"OH MY GOD... SHE'S A BOY!"

By Harry Watson

A quote from the 1983 film Sleepaway Camp, the movie with an ending so shocking that it can't even be seen on TV or Video on Demand. Sleepaway Camp stars Felissa Rose as Angela Baker, the shy awkward girl who everyone picks on at camp. Little do the kids of Camp Arawak know, Angela harbors a very dark secret and a they will feel her wrath.
        You might think "Hey, what's so special about Sleepaway Camp?  Isn't it like every other camp horror movie?" Yes and no. Sleepaway Camp all though at first sets itself up as sort of a Friday the 13th/ Carrie knock off. It would appear that the movie is too predictable, shy girl picked on, mean kids knocked off one by one. Oh I wonder who the killer is. As the movie progresses though we start to find out more and more about Angela's past which makes growing up as Jason Voorhees or Carrie White sound fun. 
       Aside from Angela, there is Karen Fields taking on the role of Judy, the camps mean girl. Judy is so mean that you kind of want to reach through the screen and pull her down to the floor. During one scene she antagonizes Angela, mocking her for not showering with the other girls, even going as far as to question Angela's sexuality. "I bet you're a real carpenters dream" says Judy. She continues on her rant only to be be slapped by Sue, the nice girl counselor. Later on Judy even tries to drown Angela, at least Carrie only had tampons thrown at her. 
        As the plot thickens everyone wonders who the killer could be and why the camp is still open. 
Actually there could be many killers in this movie, we only are shown Angela holding a severed head, but there isn't necessarily any evidence to point to other killings. It could be her cousin Ricky who threatens to kill everyone who messes with Angela. The killer could be a nerdy boy named Mozart who gets bullied so badly, that he pulls out a knife on someone. It could even be Judy just because we hate her. There are so many open ends in the movie that after watching the movie again it really makes you think afterwards. 
      Sleepaway Camp is one of the few horror movies that doesn't explain everything to you, except maybe the huge plot twist ending where we see Angela's junk, but other than that it also makes for some good scares. We even see Judy get a curling iron shoved up a very uncomfortable area (don't worry we only see a shadow of whats happening, this isn't Fifty Shades of Grey) Sleepaway Camp is perfect for every horror fanatic who think's they have seen it all. Just don't don't expect the sequels starring Bruce Springsteens sister as Angela, they are pretty funny but also awful as hell. 

Remakes: The good the bad and the Michael Bay

There have been many remakes of classic horror movies such as “Halloween”, “Fright night”, “Let me in” and most recently “Evil Dead” . Some remakes can be considered as good as the original or even better, but there are also many disastrous ones too. Some people wonder why it is a good idea to remake someone else’s vision, often these movies don’t measure up, yet they continue to be made.

     In the past decade, directors have taken on the challenge to recreate the fear and fun that their favorite horror films once generated. This is very hard to do because they are re-imagining and interpreting somebody else’s work. If the interpretations are wrong it can vastly anger the fan base that the directors are trying to please. Blood, gore, CGI and big name actors are not enough to please people these days. Unfortunately the majority of remakes do not live up to the fans expectations.

      Directors like Michael Bay have tried their hand at a remake but fail to make an experience that will be enjoyable for viewers. Director Michael Bay has made remakes of “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Friday the 13th” and “Texas chainsaw massacre”, all complete and total failures. Bay’s special effects and design techniques are phenomenal but his movies lack heavily in plot and character development. This has become the norm for most remakes and an even bigger problem for then industry. Seriously though, there have been so many remakes of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.Michael Bay why must you ruin or beloved horror icons with your tomfoolery?

If we all concentrate hard enough, we can forget this disaster!     

Can the film industry continue to make these kind of films? The answer unfortunately is yes.These films rely on heavy advertising. Promotional advertising such as billboard posters, free merchandise and opportunities to meet and greet stars, make horror films n,o matter how bad, a breeze to make money off of. Even Michael Bay can’t complain.

        Some of the highest ranked horror movies of all time did not net a big name company to sell it to the public. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the first people to produce an independent slasher film, the film was called “Psycho”. It’s true that he tried gimmicks such as buying every copy of the book version and denying access to people who were late to see the movie. At least Hitchcock was creative. Movies like the original “Friday the 13th”, “Nightmare on Elm street” and “Halloween” didn’t need a high budget to be good. They only needed love and care.

        Not all horror movie remakes are bad. A remake of the 1985 vampire flick“Fright Night” came out in 2011. The movie might not have been as good as the original, but it was just as entertaining and scary as the original. “Fright night” made vampires scary again no thanks to Stephenie Meyer.

        The  1982 remake of the original 1951 movie “The Thing” is one of the few horror movies to do even better than it’s original. The second remake that came out in 2011 was atrocious which made the first remake even better, but the 80’s movie was one of the most disturbing movies of it’s time. Especially during a scene that has man’s stomach opening up into a large shark mouth. It was a marvel even for the 80’s

        Recently a remake of the classic movie “Evil Dead” was released. This was definitely not a Oscar winning movie nor was it a family film, but fans will definitely find it enjoyable instead of just another kick to face. The film’s director Fede Alverez chose not to use CGI because he thought it would hurt the film, he was totally right in making this decision. The actors spent more time and effort on performing their roles than they did in the make-up department. Although the script could have been better about avoiding cliches and plot holes, the film holds up with it’s incredibly shocking plot twists and the creepy portrayal of a possessed drug addict played by Jane Levy.

        These are just examples of new horror movie remakes that bring hope to the industry and total nostalgia. Yes, there are definitely many bad horror remakes but every genre of movie makes it’s mistakes. It is important to know that a remake is not the original movie and that it’s somebody else’s interpretation.