Main cast: Jonathan Lipnicki (Jasper Meadows), Michael Paré (Rick Rutherford), Robert LaSardo (Angel), Kelly Lynn Reiter (Echo Meadows), Mike Ferguson (Lucifer), Devanny Pinn (Harper), Christopher Sky (Mike Wilson), Maritza Brikisak (Darlene Rutherford), Tyrone Evans Clark (Julian), Greg Tally (Jonah Perrigo), Leila Almas Rose (Ruby Meadows), James Di Giacomo (John Meadows), William Delesk (Young Jasper Meadows), Lacey Burdine (Young Echo Meadows), Andrew Divoff (The Evil Man), and Bonnie Aarons (Esmeralda)
Director: Thomas Walton
You know, I really wish Michael Paré embraced his current career trajectory when he was in his prime hotness. He could have appeared as naked and hot as often as God is willing, and I would be such a happy person.
Sadly, while there’s no denying that he is still an attractive man, I didn’t see enough of that hot younger version of him showing me what he is blessed with from the day he was born.
Also, what is Andrew Divoff doing here? I know, I know, he hasn’t actually been doing much recently and he’s definitely no Kane Hodder, but still, he’s a genre legend in many ways, so he’s just slamming in a POS movie like this. It’s not worthy of him. I can only wish he gets to buy some nice things with the paycheck.
Aside from these two, Camp Pleasant Lake boasts the star power of that kid from Jerry Maguire all grown up now. I’m sure folks will be thrilled to know this, and will flock to watch this thing ASAP.
Judging from the title, I assume, without knowing anything else about this thing, that it’s either a parody of or a homage to famous slasher flicks that take place in a camp, like those Friday the 13th films, Sleepaway Camp and its sequels, The Burning, and the like.
Well, we head over to Camp Pleasant Lake, of course. It was originally shut down when two kids Echo and Jasper Meadows went missing and their parents were found brutally murdered. No matter, enterprising Rick and Darlene Rutherford have purchased and repurposed the camp into a horror adventure getaway place called, imaginatively, Camp of Terror.
The first bunch of adults have arrived to be the test subjects, including the less-than-impressed Jonah Perrigo from HandleWithScare.com, for everyone to discover whether the past shall return and enact a bloody sequel to the original homicide in the camp site…
Okay, there are some good things here. The story, while isn’t particularly original or compelling, is sound and could have been very interesting had it been executed better.
Also, the killer is pretty hammy yet menacing at the same time, and they are a pretty memorable aspect of this movie.
Oh, and Michael Paré is so hot here. Unlike in some of his previous movies, he’s slimmed down a lot, and that smile can still melt ice caps anytime. Sadly, he’s wasted in this movie as he doesn’t much have much to do.
None of the large cast of characters here have much to do, in fact. They are annoying cardboard characters defined by quirks or tics, existing only to eat up screen time until their inevitable demise.
This leads to my larger issue with this movie: the back story of the killer is far more interesting than the camp gimmick, and the better, more memorable, and menacing cast members—including that lady whose face is the evil demonic nun in those horrible, horrible movies and Mr Divoff—are those that make up the flashback scenes.
Unfortunately, this movie focuses so much on the current camp shtick that the most interesting aspects of this movie are never fully developed as a result. It places its priorities and bets on the wrong things, and is far less interesting as a result.
The kills aren’t bad, but at the same time, not very interesting either. Hence, whatever this one wants to be, it ends up being more of a watered down wannabe of a slasher flick. It could have been so much more and so much better, though, and that’s the biggest damn shame of it all.
