SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983)

With special guest Jack Sholder

Intro, Math Club, Debate Society, Hot for Teacher (spoiler-free): 00:00-26:29
Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy): 26:30-1:02:16
Superlatives (spoiler-heavier): 1:02:17-1:21:08

Director Richard Hiltzik
Screenplay Richard Hiltzik
Featuring Christopher Collet, Paul DeAngelo, Desiree Gould, Karen Fields, Owen Hughes, Robert Earl Jones, Katherine Kamhi, Mike Kellin, Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten

Released November 14, 1983
Budget $350,000
Box Office $11 million

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS

Ricky and his shy, reserved cousin Angela are spending the summer at Camp Arawak, a bargain basement overnight camp in upstate New York run by Mel, cigar-chomping shyster, and staffed by a bunch of adult and teenage degenerates.  Angela is initially withdrawn, occasionally catatonic – but is soon brought out of her shell by Ricky’s friend Paul, who takes a liking to Angela in the hopes he might be able to make it with her before summer’s end.  But there are forces are at work – forces determined to put the strangely distant Angela in her place.  Bunkmate and camp harlot Judy sees Angela as a weirdo, then a threat when she attracts Paul’s attention.  Counselor Meg, who can’t get Angela to eat, play sports, or swim, constantly berates Angela for her failure to thrive.  That’s when the murders begin, one at a time, first a staffer, then a camper, and on and on.  Mel tries to hide it due to the bad publicity, but as any good camp director knows, murder’s bad for business, and the more we learn about Angela’s murky past, the more things at Camp Arawak take a turn… for the deadly.

SPOILER-FREE GUEST BIO

Jack Sholder began his career as a film editor, working on the feature documentary King: From Montgomery to Memphis which was nominated for an Academy Award. He won an Emmy for his editing work on 3-2-1 Contact. After writing and directing several award-winning short films, Jack wrote Where Are The Children starring Jill Clayburgh for Ray Stark and Columbia. In 1982, Jack directed Alone In The Dark for New Line Cinema with Martin Landau, Jack Palance, and Donald Pleasence. He then directed A Nightmare On Elm Street II: Freddy’s Revenge. His next feature, The Hidden, won many awards including the Grand Prix at the Avoriaz Film Festival, Jury Award at the Sitges Film Festival, and Best Director at Fantasporto. Premiere Magazine called it “one of the ten most underrated films of the 80s.” This was followed by Renegades with Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips and By Dawn’s Early Light for HBO with Martin Landau, James Earl Jones, Rip Torn, Rebecca de Mornay, and Powers Boothe. Jack has directed movies and television for MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warners, Fox, United Artists, Lionsgate, HBO, Showtime, NBC, Discovery, and others. He is the recipient of lifetime achievement awards from FantaFest and the Grossman Festival. In 2004, he founded the Film & Television Production program at Western Carolina University where he was Professor and Director of the FTP program until 2017.  Jack has received Life Achievement Awards from Fantafestival (Rome), Grossmann Film Festival (Slovenia), and Fantastic Fest (Austin).

EPISODE NOTE

Music from Sleepaway Camp by Edward Bilous.

Thank you to Michael Pressman for introducing us to Jack.

Why did Professor Louryk choose this film? Find out in our Blog.

TRAILER

SUPERLATIVES

The Gaspar Noe Award for Most Disturbing Scene
Jack: Artie the cook threatens to molest Angela in the walk-in
Eric: Artie the cook threatens to molest Angela in the walk-in
Bradford: The reveal at the end that Angela is her brother Peter

The Ellen Ripley Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Live
Jack: Paul
Eric: Angela
Bradford: Paul

The Michael Myers Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Die
Jack: Artie
Eric: Judy
Bradford: Judy

The Ken Russell Award for Most Baroque Screen Moment
Jack: Aunt Martha reveals to Peter that she always wanted a girl
Eric: The reveal at the end that Angela has killed Paul and is her brother Peter
Bradford: The reveal at the end that Angela has killed Paul and is her brother Peter

The Brad Dourif Award for Character Who Could (or Should) Have Been Played by Brad Dourif
Jack: Geno (he of the tight short-shorts)
Eric: Aunt Martha
Bradford: Judy

FINAL LETTER GRADE

Jack: D-
Eric: D
Bradford: D