A group of young adults are invited back to a campground called Camp Paradise while being there as teenagers on a summer camp vacation but a deadly legend resides there as a mentally challenged boy was caught on fire by spontaneous combust due to the place once being an indian burial ground.
Yet this boy's body was never found and the camp now has a death curse as these people start getting slayed one by one by some monstrous looking maniac.
The beginning looks confusing with some people speaking in different takes solo and then some flames happening but that added mystery to the formula. Yet I knew I was gonna be watching a bad film by how it was all put together.
Well we have interactions with young adults after receiving invitations to go back to the camp as this looked unnatural and seemed forced to do this while the camera was rolling showing how amaterusih this all looked.
Also we spot people dancing at one of the camp's cabin which could've looked a bit more convincing on a group of people partying out but I've seen worst.
Also we have a typical asshole by the name of Dean just saying nasty things to the others which of course we often have those types in a slasher film knowing that he will get his in the end. All of this seemed a bit rusty by how things were processing here but oh well.
There was a young couple whom was heading outside as we see tons of fog in their area at night which looks phony as it was supposed to have an eerie night touch to it. They looked like smoke devouring the area as the effects for this needed alot of improvement. However there were perfect cute touches when they go to a barn and spend time with some kittens residing there. Also we have a killing moment with two of them as we spot slow motion moments as this was supposed to look effective but this lacked a great deal. We've seen better slaying on a teenage couple before.
There's even a scene where the lead character Laura goes into a room and lights candles and draws blood on her body while being in a bathtub as there's cheesy looking dark shots on her doing all of this trying to add some mysterious moments here. All of this looked quite trashy though.
There's a nice focused discussion though between the characters Shawn and Tak on what had happened there which seemed to make the film look a bit better but yet when the flashback sequence occurs it slopes quite a bit as we spot the mentally challenged Mathew being taunted by the girls as this looked way too set out and wooden as usual as well as poor writing when he gets upset and runs away into the barn. However some interesting cheesy red lighting effects when he's in the barn and runs out in flames. Howeve rthe editing for slow motion moments within this that mainly focused on his sister Laura screaming in terror looked terribly amateurish.
We do have a nice shot on a girl trying to trap herself in a vehicle after encountering some killings in a barn with the killer grabbing her crashing through a back window and pulling her away but this takes too long when this moment starts to happen as the editors should've done something about it on the cutting room floor.
There are many nice takes on the killer standing looking dark while about to attack his next victim.
Of course in the story we have people showing off their skin in a sauna making out or another one massaging their lover in which this looked too set out and cheesy to watch with their discussions. Pretty corny stuff indeed. There's also a moment when the killer comes in and is about to kill someone in a shocking way which also takes way too long while shooting this piece.
There's also some effective moments with the asshole character Dean trying to get away from the killer by climbing over a fence and then this killer electrocutes him when he clings onto the fence on the other side as this looked like a good killing moment even if there were cheesy moments while watching all of this.
A nice dark moment with Laura revealing her darkest secret towards Shawn as the setting looked fairly decent with all of this happening but again it's not a surprise since things seemed obvious with this character beforehand by all the things that she did. However none of these scene's saved the film from bombing.
Bottom line is that this was another film that tried to cash in the Friday the 13th franchise with having a similar type of plot but failing by a longshot and being a complete ripoff. Not worth wasting your time on folks although they had the same location from part 3 which looked pretty but that's about it. It was also filmed the same year but 5 years got released which it either got shelved or took a long time in post with alot of issues happening like Return to Sleepaway Camp did. The makers of this film made an Evil Dead type ripoff 3 years later titled Demon Wind but that one was alot better. I could see why this grindhouse flick was obscure and almost forgotten.
The acting is terrible but lead actress Rhonda Gray (Laura) seemed to pull her weight farily well into her role with her soft speaking and seemed to concenrtrate well by what was going on around her. She also does a nice job acting disturbed or mysterious during some dark moments with the scene's involving her. Yet she at times overly does it. Does a nice job with her icy speaking as well as acting vicious near the end of her performance and seemed to study this scene fairly okay. She also had the perfect deceiving hot girl next door type of looks too which was a good bonus to her role.
Brad Bartrum (Shawn) played the clean cut heartthrob in the flick as his looks did more than his performance which seeme dto fall flat pretty much which wasn't surprising that he didn't do other gigs that none of us were aware of. He tried his best as you could tell but was stiff whenever he tried to get into any types of characteristics whatsoever. Shows nice expressions to whatever happens in the story but that's about it.
Devon Jenkin (Julie) seemed to catch your attention somewhat as the virgin type in the flick who was the good girl since there's always that types in a slasher flick and seemed to do what she had to in order to pull this off. Sometimes though she was a bit stiff and wooden like the rest of the cast with her reactions like to screaming or freaking out. However she seemed energetic at times too. Showed great wide eyed and shocked expressions when the terrors start to occur around her and was fairly energetic too while trying to struggle out of a barn window near the end of her performance putting what she had into this.
Robert Padilla (Kane) was probably the best male actor in the film as someone whom is hard headed and convincingly good with his bitter attitude holding a grudge against on what had happened there in which he seemed to show the true craft as a mysterious caretaker with a native indian background. Does a nice job while warning other in a creepy type of fashion too. He rolls with the punches quite well here. Shows good energy within all his aggressions.
Heather Sullivan (Cheri) seemed a bit over the top with her performance as one of the dimwitted types. Does a convincing job with her passive and serious attitude along with her sarcasm but yet when she's supposed to act anxious or freaking out as well as screaming in terror this really lacked as she needed a bit more energy within this and was a bit off on her blocking as well.
Kenneth Roper Jr. (Dean) had the right brawny jock type looks to portray a typical everyday asshole but when he shows off his arrogant attitude it seemed a bit too forceful. However he appealed well onto the camera which is a compliment for sure. Just needed some lessons on how to improve within all of this. He also does a fairly nice job with his energy while trying to get away from the onscreen killer along with using profanity while thinking he got away beofre his last performance here which looked fairly natural. Nice pat on the back for him by trying at least.
Darryl Tong (Tak) was another one who you could tell that really tried to do what he had to do within his part but just couldn't seem to pull it off and another one of those below mediocre performers. Yet he seemed to draw in well while telling the flashback story but that was about it. Sorry dude you weren't cut out to be in the acting business I must say.
Cleve Hall (Mathew) was a bit off during the beginning here in the flashback sequence when he portrays a mentally challenged one as he wasn't convincing while doing this and looked like he was trying to be one as it didn't show off at all. He seemed try to work hard by what he did though. He shows great energy with his meancing attitude though while going in for the kill with his onscreen vicitms so there were some good pointers for this guy.
A woman strips it down while getting ready for bed with her breasts and crotch briefly revealed.
Different scene's with the main character undressing with candles around her breasts fully revealed and her vagina briefly exposed and butt shot as well.
More breasts revealed along with their briefly nude boyfriends getting it on in a sauna.
An arm is ripped off.
Bloodied bodies are revealed in a barn.
A head is ripped off.
Person's face is bloodily scarred from a heated rock in a sauna.
Bloody stabbings.
A woman stabs herself with a razor.
Person gets bloodily electrocuted by a metal fence.
Person gets impaled by a pitchfork.
The music by Bruce Wallenstein sounds terribly outdated in some areas and toned out too with the synthesizer playing,. There are times he does have some nice cheesy ghostly sounds to it though. Plus there's a scene when everyone returns to the campground and we hear some twangy accoustic guitar playing fitting the scene on a hot summer day. Some irritating screechy type sounds are used too which got on my nerves. Yet there was some good rock guitar riffs and drumbeats for the chasing moments which adds some nice flavor to the low budget terror here and there. However it was a bit too much at times. |
