SPIRIT CAMP
Sub-Genre- Slasher
Cast Members of Note- Kerry Beyer, Julin, Katy Rowe, Roxy Vandiver, Alyssia Djumovich and Megan Moser.
What's it About?- Slutty cheerleaders getting what they deserve... is there a better premise for a slasher movie? They're slutty, snotty, catty, and dumb. They smoke weed, drink, and have premarital sex. They're almost begging to be killed off by a masked maniac in horribly painful ways, right?
The airhead, the slut, the bitch, the rebel, and the token fat chick head off into the woods to attend some cheerleader camp that enrolls only 6 people per summer, which just seems like solid business sense to me. Everyone one else needed for your typical slasher flick is in place as well; the creepy handy man, the handsome local with the heart of gold, the concerned sheriff who has "seen this before", a maniac who recently escaped from prison, and a bunch of gay male cheerleaders. Also, there's a suspicious deer that appears in the woods from time to time, and I don't completely trust him.
Needless to say, the cheerleaders are picked off one by one by a mysterious killer, and no one really seems to realize everyone else is missing until the third reel of the film. Has the maniac returned to claim more victims? Is the mongoloid handyman more than he seems? Will there be any lesbian sex at all? I don't know about any of that, but I will say that I still have the images of a gay marshmallow-filled tickle fight burned into my retinas.
The Good- I was really expecting this movie to suck, and it really should have; low budget, relatively unknown cast and director, the same premise that has been used in every slasher film ever made... so imagine my surprise when it didn't suck, and actually managed to entertain me.
I have to give credit to this Kerry Beyer guy, because who in the hell is he? He came out of nowhere, did basically everything on this movie himself (including starring in it), and managed to make a better horror movie than most other people have this year, with what I'm guessing is a small fraction of their budget. It's cheap, but it doesn't really feel cheap. It's cheesy, but that's because it's a nod to the cheese-filled slasher of the 80's, and that nod is given with love and respect. Bottom line is it's just well made, well acted and fun.
I am not kissing this movie's ass, just giving it a little love because it deserves it. There's plenty about the movie that could have been better, but the fun of the whole thing made the good outweigh he bad. It's a slasher flick. You just have to take it for what it is and enjoy.
The Bad- How the dumb ass cheer instructor couldn't see how blatantly homosexual her man-partner was, is beyond me. Come to think of it, every male cheerleader in this flick was fantastically flaming, and none of the dumb ass girls had a clue, which made seducing them rather impossible. Was the marshmallow licking scene not gay enough for any woman to realize that these boys weren't into her? Oh well. Sorry girls. At least one of you had the sense to pack a jelly dong to help you through the lonely nights.
The Downright Horrendous- The fact that Katy Rowe did not get naked in this movie is a travesty of epic proportions. She was playing the slut for God's sake, and sluts get naked because it's just in their nature! It's in their DNA! We have been cheated folks. They're just boobs Katy. Stop being a prude.
The Naked- Roxy Vandiver shows us her goods, but Julin and Katy Rowe apparently missed the boat to fun town. Thanks Roxy, at least you care about making guys happy, if only for a few seconds.
The Gory- Typical cheesy slasher goodness abound in this one, including throat slashing, stabbing, beheading, axe wounds... it all felt very 80's style to us, which was fun.
Best Line- "You know, if you just wanted to tie me up and fuck me, all you had to do was ask!"
What did we learn?- Nothing that we haven't learned before in every other slasher flick we've ever seen, except that Katy Rowe is hot and needs to play more slutty cheerleaders.
The Master Says- B (8.0/10) Surprise, surprise, this movie was a pretty fun watch and left us feeling satisfied. It's far from perfect, but you can see the heart and care that went into making this movie, which coupled with solid acting and hot chicks, makes for a pretty good slasher flick. It may not be an instant classic, but if you like your slasher to have that old school feel, then definitely check this one out.Final Thoughts- Whose magnificent ass is this? Take a gander at the post below and find out!
