Tank’s Tricks ‘r Treats: 31 Scary Movies in 31 Days – Frankeweenie, The Hole, Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers

Hello Boils and Ghouls, it’s time for an update on the Tricks ‘r Treats challenge. I am slightly behind schedule but I always start out that way and finish strong.

Here are the links to the earlier entries in this series.

Today’s three movies exist at all different points on the spectrum. Let’s jump right into it.

Movie #3 – Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers

This campy horror sequel to the original 1983 feature is laced with doses of dark humor and blood-spattering special effects. Camp Rolling Hills is losing enrollment as the “bad teens” are being murdered in various gruesome manners.

Angela Baker (Pamela Springsteen, yes Bruce’s sister) is the moralistic camp counselor who tells people the campers have been “sent home.” The victims are beaten, slashed, choked, and one is even drowned in an outhouse as others die in creative and grisly ways. Renee Estevez stars as Molly, the heroine of the film who somehow manages to avoid being killed.

That’s the gist of the story.

And that’s about all there is to this movie. You are not watching these films for a story. This is about the kills. Not to sound morbid, but they are fun and ridiculous. This took a different approach than the first one, where you know who the killer is within the first 10-15 minutes. In part one, we have one of the most messed up finales in horror movie history.

If you don’t care about spoilers just Google Sleepaway Camp and then click on images… go ahead I will wait, you’ll see it.

Wow! Yeah, I know right?! Anyways this is a silly fun little slash ’em up good for the evening but forgetful in the long run. It’s still a treat but it gives ya a little gas in the long run.

Movie #4 – Frankenweenie

Based on Tim Burton’s 1984 short film. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town learn that getting a new life can be monstrous.

As of late I haven’t been too high on Tim Burton. As a kid he was my go-to director with Batman, Beetlejuice and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Frankenweenie is his return to form. A beautiful homage to the Universal Monsters and Godzilla films of the day. A sweet film with a bit of an edge, that doesn’t hold your hand with a story dealing with the death of pet.

In the final act we get the craziness that we have come to expect from Mr. Burton. I implore people to rush out and see this for the holidays. It is great big treat under your Halloween Tree.

Movie #5 – The Hole

From Gremlins director Joe Dante, a pair of brothers stumble upon a mysterious hole in their basement that leads to the darkest corridors of their fears and nightmares. This movie has been sitting on my shelf for 3 years. It has now finally seen the light of day.

When released to theaters it was shown in 3D, so there are some scenes blatantly done for its benefit. This film is a treat but not a great one. Maybe on of those caramel treats with the crème inside kind of treats. Basically this like a extended Goosebumps episode, it has its moments but not at all frightening. It’s PG-13 and its shows. Non offensive just not very memorable. So that was my weekend and now it’s time to play a little catch up.

What scary movies did you see this weekend?

Chris Tanski (@P0LISHPHEN0M) (the o’s are zeroes) lives in Rochester, NY & manages a movie theater. Being a child of the 80s, nothing gets him going more than a daily dose of movies from his childhood. They are his muse & inspire him to be a better human.