Director – David Kerr (Curse of the Slasher Nurse, Return of the Slasher Nurse)
Starring – Dave Sheridan (Scary Movie, The Devil’s Rejects), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp, Demented), and Robert Bess (Toilet Zombie Baby Strikes Back, Supernatural Assassins)
Release Date – 2021
Rating – 3.5/5
I remember watching a few of the Friday the 13th flicks on cable when I was a kid. That was my introduction to slashers. While most people were lucky enough to see them at a drive-in or renting them from the video store, my introduction was a cut to hell Friday the 13th part 2 and Part 8 cable cut that I watched late at night with my grandmother. Since then I went crazy with slashers. I was constantly renting them from my local video store Dewey’s Video when I wasn’t finding them in the wild to add to my collection.
Several years ago the indie horror community saw a rise in slashers that were trying to capture that 80s look and feel that we all grew up on. Some were able to pull it off but a good portion of them fails miserably. Adding a synth score to your film have putting thick socks and spandex on your actresses doesn’t make the film look 80s. Anyway, a few months ago I started following director David Kerr and his newest project Bloody Summer Camp. The artwork really pulled me in and my love of slashers made me very interested in this project. A few days ago he reached out to me to review the film and I couldn’t say yes fast enough. Thanks David!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a group of camp counselors who are preparing for the summer and meeting everyone. The camp staff consists of several returning members, as well as, some new faces. As everyone gets to know each other tension between some of the staff arises as the more tenure staff take their frustrations out on the new members, especially one who is in a wheelchair. However, things take a deadly turn when he goes missing with his wheelchair found near the river. One by one they go missing and start to suspect that the local urban legend is true. **Spoiler Alert**
Bloody Summer Camp was a very enjoyable slasher flick that had a lot of ups and a few downs. Honestly, I loved it but there is a few things that could be done to improve it. It is a very effective slasher that pays tribute to the slashers we all know and love but does struggle with finding it’s own identity.
The acting in this one is solid but a little uneven. The leads are all perfectly cast and they all deliver great performances. The characters are cliched but the cast has great energy and do a fantastic job. With that being said, some of the performances were a little out of place. Dave Sheridan has proven time and time again that he can tackle serious roles but seeing him deliver the laughs here was a bit of a disappointment. I really enjoyed him so don’t take it the wrong way but his character didn’t really fit the film. Also, I would have made him deputy with Rick Jermain as the sheriff. If we were going to get a comedic performance from Sheridan I would have enjoyed seeing him in a Barney Fife performance even though it would have been out of place.
The story for this one is pays a tribute to 80s slashers without over doing it. The sound track is a fun 80s inspired score but it’s not in your face and overly annoying. The same can be said about the wardrobe and the props. The film tries to fit into the 80s and it almost feels that way. With that being said, the movie should have just made the film be a modern slasher. More time could have been spent on tightening up the story instead of focusing on props, wardrobe, and so on. Also, the movie is just too long. So much fat could have been trimmed while keeping the story in tact. The red herring was a bit of a let down when you think you get the killer reveal and then the real killer reveal is predictable. I really liked the real killer and how it played out but if you pay attention you will see it coming.
Finally, the film has some fun slasher inspired deaths that have some fun practical effects that fit the film very well. A few of these deaths really stood out which is something that hasn’t happened to me in a while with an indie slasher. Overall, Bloody Summer Camp is a slasher film by a slasher fan for slasher fans. It’s cliched and a little uneven at times but it’s a love letter to 80s slashers and I can get behind that. I highly recommend it.
