User reviews

This was one I was really looking forward to seeing. It felt like it took years for it to be made and released. So when it was available to purchase I bought it at full price not knowing what a disappointment it would be. The plot follows the basic "kids are at camp when a bunch of murders occur" storyline. Fans of the original know the backstory of Angela so I won't go into that, but if you don't; it's probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with the 1983 film.

This sequel does something I hate which is it completely ignores Sleepaway Camp 2 and 3. We are supposed to forget those late eighties sequels which involved Angela escaping and becoming a counsellor killing a bunch of teenagers. By not bringing up the incidents that took place in these movies left me a little confused, but I'll move on from that negative. The next problem I have with this is the "lead" character Alan. What an annoying human being. He bullies other kids and then whines like a baby when he gets bullied or other camp counsellors tell him to stop. The constant whining, screaming and cursing was driving me nuts by the twenty minute mark. Now I loved the fact that Ricky in the original cussed like no other, but it's WAY overdone in this by Alan. And the acting by pretty much everyone involved is some of the worst I've seen since Troll 2.

What I found in this movie after seeing the original was that a lot of these new characters emulated characters from the original. There is Alan who is supposed to be a mix of Angela and Ricky, a character named Pee-Pee (I know right?) acts a lot like a shy Angela, there is even a nasty chef who gets scalded by boiling water. There are other parallels as well. Other cons are the music, which is mostly terrible and adds no suspenseful effect to the scene like the original score did in 1983. And the juvenile writing is just annoying to sit through. Some of the things the teens say and do is supposed to be funny but just leaves a bad taste in the viewers mouth, especially when the same joke is repeated over and over again.

I've been down on Return to Sleepaway Camp so far, and rightfully so; it isn't very good. BUT the ending definitely saves it from being a total letdown. The last half hour is jam packed with murder and mayhem. And some of the gore is pretty shocking and well done. Also, I liked the added mystery of trying to find out who the killer is (even if I thought the identity of the killer was a bit lame). And I loved seeing some of the original cast and characters return like Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten), Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo) and a "cameo" by Felicia Rose who played the original Angela Baker.

Overall, this movie is all over the place. It's almost as if Return to Sleepaway Camp has an identity crisis. The first SC was scary. Parts 2-3 were funny. This one tries to be a bit of both and, except for a good thirty minutes of scares, doesn't do well at either.

4/10

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

I was truly looking forward to this being a HUGE fan of the original and was devastated once the DVD had reached the five minute mark.

I kept checking the box to make sure I had been sent the right movie. A $4 million budget, what the hell did they spend it on - catering???!!! - ços the money sure isn't up there on the screen.

Cheaply shot, badly graded, sloppily edited, appallingly scored, a script that sounds like it was scratched down quickly on the back of a piece of toilet paper and the piece de resistance is the DIABOLICALLY BAD performances by a truly inept cast of nobodies.

What was Robert Hiltzik thinking? He should have just left well enough alone and not tarnished the reputation of the ground breaking original.

Avoid at all costs.

The first three Sleepaway's weren't exactly great but this is just sad. The best thing about this movie is Isaac Hayes playing the chef, just like he did on South Park before he got all the wacky Scientology crap in his head. I could have done without the Sopranos "jokes". For a series that took pride in the silly ways that people got killed, they really dropped the ball in this one. The first death is an exact copy of the first death in the first movie. Weak. The rest just didn't seem like they would kill a person.What really sucked is that it was immediately obvious that the sheriff was either Jamie Kennedy or a woman, it was the worst disguise ever. Did I mention all the bad acting and things that don't make sense? Several times one of the guys says "Angela's back!". How can she be back if she was never at this camp? Just like any other part four, the only reason to watch this is if you have seen the first three.

"Return To Sleepaway Camp" isn't as much a real movie as it is a joke that got a bit out of hand. Apparently there's a website entirely devoted to 80s slasher gem "Sleepaway Camp", and they moved heaven and Earth to get some of its cast and crew back together for a sequel. They even got Robert Hiltzik back in the director chair, even though he retired from filmmaking decades prior. Sadly though, that totally shows. Hiltzik has forgotten pretty much everything that made his first movie such an underground classic. The first one thrived on its inventive kills and compelling mystery (with an amazing conclusion). In this one, the kills just make no goddamn sense (the bed of spikes!?) and you've figured out the twist well before halfway. Even worse though is the handling of the characters. When someone teased cute innocent kids in the original, you were glad they died minutes later. In this one the protagonist is a teen that picks on little kids in the cruelest ways possible, and then gets picked on by adolescents in the cruelest ways possible. You just can't sympathize with anyone in this movie, which makes you indifferent to all the deaths. The biggest difference is in the acting though. Why is everyone acting so tongue-in-cheek all of a sudden, why the sudden shift in tone? I don't remember wanting to punch Jonathan Tiersten in the face any time he opened his mouth in the original, what happened? This movie was released four years after completion: that's rarely a good sign.

this movie was great--hilarious. the original was campy, and this version held up and then some. anybody that's looking for something chilling, creepy, or horrific is not understanding the reason why this movie was produced. not every "horror" movie is in it for scares. the deaths in this are far from surprising or tragic, but they're clearly grotesque and intentionally guffaw-oriented. I love the original, and I laughed my ass off during this. if you're a fan of the original because it holds a place in horror movie history for being over-the-top and shock-and-awe relevant, this is a delightfully genre-lambasting movie. if you're too literally horror-seeking, you aren't going to be happy.

While watching the original Sleepaway Camp as a kid, all it really seemed like was an average 80's slasher, that is, until the end. An end that would leave an impact on horror enthusiasts the world over. If there is a scarier conclusion to any horror film ever made, I'd love to see it. Now that the real sequel is out, we can finally get that 25 year old image out of our heads.

I don't care how many years it took for this to be made, Return To Sleepaway Camp is the most entertaining, and all around best horror sequel I believe I've ever seen. Staying true to the original in its own way, without relying on it too much. Return To Sleepaway Camp is it's own movie, with its own story, taking our minds off Angela for a while, with this outlandish kid who's performance had me in absolute tears. Meet Alan, brain-damaged, and over-weight, Alan is relentlessly tormented by practically everyone at Camp Manabe. As soon as the chunky fellow gets a minutes peace, he bullies the younger children to no end, I love it!! There's just no one to root for in this one. Between Alan's mean-spirited Shenannigans, and misfortunes which he clearly brings on himself, we are treated to some of the most creative, painful-looking killing scenes I've seen in a long time. Oh yeah! Thats right, there's a killer as Camp Manabe, and considering Alan is always yelling "I Hate You So Bad!!" at everyone, some suspect he's a little more brain-damaged than everyone thinks. Although, others are starting to wonder... No!! Nevermind. She's been locked away for years.

There sure are quite a few negative reviews for this one. Nevermind that. Kids these days can't recognize real horror. And I assure you, Return To Sleepaway Camp is real horror. Some say it's predictable, and maybe it is, if your'e one of those who analyze, and pick apart every horror movie you see, making it all about how smart you are, which, pretty much defeats the purpose. Even though I laughed until I cried, Return To Sleepaway Camp doesn't come off as a spoof in the least, it's just good old fashion horror, that turns out to be a whole lot of fun. Above all else, Return To Sleepaway Camp is a reward to all the loyal fans who loved the original, and sat through the pseudo-sequels, and waited patiently, and waited patiently some more, for the real sequel. Same story with the Toxic Avenger series. Return To Sleepaway Camp is ten times better than I expected, and I expected a lot. Well done, Robert Hiltzik. And don't ever let anyone tell you Your ass stinks. 10/10

Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008)

** (out of 4)

The fourth film in the series is a direct sequel to the first one as this here, ala the Halloween series, leaves out parts two and three. Hiltzik was the original writer and director of the 1983 cult classic so there were high hopes for this film, which went through a decade of delays, cancellations and even a lawsuit. Whereas it was Angela in the first film being picked on, this time out it's a fat kid named Alan (Michael Gibney) who feels that everyone is after him. Pretty soon dead kids start turning up everywhere and the counselor Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo) thinks Angela (Felissa Rose) has returned or perhaps it's Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten) seeking vengeance. In case you didn't know, Ronnie, Angela and Ricky are the same three characters from the original film and the original cast members are playing them, which is the biggest draw of this film. After waiting twenty-fives years for a direct sequel does this one pay off? Yes and no. The film certainly turned out a lot better than I expected it would but the film doesn't work all the way through. The biggest problem is the character of Alan. In the original film Angela was a victim we could care for because she was being picked on because she was shy. This time out the character of Alan is just so wildly written that it's hard to feel anything for him because when he isn't getting picked on he's picking on people smaller than him. This film knows how big of a cult the original is and it plays with the viewer over that. The ending here is certainly done a tad bit campy because the director knows the viewer knows the original's ending so he plays with up to get our expectations high. I won't ruin anything but when the ending is revealed it really doesn't come as a shock as it's pretty easy to see coming. It still made me laugh in a campy way but don't expect anything shocking like the original. It was great fun seeing the original cast members and DeAngelo's character is just as campy as in the original film. He certainly adds a lot of fun to the movie as does Vincent Pastore and Isaac Hayes in his final role. The death scenes are also worth talking about as they range from painful to silly. The first death sequence will certainly be talked about as it pays homage to a death scene in the original movie. In the end the movie doesn't work completely but it is a lot better than it should have been. Rumors are going around that we're going to see another one and I'd be up for that as well.

This is the worst sleepaway movie I have ever seen.What a travesty and even the killer was lame and overacted.The cast if you can even call them that couldn't act for nothing.Especially the so called victim who was too much of a jerk to care about to begin with .His acting was absolutely horrid as was pretty much everyone else's in the cast and the ending WTH was that made no sense whatsoever and just ended abruptly for no reason.It was hilarious how most people reacted when they were killed talk about BAD acting totally horrid.

I mean I've seen some doozy of some bad movies but this one takes the cake and not in a good way lol Granted some of the violence was like the rest of the sleepaway camp movies which was cool.But they edited it like crap because half the deaths you didn't even see just an aftermath which absolutely sucked I expected this sucker to be pack full of gore but I didn't see much of that which was also a disappointment for a Sleepaway movie especially.

The movie was unintentionally hilarious literally I was laughing my ass off throughout most of this movie it was as if all the actors were reading DIRECTLY off their cue cards it was hilarious lol

For instance 2 actors I can remember off the bat because they were BARELY ON lol

Girl: stiff lifeless and wooden delivery: Stop it Allen you retard. Guy: stiff lifeless boring and wooden delivery: Ronnie get Allen to stop.

Seriously this movie was a comedy not a horror movie ...to me anyways lol

Too bad I can't go any lower then a 1 otherwise this would get a -0 from me.

Loathsome is the only word I can use to describe this aberration to an already weak series of films.

At best the Sleepaway Camp series has always been something of a guilty pleasure amongst horror film fans. This iteration not only undermines the silly B-movie cheese that fans have come to expect from the series but it also manages to create an incredibly unlikable cast of losers that you can't cheer for or care about.

Fan's of eighties slasher films should note that the gore here is weak at best. There is no nudity and the cast is made up of unlikable miscreants. The plot (if you can even call it that) leads to a completely out of left field ending that adds up to a miserable filmgoing experience all around.

Ignore this one like it never happened and you'll be better off.

This is a terrible movie. It just sluggishly plods along, subjecting us to annoying characters, until it reaches its ridiculous end.

The story is insipid and the editing atrocious. (The scene with the Jeep and tree goes on far too long, extinguishing any tension or morbid humour the scene might have had otherwise.) There is an amusing bit, involving a hole in a floor; that scene, with the wonderful stupidity of the characters involved, is the closest the film ever gets to matching the original in terms of gore and humor.

Isaac Hayes seems to be cast only for the joke of being billed as "The Chef," and then disappears after three short scenes. His character serves no other function (unless we needed a black guy to say "motherf*cker" to liven things up a bit.) There is no mystery as to the killer's identity once all of the main characters are established. Alan, who for some unfathomable reason is the film's lead character, is so irritating that his quick death would have perhaps made the film tolerable. However, there he is, in scene after scene, in filthy clothing, telling people that their ass stinks, and then throwing himself pity parties because the other kids don't like him. (Think of Shelly from "Friday the 13th: Part III" but with none of his sympathetic aspects, only the annoying ones, multiplied by ten, and with body odor and a mean streak, and there is your Alan.) (I thought that at least his "your ass stinks" line would serve some purpose, some foreshadowing regarding his or another character's death - death by stinky ass! - but no, it's just his cringe-inducing recurring line, as lacking in purpose as Isaac Hayes' role.) Any fan of the original is going to want - to HAVE - to see this. Just don't blow $20 of your own money on it.

i honestly expected something a little less amateur and experimental as this film seems to be... it even had the bonus of adding some of the original film's actors, but it simply went wrong.

poor dialogues, poor acting and very very poor makeup... the first 10 minutes can't mistake you, it's going to be that bad! there's no likable characters, Allan (the main character (???))can't even gather sympathy nor pity, he's simply loathsome and all the other characters... well, envy and hate can't justify their behaviour and we're left with no explanation for their actions.

watch it for yourselves, if you can...

for a new release, this movie was amazing. Because of all the horrible new movies out lately i thought this was going to be also horrible... I thought extremely wrong!

Thiis movie is up there with the original. IT has all the aspects of a cult classic. It has amazing, original and crazy kills, it has a bit of comedic relief, and it's kind of creepy in its own way.. Also the twist ending is exhilarating!

Definitely more exiting than the 2nd and the 3rd sequels..

Solid 7 out of 10 for me, and well deserved!

Jer

This had to be THE WORST movie i have ever seen. Not only was the acting HORRENDOUS, but the plot made me want to punch a baby. I had to drink away the fact that i spent $1.08(NY sales tax) on this film. If i was given the choice to watch this movie one more time or pee razorblades for a week, i would gladly pee razorblades. Whoever casted the main character(the fat kid) should be mauled to death by a fully grown bear. Seriously, how does anyone ever think that this movie was remotely enjoyable. What was up with the line "Your a** stinks". ? What was that all about??? Now the fact that the DVD is one day over due, makes me sick to my stomach because not only could i get a 4piece chicken nuggets for the price of that DVD, i could have helped a starving child. worthless.

After over 6 years of waiting for this film to finally get released after many delays and financing issues, I finally sat down and watched "Return to Sleepaway camp" tonight. First off, I feel this film is aimed almost directly to fans of the cult classic original film. With that being said, perhaps folks of decent budgeted horror flicks, and not around during the schlocky 1980's horror craze might not enjoy it. But as a fan of the original, I loved this. Campy, gory fun. Actor, Christopher Shand is gorgeous, and a decent young talent. And the ending? Well, I loved it! It was also great to see Felissa Rose again. Note: this is a direct sequel to the original 1983 film, as part 2 and 3 are not "officially" part of the series(I liked those parts as well). Grossest kill: The yanking off of a certain male's member. Ouch!

As far as horror movies go, Sleepaway Camp is definitely one of my favorites. The news that the creator of the original would be coming back to make this sequel got me excited.

And then we waited. And waited some more.

Now it's finally here, so the question now is whether or not it actually delivers. The answer? Yes and no.

When the movie started, I hated it. I guess I expected more than an opening scene of lighting farts. But the real problem relies primarily in the main character, Alan. Both due to his acting and the stuff he does and what happens to him, it's impossible to care. I couldn't figure out if we were supposed to care or hate the guy who picks on people but also gets picked on. He just ends up annoying. Yes, the acting wasn't all that great in the original, but we did actually care about the main characters. Here, there's nothing.

I was, in all honesty, ready to give up on it, but stuck with it just because of a last sliver of hope. And it did get better. Once the body count began to rise, it really improved. What we ended up with was a fun slasher with inventive kills that I was really into by the time the time the climax hit.

Don't expect much in the way of characters from the original. Ricky is there for basically a cameo, although Paul DeAngelo's Ronnie has a prominent role. And as for the ending, well, it sure isn't as shocking as the first.

But for fans of the original, this one is worth a shot. I gave it a chance, and I'm glad I did.

Now I'm ready for the next one.

I was actually excited to see this film especially since I loved the original. What can I say about this movie except horrible. I feel bad because there are people out there who wait tables work in restaurant cleaning just to get an acting gig. They go through schooling and acting classes. YET they manage to get the worst actors of all time. They all sounded as if they were reading the script. The dialog was horrible. The script was horrible which made it even more difficult for the actors to make it seem real so it's not 100% their fault. The ending was completely predictable and obvious as opposed the the classic what the hell ending of the original that still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand. The killings were basic repeats of the original primarily the first killing. The only reason I would give it a 1 is because of the murder scene in the woods (you know what I'm talking about) and the broom stick scene. The annoying fat guy was just horrible, I felt no sympathy for him whatsoever since he was a pain in the @$$ to others as well not mention the worst actor of them all. If you're a fan of the series, give it a look because everyone has their own opinion but don't say I didn't warn you.