Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1988)
Also known as "Nightmare Vacation III"
She's back to Slash last year's record.
Starring: Pamela Springsteen, Tracy Griffith, Michael J. Pollard, Mark Oliver, Haynes Brooke, Sandra Dorsey, Daryl Wilcher, Kim Wall, Kyle Holman, Cliff Brand, Kashina Kessler, Randi Layne
Director: Michael A. Simpson
Running Time: 79 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: 15
Comedy, Horror
On DVD After running a girl down in a garbage truck, outdoors-loving maniac Angela Baker assumes her identity in order to be admitted as one of the campers at the grounds where her last killing spree took place. The camp, renamed New Horizons, is now an 'experiment in sharing', where rich and poor teens are brought together - but they are all the same to Angela, who is soon hammering, chopping and even lawnmowing her way through anyone who is lazy, takes drugs, fornicates, swears, or, worst of all, is a cheerleader.
Although the second and third 'Sleepaway Camp' films were both directed by Michael A. Simpson and written by Fritz Gordon, and one was wrapped only a week before shooting commenced on the other, 'Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland' shows all the signs of a franchise in terminal decline. While it sticks to the blend of horror and comedy that proved so successful in the first sequel, and still features the talents of Pamela (sister of Bruce) Springsteen as everyone's favourite transsexual psychotic campgoer, the jokes are few and far between, there is much less gore than in the preceding films (with a higher nipple-count by way of dubious compensation), and the social satire is about as sharp as the big stick which Angela uses more than anything else as her murder weapon.
In
DVD Extras: Choice of Dolby 2.0/5.1/dts; 'behind-the-scenes' (8min) of the opening garbage truck sequence, narrated amiably by director Michael A. Simpson; 'deleted scenes' (19min), including some gore which had been removed by a peevish US censor (Bobby's arms torn off, Lily lawnmowered, Cindy's brains beneath the flagpole); 'Atlanta news footage' (3min), news story about the local film production; trailer; extensive stills galleries (behind-the-scenes & artwork/make-up & gore effects/garbage truck scene); full audio commentary (by Michael A. Simpson and writer Fritz Gordon, moderated by überfan John Klyza of sleepawayfilms.com), including anecdotes about script changes owing to budgetary constraints, about the high price of 'Camp New Horizons' T-shirts on e-bay, and Fritz declaring "Anything I can do to promote wood, I will do" (with John replying "The lumberjacks salute you").
This DVD is available either on its own, or as part of Anchor Bay's boxset of the first three 'Sleepaway Camp' films.
It's Got: A character with the words 'milk' and 'shake' tattooed on her breasts, and Jason's hockey mask found in the lake by some fishing campers (on Saturday the 14th), and a new use for a flagpole.
It Needs: More laughs, more gore, better characters - and for the whole camp franchise to end while it is still vaguely tolerable.
Alternatives: Sleepaway Camp, Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers, 'Friday the 13th'
Summary: Time for the tentpoles to come down (even if there are another two sequels).
External Links
Official Web Site
Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland at the IMDB
