All right children...you wouldn't be looking at this movie if you weren't at least an aficianado of the bad slasher film...and this one, from back in the slasher heyday of 1983, doesn't disappoint in that department.
You get it all: the intermittantly horrid acting, the occasionally gory, unique kills, the usual tried and true, summer campy plot...
...except it's not. When you dig into it, it's really not.
When I first saw this film I was expecting yet another "Friday the 13th" or "Halloween" clone. I have to say, I was surprised, disturbed, and honestly scarred by this little gem. Upon rewatching it years later, I'm most impressed/shocked by the fact that the cast is really kids aged what you would expect at a summer camp: most of the principal actors look between 12 and 15...how they got away with that, I'm not sure (hey, it WAS the '80s...). Also, the subject matter and themes that are dealt with went WAY beyond the typical slasher fare for the time (heck, for most MODERN films).
...and that ending...you've probably heard about it, so I won't rehash it...but that final two minutes of the last scene plus the lingering freeze-frame over the credits is absolutely terrifying, on a primal and psychological level. It's the perfect cap for a film that breaks down a lot of walls despite it's budget and story weaknesses.
Gets in your head, kiddies...you'll be thinking about it for a while.
All right children...you wouldn't be looking at this movie if you weren't at least an aficianado of the bad slasher film...and this one, from back in the slasher heyday of 1983, doesn't disappoint in that department.
