Hey gang, Valkor here. The month of October is probably one of the coolest months there is; for starters, you get that crisp weather, which is a much-needed relief for us folks here on the east coast. Then there’s pumpkin everything. And lastly, there’s Halloween and everything related, which is where we'll start with this next piece. Coming to the MediaView stage is a film that’s as wacky as “ThanksKilling” or even “Attack of the Killer Donuts” and beyond! Check it out, it’s “Camp Death III in 2D”. And it’s one of the campiest, most over the top horror spoofs I’ve ever seen.
The story of Camp Death III kicks off 3 years prior to the film's main event at a place called “Camp Crystal Meth”. During that time there was a string of murders that ended with a killer named “Johann Van Damme” getting popped by an unknown woman and a puppet pretending to be Johan’s mother. Ever since then the camp has been closed up until now when it’s officially reopened for the criminally insane. With those in charge of the camp, you have head counselor Todd (David Peniuk), his love interest Rachel (Angela Galanopolous), who also brings along some extra drama of her own, and owner of the camp Uncle Mel (Darren Andrichuk). And as far as the “campers” go… well, they’re just a ragtag bunch that don’t matter so much since they’ll be all wind up dead anyway. But the way they’re presented, it’s like they were meant to be slasher killer fodder.
No sooner do the campers settle in (if you can call it that), do the killings start up again; not only that, but Johan Van Damme kills each camper in a unique fashion (no one killing is alike). The Star Wars Speeder/Tron-esque bike sequence is probably the most ridiculous and out of place, but in my opinion, it’s probably the funniest with it’s almost “Looney Tunes” predictable shenanigans going on. But what's going on? Who or what is behind the killings and who'll make it out alive? For that, you'll have to wait and see how this one plays out because even if I detail it here, you probably won't believe me. Yes, it's at that level of ridiculousness and more!
My face most of the time watching this film:
“Camp Death III in 2D” is something of a spoof of the original “Friday the 13th” films; and if you're a fan, you can easily spot sequences that clearly match up to certain scenes in the first three films; one scene, in particular, is the opening sequence, which is the ending of Friday the 13th part two, with a puppet acting as Johan’s beheaded mother that lures him to his death. But beyond that, is the world ready for 82 minutes of completely off the wall insanity?
The Good:
I didn’t think I was ready for "Camp Death III in 2D". But after sitting in the film a couple of times, I have to say this is one of the dumbest films I’ve ever had to watch – and I’ve sat through my share of dumb! But for Camp Death III, I don’t mean that in the negative as I’ve watched films equally silly and entertaining. And this film is definitely silly but quite entertaining! Camp Death III comes right out and says that it’s stupid (check out the tagline on the poster) and it means it! There’s never a moment where the film takes itself seriously; it can get frustrating and annoying at times as some scenes are just way too over the top. And I’ll admit there were many moments where I sat there slack-jawed through some of the more disturbing and perplexing moments of the film. However, there was never a point where I looked away as there’s so much “stuff” going on that it makes that undertaking quite difficult. One of my favorite scenes, though cringy to watch, has to be when Todd and the Australian chick kind of, sort of hooks up; the two were so all over the place that I didn’t know who was having sex with who or if they were even having sex at all. What the hell were they doing!? I don’t even… I won’t say much about the acting as it is what it is – wicked over the top and goofy, which matches up with everything else about this film. But I have to give a nod to the use of practical effects; there’s plenty of gore to go around. And given the budget that was used to make this film (35k), I’d say that’s a win in that department. In the end, Camp Death III is an experience that needs to be seen at least once. It’s a film that doesn’t take itself seriously at all, which could make for a Halloween funfest when you need a break from all the super serious horror!
The Bad:
That ending was straight up batshit crazy! Don't get me wrong, I liked the little twist, but everything beyond that with the floating head and the boat blasting off towards wherever is just… wow! Maybe that's a bit more than I can handle. Maybe. Thankfully, all this insanity happens at the end, but still, you have to sit through it. Be prepared!
The Ugly:
The scene with neck brace girl, the lesbian, and the chocolate. I’m not even lying, I think I threw up a little in my mouth!
Camp Death III in 2D doesn’t have a digital or physical home yet as it’s still making the festival rounds. But once it does, I’ll gladly update this review on where and how you can see this off the wall comedy/horror. I’ve sat through my share of ridiculousness, but this is one film that’s gone completely off the rails – and I loved almost every minute of it! So, out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving Camp Death III in 2D a 3.5.
