Sleepaway Camp Theory

== "Sleepaway Camp Theory" written by TheDarkCat97 ==
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I love slasher flicks, especially if they were made sometime in the 80’s and take place at summer camp. Fortunately for me there are many, many movies that fit this bill such as “Friday the 13th” (and most of its sequels), “The Burning,” “Madman,” and tons of others. Without a doubt my favorite out of all of the summer camp slasher flicks (and my favorite movie of all time) is “Sleepaway Camp.”
There is so much that I love about “Sleepaway Camp”, that I don’t even know where to begin. I saw it for the first time when I was in middle school at it has been my favorite movie ever since. It is one of those films that I could watch over and over again (and I have) and it never seems to get old. I hold it responsible for being one of the main reasons that I love horror movies so much and it will forever hold a special place in my heart.
I have heard a lot of people claim that it is just another “killer on the loose at camp” flick and there is nothing special about it. I couldn’t disagree more with this as I feel that there is just something different I can’t quite explain about it that makes it stand out. Yes, it has a similar plot to a lot of other movies out there, but the writing, characters, death scenes, and (especially) the ending helps put it in a class all its own. I have a friend who argues that it’s just a “Friday the 13th” rip-off but in my opinion he couldn’t be more wrong. I love “Friday the 13th” and am a huge fan of the series but I just believe that “Sleepaway Camp” is a better movie (Man, I’m sure I’m going to get a lot of hate mail after that bold remark).
One of the main things that makes it such a great movie is the fact that it has a great cast of characters. Felissa Rose is excellent as the poor, mistreated Angela. She does a great job of playing the creepy, odd girl who doesn’t quite fit in with anyone. She doesn’t have a whole lot of dialogue as she spends quite a bit of the movie just staring at people in silence and making them uncomfortable, but once she does begin to speak we can see what a talented actress she is. She has since gone on to do several other films and has become quite the attractive young lady. Jonathan Tiersten does an equally impressive job as Ricky. He is a very intense character and you have to respect the fact that he is so protective of Angela (plus it’s pretty cool that he has such a foul mouth). If I ever have a son, I hope he’s just like Ricky. While Tiersten hasn’t done as much work in film as Rose he has gone on to pursue a career in music. If you haven’t checked out his band Jonathan Tiersten and Ten Tiers yet I highly recommend that you do so as they are extremely talented.
There are many more wonderful characters such as Mel, the gruff camp owner, Artie, the camp cook/pedophile, Ronnie, the friendly head counselor, the clueless Kenny and his group of loser friends, Aunt Martha, Ricky’s kooky mother who takes Angela in at a young age, and Meg, the counselor who goes out of her way to make Angela’s life miserable (can someone explain to me why it is she has a thing for Mel?). Other than Angela and Ricky my other favorite character is Judy, played perfectly by Karen Fields. Judy is the queen bitch/camp slut of who quickly becomes the main source of Angela’s torment. She is a fun character that you can’t wait to see die (and believe me when I say her death scene is one that stays with you). I love Judy and think that any character that has a gem of a line such as “You’re a real carpenter’s dream! Flat as a board and needs a screw!” can’t be all bad.
I don’t want to give anything away but I feel like I have to at least mention the ending of this movie. The final scene is one of the most shocking scenes in movie history and you will never, in a million years, see it coming (I know I didn’t). The conclusion is quite disturbing and stays with you long after the end credits roll.
If you couldn’t tell I am a huge fan of “Sleepaway Camp.” I think it is one of the most underrated horror films of the 80’s, but thanks to the Internet it has established quite the cult following and is finally getting the recognition it deserves. It has spawned three sequels (which I also enjoy but not as much as the original) and there are rumblings of yet another installment in the future (which is fine with me, they can continue making sequels until the end of time as far as I’m concerned). If you haven’t seen this movie I strongly urge you to do so as it truly is a horror classic. After watching it I guarantee you will never look at a curling iron the same way ever again.
If you haven't seen this movie, do not go any further and watch it yourself, but if you have already, then here's the plot of the movie:
In 1975, John Baker and his partner Lenny take John's children Angela and Peter on a boating trip near Camp Arawak. Angela and Peter prank their father by capsizing their boat. They attempt to swim ashore where Lenny is waiting for them, but camp counselor Mary Anna recklessly strikes John and one of the children with her speedboat, killing them both.
Eight years later in 1983, Angela lives with her eccentric aunt, Dr. Martha Thomas, and Martha's son Ricky. Aunt Martha sends Angela to Camp Arawak for the first time, along with Ricky, who had attended the camp before. Angela's introverted nature makes her a target for ridicule and bullying, mostly from her bunkmate Judy and their counselor Meg. Angela's other counselor Susie and the camp's head counselor Ronnie do what they can to help. 
The cook, Artie, attempts to molest Angela, but Ricky catches him, and Ricky and Angela run out. Later, an unseen figure causes Artie to knock over a pot of boiling water and scald himself. Camp owner Mel Costic calls it an accident.
When campers Kenny and Mike mock Angela, Ricky and his friend Paul fight them. Paul befriends Angela. When Kenny drowns, his death is ruled accidental at Mel's insistence, although Ronnie and police officer Frank express doubt. Paul asks Angela to attend a film with him. After campers Billy and Mike throw water balloons at Angela, Billy is stung to death when someone traps him in a bathroom stall and drops a hive in it. Mel suspects a killer is in the camp.
Angela and Paul's relationship is strained when Paul kisses her. Angela has a flashback to when she and her sibling witnessed their father in bed with Lenny. Angela recoils from Paul's advances and runs away. Judy seduces Paul, and Angela finds them kissing. Paul attempts to explain himself to Angela at the lake but Judy and Meg shoo him away and throw Angela into the water. After Ricky rescues Angela, children fling sand at them. Ricky comforts Angela and swears revenge on her aggressors.
Meg is stabbed to death in the shower while getting ready to meet Mel. At the camp social, Paul apologizes to Angela and she asks him to meet her at the waterfront later. Mel finds Meg's body and is convinced that Ricky is the killer. The children who threw sand at Angela and Ricky camp in the woods with their counselor Eddie. Two of them ask him to take them back to the camp. He returns to find the four remaining children hacked to death with his hatchet. Back at the camp, the killer enters Judy's cabin and murders her, inserting a hot curling iron into her vagina while smothering her with a pillow. The camp is thrown into a panic. Thinking Ricky is the killer, Mel beats him mercilessly, only to be shot in the throat with an arrow by the real killer.
Frank is called and searches with the counselors for the missing campers. Paul is at the beach with Angela, who suggests they go skinny dipping. Frank discovers Ricky unconscious but alive. Ronnie and Susie find Angela sitting on the beach and humming, with Paul, whose head appears to be resting on her lap as she strokes his hair. They are shocked when Angela jumps to her feet holding a hunting knife, dropping Paul's severed head. They discover that not only is she the killer, she is also a male.
It is revealed in a flashback that Angela died in the accident and Peter survived. After his Aunt Martha gained custody of him, she raised Peter as the girl she always wanted, since she already had son Ricky; Peter assumed Angela's name. Shocked, Ronnie exclaims, "How can it be? My God, she's a boy!" as the nude and blood-covered Peter/Angela stands before the horrified Susie and Ronnie, while letting out an animalistic growling sound.
Now, here's where my story begins.
If you go back and look at the ending scene of the film and see Peter's head all bandaged up, then resume the movie to see Peter as Angela, you can clearly see that there is a pattern taking shape here. Here's my theory; the reason why Peter resembles Angela, is because he had plastic surgery done on him by Aunt Martha, who's clearly insane. 
In the flashback, she says, "I've always wanted a little girl, but of course when my husband left," she cuts herself off by saying, "Oh, well, that's all water under the bridge as I always say, water under the bridge". You're starting to see a pattern here, right? According to my theory, Aunt Martha might have murdered her husband and hid the body, so she can get to Peter and lie about her husband's sudden disappearance. She also said, "We already have a boy, so, another one simply would not do, oh, no, absolutely not", so that means she also killed her son to replace him with Peter, who went under plastic surgery to resemble Angela. 
Those lines of dialogue already sets off some red flags about all of this, this has feminism written all over it, and there are clear signs of child mutilation (due to the fact that she had done plastic surgery on a little kid). Not only that, but she went as far as to rid herself of men, so that her, Peter/Angela, and her daughter Bridgette, takes over the family home. Not only did she commit murder, but fucked herself right up the ass with a spiked pillar about "having a little girl" in her life, when it's clear that this "girl" is a boy after plastic surgery - something that any child wouldn't even dare go through. It kind of hits you right there in the gut just thinking about it.
Now, we already have a batshit crazy aunt who murdered her husband and son, now what are we going to do with this Frankenstein Transvestite? Why, take him to a campground where he can be sexually molested and mentally and physically scarred for life, of course! This is where the events of the movie takes off, with Angela (Peter) getting bullied, raped by a pedophilic cook, and thrown in the water by Bitchy McTwatface - I mean, Judy, and her whore of a friend, Meg. Sorry, I mean, the characters in this movie are pessimistic, non-sensible, fury-inducing, loud-mouthed, bastard-screwing pieces of shit, but still, what do you expect from characters like this?
Anyway, back to my theory.
After all of the trauma Peter endured by her tormentors, he must've finally had some sort of complete mental breakdown, ran amok around Camp Arawak, and butchered them right-and-left. Y'see, the human mind can take up so much abuse, until it finally gets to the point where that person snaps. It's critical for anyone to endure that much and go whacko like that. Pretty grim if you ask me.
So, once you watch Sleepaway Camp, just remember what happens behind closed doors. Because what happens at the movies, stays at the movies.
Category:Theory
Category:Movies & TV
Category:Short
Category:YOUR ASS STINKS