The best filmmakers know how to take advantage of even the most limited of budgets and resources. Citing the lack of sufficient funding as rough cut editing is an invalid argument; it is already obvious to the writers and directors that such limitations result in less than optimal outcomes. However, that is not to say that the film lacks impact. In fact, the low budget quality of either film’s cinematography or performance has its fair share of appeal. That is certainly true for Thomas Walton’s camp slasher knockoff Camp Pleasant Lake where it incorporates trademarks of Friday the 13th and Scream in order to make itself a worthy slasher movie in its own right.
The Meadows Family tragedy also happened in Camp Pleasant Lake about 20 years ago. Echo was taken away by force, and her parents were ruthlessly killed. The brother Jasper mysteriously disappeared into the forests and was never seen again. In present times, the horor camp owned by the Rutherfords draws adults of all ages to be part of a gory movie.
Each year, campers flock to Camp Pleasant Lake in hopes of seeing someone suffer an agonizing and violent death. According to myth, Echo comes alive during the Halloween season and masacres innocent bystanders with her sword, leaving behind mangled corpses. But this year’s Halloween is not like other years. There’s a killer on the loose; could it be Echo who has finally come to take her revenge? Or perhaps there’s another killer with an insatiable hunger for mass murder.
Featuring Jonathan Lipnicki (Stuart Little) and Bonnie Aarons (The Nun), Camp Pleasant Lake is far from pleasant, meaning there is no shortage of blood spattering gore for those who are interested. With meta humor, in the same vein as Scream, the film knows how ridiculous the premise is, a horror set by the lake, but revels in the slasher genre and its archetypes without shame.
The campers’ penchant for self parodying amidst the killer’s foreboding voice adds drama as does the ridiculous line deliveries. The film has all the components needed to create a mouth watering feast for every slasher lover; an amazing soundtrack, gory special effects and great practical effects.
The film has a problem with flashbacks, especially the backstory which is the major weakness, however, when the story is in the present, it is much better. A weekend of well planned murders becomes a surreal wasteland that would do credit to any of the Sleepaway Camp spin offs. If you’re looking for a movie for a sweatshirt and popcorn type of Friday, make sure you scratch Thomas Walton’s latest off the list.
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