Sleepaway Camp
At a troubled summer camp, a withdrawn girl becomes the center of a vicious murder mystery whose final revelation permanently unsettles the slasher formula.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- abrasive
- campy
- late night horror marathon
- cult film night
What critics said
Critics generally recognized an effective pace, creative killings, and a frightening climax, while finding the performances, writing, and derivative slasher formula uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Angela is targeted by hostile campers while adults fail to control the increasingly abusive camp environment.
The killer's identity is withheld until a deliberately shocking concluding disclosure centered on Angela.
The film pairs creative murders and teenage cruelty with a campy, antagonistic sensibility noted by contemporary critics.
Angela's shyness, social isolation, and the climactic identity revelation make gender perception central to the film's provocation.
Films like Sleepaway Camp, and why
Friday the 13th
shared summer-camp setting, whodunit slasher structure, serial killer mystery, and graphic teen violence
The Burning
shared adolescent summer-camp setting, darkly comic cruelty, and exploitation-horror sensibility
Meatballs
shared youth-camp environment, teen ensemble, and irreverent coming-of-age comedy elements surrounding menace
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Hiltzik
- Release Date
- 1983-11-18
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (823)
Cast
- Mike Kellin
- Katherine Kamhi
- Paul DeAngelo
- Jonathan Tiersten
- Felissa Rose
- Karen Fields
- Christopher Collet
- Desiree Gould
- Owen Hughes
- Robert Earl Jones
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Night Flight Plus, Screambox Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Sleepaway Camp about?
- At a troubled summer camp, a withdrawn girl becomes the center of a vicious murder mystery whose final revelation permanently unsettles the slasher formula.
- What is Sleepaway Camp like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sleepaway Camp as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Sleepaway Camp violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Sleepaway Camp as graphic.
- What did critics think of Sleepaway Camp?
- Critics generally recognized an effective pace, creative killings, and a frightening climax, while finding the performances, writing, and derivative slasher formula uneven.
- Which films are like Sleepaway Camp?
- Films with a similar feel include Friday the 13th, The Burning, and Meatballs.
- How long is Sleepaway Camp?
- Sleepaway Camp runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sleepaway Camp?
- In United States, Sleepaway Camp streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Night Flight Plus, Screambox Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
