But, with all that being said, as alluded to, the film mostly works quite brilliantly. For one, all the actors know the exact kind of production they are in and are having fun. Matthew Sharpe is a lot of fun to hate as the intense Zach, while Leahy makes Tiffany likable from the jump. Everyone’s comedic timing is excellent, and they sell the horrific predicament of their characters quite well. But really, this is Kerr’s show, and he shows off his considerable talents in a number of ways.
For starters, Bloody Summer Camp is next to impossible to predict, with there being several strong and likely candidates for who the murderer is (maybe it is all of them). This allows the narrative to have true stakes and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat, trying to piece the who and why together. But the most crucial part of the film, that the thing that pushes the title from “horror release of the week” on a Wal-Mart shelf to a must find for gorehounds, is the make-up and gore effects.
“…unbelievably stunning effects that even major studio releases wish they could rival.”
Slasher 15, Kerr’s production company, employs Amber Fulcher as the special effects and make-up head. She is a true artist, creating jaw-dropping effects that look spooky and realistic on a very small budget. A burnt skeleton, in the beginning, appears to be an actual corpse, while an arrow through a person’s head, later on, is a shocking moment and visually brilliant effect. To list every single impressive make-up effect would just be naming and describing every kill, which would ruin the fun of the film.
Bloody Summer Camp is not always as funny as it thinks it is, and it runs far too long. But, David Kerr makes the most of what he can, with a solid group of actors and a rather fun slasher story with some ingenious red herrings (the ending works wonderfully; no spoilers, trust me). And it is all brought to gory life by some unbelievably stunning effects that even major studio releases wish they could rival. For slasher fans, the film has everything they want in a horror title.
"…next to impossible to predict..."
