it. Let's see what happens in the third series...