Article: Worste of the Worste Vol. 2
Ok, I'm going to be perfectly frank, the film in which I'm about to discuss is one of the worst films ever made.
Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland
Do any of you like to vomit? Personally, it's one of life's experiences we wish we could avoid, but every now and then, like the occasional bad movie we see, it's bound to rear its ugly head. I'm pretty sure that Pamela Springsteen(The little Sis of Bruce Springsteen and star of Sleepaway Camp 2 and 3)) has managed to regurgitate a few times during parties and get togethers while some bottom-feeding prankster insists on popping 'Sleepaway Camp 2 and 3' in the VCR, 'for old time's sake'. If you're familiar with the series, you probably know that it's not the 'Gone with the Wind' of horror, and it's definately not anything serious. This is pretty much a carbon copy of the second Sleepaway Camp as crazy Angela decides to reak havoc on a bunch of unsuspecting campers once again.
The camp has since re-opened with the changed name of 'Camp Rolling Hills'. It's a special camp dedicated to bring inner city children and country bumpkins together into one happy mass of sunshine! Angela has to do a little work before she catches a bus to 'Camp Rolling Hills', however. After managing to steal a garbage truck, Angela runs down(in broad daylight) a would be attendant of the camp while absolutely doing her duties unscaved and unannounced to anyone or the POLICE....right in the MIDDLE of New York City I might add! Hello? Is anyone there? The seemingly untouchable Angela steals the girls bag, her ID, and presumes a new life as a 'Happ Camper' off to Camp Rolling Hills!
If by chance you have seen the first two installments, you pretty much know that the only redeeming quality of the first one was the disturbing ending. And the only thing that kept part 2 afloat was a little thing called NEPOTISM. What the heck was supposed to keep 'Sleep Away Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland' treading water? Nothing! That's why is sunk faster than a concrete torso with Dom Deluise sitting on it. The nepotism had already worn itself out. The 'sacred' name of Springsteen had already been used as a marketing ploy, even if it was only minimal, and the director, Robert Hiltizik had now obviously run out of ideas and decided to give up and go play golf halfway through production. It's a choppy mess, this 'Sleepaway Camp 3!". "Hinder at the name and be home before eleven! Before a crazed female psycho emerges from the bushes and spouts out some hilarious one liner before slicing your throat!"
Anyone ever play blindfold? Yeah, me too, when I was a kid. The camp counselors seem to have their own idea of 'Blind Fold'. The object of the game is for one member from each 'side of the tracks'(or cultural group) to let the other blind fold them, as trust was the main goal. They had to place faith seemingly in someone they didn't know as they lead them throughout the woods, while all the while beings asked questions about themselves. Angela doesn't like the game for some odd reason, and when her partners turn comes about, she leads her straight to a ball field where a large pole is present. While having here hands tied behind her back also, Angela loops a rope around the girls wrists and begins to use a rope to hoist her upward. What I saw next almost made meburste out in tears!! After raising the helpess screaming chic in the air a good 30 ft, Angela just simply lets go as the girl heads down head first onto the ground at 'break neck' speed.(No pun..blah blah). I'll have to admit, that scene was very effective.
A death by 'lawn-mower' oughta bring sheer delight to any gore fan, right? A decapitation by lawn-mower sounds even better, right? Getting thrown in a trash pit and then buried alive up to your neck, where the only thing protruding is one's head sounds completely macabre, right? Seeing someones head being mistaken for garden mulch always sounds enetertaining, correct? Yes it does, and seeing it would have been pure nirvana, but instead we're subjected to a quick cut in the film and taken to another scene, wanting, and waiting.. -No blood, no brain matter....NO Nothing!!!!' I was almost ready to pull an 'Elvis' and fire a few shots into my television, but the assurance of just being able to push the stop button gave me patience. I could have stopped it anytime, and for one strange instance, I'm glad I didn't.
(I'm not exactly sure in what order most of the scenes occured, so if I'm out of order, I apologize. Blame it on the strange effect Pamela Springsteen has with her eye, or the sheer fact I was in dry heaves during most of the movie.).
Angela decides that the 'Fourth of July' should come early, so while two of her fellow campers were asleep in their sleeping bags, she sticks a fire cracker in one guys nose! Just before she lights it up, the other guy looks over at his buddy, makes a weird face, and ultimately sees his pal getting his face blown off! Then from out of nowhere, Angela jumps from behind something, kicks the tent prop out from under the tent, and while the dude is under the mass of cloth, she stabs a knife into his hand, pinning it to the gorund, while viciously beating him to death with a baseball bat! Is that a strange set up or what?
Oh yeah, before I forget, there's also a kill scene involving a jeep, some rope, a poor guys arms and a huge oak tree. Just when you think ole Ange' had ran out of ideas, we get to see her trick some poor idiot into thinking she is gonna have relations with him, ties both his arms behind his back and around a tree, ties the rope onto the back of the jeep and proceeds to go forward while ripping the poor guy's arms completely off! (She later was arrested for 'Arm Robbery', and aquitted on all counts after Bruce rejuvinated his career with 'Born in the USA.....J/k)
What comes next is your typical 'Father's Revenge' concept as one of the Camp Counselors son's(Who also happens to be a Sheriff named 'Barney') was murdered by the psychotic hands of Angela some odd years ago, and his personal vendetta in life was to waste her. Officer Barney almost got his chance until our crazed 'happy camper' manages to steal his gun and shoot him dead.
Angela later plays cat and mouse with a bunch of campers before viciously getting stabbed by one one of them. The ambulance arrives, Angela's thrown in the back, manages to kill an EMT before saying some idiotic one liner, and then we have the end credits.
Anyway, all this may sound pretty good, and if you've never seen it, you may be wondering why I'm giving it such a bad rap. I have no personal issues with the film besides the fact that it stinks. I can see through all the bundle of nonesense, however, and actually understand why the 'Sleep Away Camp' series is a cult favorite. To each his own, I guess. Rumor has it that a 'Sleepaway Camp 4' has partially been produced, but later the company either went bankrupt or got cold feet before they actually did loose big! Personally, I think this is a good thing.
