The Dangers of '80s Camps

So somehow I've gone all these years without hearing about the twist ending of 1983's Sleepaway Camp, or how homophobic and transphobic the movie is. It seems like I must have seen it lumped in with that DePalma movie with Michael Caine but if I have I've totally forgotten about it. It's an interesting movie, though. The makeup effects on the murder victims are really good. I like the snake coming out of the kid's mouth.

I was surprised (and, yeah, disappointed) by the scarcity of exploitative nudity in the film. But it's amusing to see how perfectly average homophobes used to wear belly shirts and cut-off shorts.

Nowadays, it seems rare even to see women showing that much belly in movies.

The performances aren't very good, except Mike Kellin as a cigar chopping, slightly anachronistic old salt. But the bad performances have a refreshing sense of authenticity about them. These are lousy actors but they're really from the area it's filmed in. The New York accents are real without the movie trying to make a point about New York. And, as usual with '70s and '80s movies, it's nice to see most of the actors aren't wearing twelve inches of foundation to achieve "normal" skin. I'm pretty sure this guy's moustache is fake, though;

The climax of the film uses some effective camera work and special effects to make its unenlightened point. That adds a disturbing layer to it, though. It's as though, in the attempt to show a scary pervert, they accidentally created a bizarre, supernatural beast. The fact that the observing characters at the end don't see the really strange thing is also disturbing.

Twitter Sonnet #1487

Remembrance dwells in fingers touched to cheeks.
A fragrant night returns a floral wreath.
The acrobat was waiting 'tween the peaks.
Tomato drapes conceal the glowing teeth.
The jelly glasses stuck to azure eyes.
A tiny horse appeared beneath the thumb.
A soccer team was baked in cookie pies.
A score could never taste a missing crumb.
The ancient pen traversed the later seas.
The plastic clam can savour something weird.
We had a tusk, completing laughing bees.
A cool remark became a pointy beard.
The shaky boat concealed a mop of hair.
The floating face arouses special care.