Campfire Stories (2001)

   

Directed by: Bob Cea, Andrzej Krakowski & Jeff Mazzola

Written by: Bob Cea

Starring:

Jamie Lynn Sigler .... Natalie
David Johansen .... Ranger Bill
John Hensley .... Donny
Joshua Harto .... Teddy
Charlie Day .... Joe
George Kmeck .... Patient/Janitor
Beckie King .... Petra
Kevin Thoms .... Robby
Mario Lavandeira .... Kenny
Mark Schnock .... Bobby
Tommy Nohilly .... Robbie
Eric Axen .... B.J.
Sunrise Coigney .... Michelle
Kenneth 'Little Hawk' Miller .... Two Feathers
Rob McElehnney .... Ricky
Kerry Butler .... Beatrice
Abigail Spencer .... Melissa
C.J. Wilson .... Deputy Horace Pell
Forbes March .... Kyle

Special Appearance:


The Misfits .... Themselves/Band

Release Date: Direct-to-DVD: October, 2001

 

Rating:

 

Two teens drive through the woods for a backwoods party and run into a beautiful young woman named Natalie (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) while they got a flat tire and wait for a tow truck so they meet up with a crazed forest ranger named Ranger Bill (David Johansen) and they set up a campfire and he tells them three spooky stories.

The first one is about a retarded mental patient (George Kmeck) who is getting tortured in an institution where he eventually murders some of the staff there and escapes to a highschool where he works there as a Janitor and a bunch of football jocks torment him and the patient injures one of them so they track him down at a forest as he kills all but the injured one which he takes him to the institution and tortures him to death.

The second story Ranger Bill tells them is about a group of punks who hang out at a diner where there's a bunch of elderly people hanging out there.
They run into a native indian and decide to follow him and kill him, then try to take his money and drugs but when they are stoned they see images of snakes and beetles forming out of them and then they turn elderly themselves as the indian legend says if you take their belongings they'll drain the life right out of you.

Then the third story Ranger Bill announces is a story about a girl who is convinced that someone is stalking her as she also sees a lipstick writings on her mirror of an obscene message and thinks that it is two pranksters she knows so she invites them over to do a truth or dare game then sets her roomate out to do some video taping like the Blair Witch Project and one by one they are hacked to death.

Then after Ranger Bill finishes the story the tow truck comes to pick up their car and then go to the backwoods party at a pub where the gothic punk band the Misfits are playing and the characters from Bill's story come to life there and kill the two boys.

 

The wraparound story looks very Are You Afraid of the Dark like but geared for grown up's instead of pre-teens as the setting looks great.

The first story during the very beginning looks dark and creepy with the killings happening in the asylum done by a mental patient as this chapter looked promising but then it takes place as a highchool when he disguises himself as a Janitor as the story looks too teenyboppish horror as well as in the woods.
The ending scene is truly creepy too between this dude and one of the mian character's Donny. I won't tell. This is a secret.

The second story is the best out of all with on how it was all done and the makers deserve an award for it and is totally watchable all the way through . You don't want to miss it.
The scene with all three characters Robbie, B.J. and Michelle looked great as bas ass killers.
Then there's an awesome set with a local native indian at his burial summoning up spirits of creatures to enter his soul which looked terrific with the cheesy computer effects.
Then the real fun happens when the three punks members getting high as they looked like they were really stroned and then seeing the hallucinations while they are stoned would really trip you out.

We have a nice moment in the third story especially on the main character Melissa when she suddenly reacts to some strange sounds outside of a house at night making the set creepy wondering what is out there.
We have a nice discussion inside the house with Melissa and Beatrice on how to get even with someone they encountered doing pranks on them which gives it a nice boost to a mysterious plot.
There's also a slapstick moment between Beatrice and Deputy Horace Pell when they first encounter one another which was right on target.
Then there's the truth or dare scenario hosted by Beatrice which makes you thinks that she's going to be the killer but it would be too obvious.
Then we have neat Blair Witch takes with a person video taping deadly scenarios and killing other people which looked wonderfully done.
There's a great intense moments with Beatrice and Melissa after they experience some corpses.

When we are at the end of the wraparound segment the pieces really come together which really looked inspirational including the cameo by the gothic punk band The Misfits.

Bottom line is that this is a no-budgeter but still an enjoyable one. I liked the last chapter the best as it is very mysterious and very Blair Witch style.
Some of the chapters are corny but some are greatly well done as this anthology blends both horror and comedy too.
All the chapters are sweet and simple.
The second chapter is the best as it offers horror and fantasy in one.
Although most horror antholigies suck this one is very good and one of my favourite anthologies.

The acting is average but we get to see our favourite Soprano's favourite TV actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Natalie) who seems to stand out well with her character.
David Johansen (Ranger Bill) who plays the Forest Ranger performs way too hokey as he is supposed to play a demented character but after watching the wraparound for a few times it was intentionally meant to be that way and he proves himself a worthy character actor.
During the first story actor George Kmeck (Patient/Janitor) does a fine job with his demented role making his character come to life as a mentally disturbed lunatic. He performance was greatly done with his expressionless looks and then performs menacing when he is about to kill.
However, the other actors like John Hensley (Donny) needs a bit of work but seems fine as a typical teenage bully jock.
In the second story we have great performances by all of the actors.
The one who stands out the most in my mind is Tommy Nohilly (Robbie) as he makes a great bad ass character.
Now the third one we have more fine perforances mainly by lead actress Abigail Spencer (Melissa) as she really gets into character with her frightening emotions of what is happeneing and is just plain terrific.
We have a goofy performance by C.J. Wilson (Deputy Horace Pell) as a dimwitted sherrif.
Kerry Butler (Beatrice) was also wonderful represeting herself as a vengeful character and is the best one out of all in this story

During the first story, some people are stabbed through a head and neck with a disecting knife in the first story and then a teen towards the end of it is about to be sawed and there's blood.

The final story we have bloodied corpses and a slit throat.

The music composed for this film was perfectly done and not the typical cheesy synthesizer playing as we hear some awesome guitar riffs in the second story with the wild effects happening involving the burial ground we have three dirfferent composers for each copater by Don Oriolo, Chris Stone and Lance Quinn.
There's a songtrack at the end of the wraparound story are performed by the gothic punk rock band the Misfits with "We're Waiting for You" .
We also have other songtracks by:
"Who Knows What Tomorrow Brings" by Flesh Puppets
"Welcome to my Hell" by Manic Cirkus
Sitting Tea" by Mighty Quinton
There's a Fungus Among Us" by Jimmy Suicide
"Were Gonna Need a Friend" by Bill Swaim
"Sahara Sunrise" by Felix and the Buzzcats