| Summer Camp Nightmare (1987) aka The Butterfly Revolution |
| This largely forgotten camp film from the 80s has fascinated me for some time. I first picked it up at the video store in the horror section when I was on a big camp slasher kick, hoping for something along the lines of Friday the 13th or Sleepaway Camp. The cover threw me for a bit of a loop though, as it featured an angry looking kid holding a handgun. This wasn't quite the typical slasher MO, as you can't do a whole lot of slashing with it. This probably explains why it was one of the last camp looking movies I rented from the store. Beggers can't be choosers though, and it did feature a screaming girl on the cover as well some hot looking girls wearing negligee...not to mention an ominous sounding tagline, but we'll get that later. |
| The first time I watched the movie, I have to say I was a little bit let down. To begin with, I wasn't expecting a PG-13 film (shame on me for not reading it off of the back), and I certianly wasn't expecting this type of story. It really is dangerous ground to toy with a viewer's expectations. Nonetheless, I found the movie somewhat engaging and did feature a familiar face in the form of Tom Fridley from the previous year's Friday the 13th Part 6. |
| Well, now that I'm sure everyone reading is well versed in what i was expecting from Summer Camp Nightmare, I'll move on to what I actually got. I got a pretty good movie, somewhat loosely based on the William Butler novel, The Butterfly Revolution. As it often happens in novel to film adaptations, ideas are severely condensed and several characters are either combined or completely ommited. Sometimes this works - the lead character's brother isn't really needed in the film, other times it's disappointing - most notably in the absence of Don Egriss and George Merridel. |
| The basic story structure remains intact, as the events come to us loosely in the form of a diary kept by the lead character (who's name is inexplicably changed from Winston Weyn to Donald 'Duck' Poultry ?!?). Now being set tin the 80s, Duck records the events on a giant tape recorder diary instead of the traditional handwritten counterpart. Anyway, as we arrive at camp we are introduced to the boys of Camp High Pines and the girls across a dilapidated rope bridge at Camp South Pines. We also meet the new tyrannical camp director, Mr. Warren (Chuck Connors). Mr. Warren has rigged the only television in camp so that it only receives a religious channel and has also set up a meditaion center where the campers can voluntarily go for quiet study or involuntarily for breaking any of his rules. |
| It doesn't take long to realize that Mr. Warren is very out of touch with today's youth. No one realized this more than the enigmatic new kid, Franklin. Franklin is disgusted by how the camp is being run, as many of the camp activities revolve around what he considers to be childish things like butterfly hunts. He's finally pushed over the edge when he's forced to put down his copy of Civil Disobedience in order to save Duck from drowning while none of the real counselors are paying any attention (if only he could have been at Camp Crystal Lake in 1957, with the very same copy of Civil Disobedience...). |
| Franklin gets to work quickly, organizing a revolution to take over the camp and lock the conselors up in the meditation center. The revolution starts out in the name of fun and freeing one of the kids who was locked up in the meditation center for smooching a girl from South Pines. So before you can chant 'FREE CHRIS WADE' 26 or so times Franklin and a bunch of the bigger kids have locked up the counselors from both camps and a coed party is in full swing. As the revolution wears on, things start to deteriorate as gradually as can be expected in an 89 minuted movie. The revolution turns from fun to serious as most kids pledge loyalty, and some events take a violent and tragic turn. The climax seems a bit sudden, but no so much as it did in Butler's source novel. |
| Summer Camp Nightmare is one of those films that my opinion on varries greatly depending on when you ask me about it (assuming that you would in fn fact ask me about it). As I said earlier, I was abit let down the first time I watched it. I was interested enough however to pick up a copy of the book it was based on (review coming soon). I found the book completely engaging, and have read it several times since. Each time I read the book, I rewatch the movie. Each time I rewatch the movie, I think a little more of it. It's strongest points come from the authentic feel of kids playing kids their own age. In that respect it feels like Sleepaway Camp, though it's more technically sound and slightly better acted. It's probably best enjoyed as a slice of 80s fun. Most people will have a good time laughing at the clothing styles, behavior, and especially the talent show ('she wants my BEEF BEEF BEEF, BEEF BOLOGNA!). In the end, I think the best attribute Summer Camp Nightmare is that it never fails to entertain on one level or another and is completely engaging throughout it's runnning time. That's far more than a lot of movies can boast. |
| The obvious comparisson's to the novel are very tough on the movie. As is usually the case, the novel has much more depth and comes across far less hokey. For commercial purposed in 1987 I think that it was a wise move to change the setting and condense the story. It creates a necessary seperation between the two works and gives them each an entity of their own. I think a more faithfull adaptation would certainly be interesting, but given the current film climate I think we would be subjected to an OC-like melodrama. |
| I give this one 3 1/2 Runk the Punks out of 5 |
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| review by Joe Canistro 2/23/2005 |