Love it or hate it, the original Friday the 13th ushered in the era of the promiscuous-teens-stalked-by-murderous-psychopaths/monsters-while-at-camp trend (more commonly referred to as the slasher pic), which prevailed in cinemas throughout the early eighties. One of the lesser-known entries to follow in Friday’s bloody wake was the cult classic Sleepaway Camp, which is now getting a 21st century makeover courtesy of ex-Fox/New Line executive Jeff Katz.
Sleepaway Camp spins the wicked tale of Angela (Felissa Rose), who is spending her summer at the idyllic titular camp when a deranged lunatic begins offing kids at the campground in gruesome fashion. The film is notorious for its infamous twist ending which to this day, manages to shock and surprise.
Katz intends to reboot the basic premise of Sleepaway Camp in “a modern setting with a new film series that echoes its legacy and the psychosexual elements that made the first pic such a memorable cult favorite.”
As an added bonus, Shout Factory made the intriguing announcement today that it will release the original Sleepaway Camp on Blu-Ray this spring. This too, is good news for fans of the film, as Shout Factory no doubt will refurbish the title in exemplary fashion and include a multitude of bonus features.
Though it clearly isn’t the most popular film out there, and while it’s likely a film that many of you are unfamiliar with, the fact that producers are paying homage to Sleepaway Camp by remaking it for modern audiences is testament to the film’s enduring legacy and cult-status amongst genre fans.
Tell us, are you familiar with this cult classic? If so, are you happy that it’s being remade? Let us know in the comments below.