Spirit Camp (2009)

Waste of time

That was an excellent one.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

SPIRIT CAMP is a little better than I'd hoped for, what with it being a no-budget independent horror film and all. This one's a slasher that heavily copies Friday the 13th, replacing the summer camp locale with a cheerleader camp set in the isolated woods. This means that almost the entire cast is female with just a couple of guys in support.The gender reversal twist is probably the most interesting part of this story, as are the attempts at characterisation that you don't normally see. Certainly the slasher aspects are predictable and the gore quite cheap and disappointing. The acting is average but not the worst I've seen, and at least the actresses are making a genuine effort here. I can't call SPIRIT CAMP a good film, but at least you get the impression that the filmmakers tried their best here.

A group of cheerleaders head to cheerleader camp to strengthen their skills for a shot at nationals. Unfortunately for them, there's also a crazy coverall-clad killer in the woods intent on picking the ladies off one by one. Sound familiar? Probably yes, since we've seen it all before. Spirit Camp borrows heavily from its predecessors and doesn't really bring much new to the table. The gore starts off well but drops to mostly offscreen deaths as things go on, and the acting is uneven - some of the cast seem to be playing it straight while others ratchet up the camp. Roxy Vandiver is a standout as bad girl Nikki, whose past is not what it seems. Spirit Camp works when it's moving along on retro slasher mode or when Nikki is on screen. The lame attempts at humor are mostly painful and the last act could have used some tightening, but you could do worse if you are looking to scratch your slasher itch.

The film I thought took me back to the older horror films when it was just basic people trying to escape a psycho killer. But the real thing that makes this film so good is the smart comedy mixed in, it is a horror, comedy, you can watch over and over again. It is one of those horror films which also doesn't need loads of special effects because it's so good anyway, and it just never gets boring, it will have you glued to the screen. Some people may think the acting is a bit low rated because the actors are not super well known, but who cares? If you liked other films such as Friday the 13th or Halloween then this is the sort of film you need to be watching. The film picked out a cast of characters that really work well with each other, if they had used different actors the film would of been ruined.

I have been a fan of low budget horror my whole life and as a longtime fan of the genre, you really don't expect much when you hear "low budget horror film." Things are different now. If you weren't aware that Spirit Camp was a low budget horror film, you'd never know it when viewing the movie. It easily looks like a multimillion dollar effort.Technically, the film looked perfect. The cinematography, sound, shot composition, direction all first rate. And when I learned the history of this project, that not only did Kerry Beyer write, produce, direct and perform in Spirit Camp, but he was also the cinematographer, editor, sound editor and did the digital effects himself, it almost redefines "indie" -- he almost did everything himself.The acting is a lot better than it needed to be as well. The leads and co-stars are great, and there are some great actors in bit parts.If you are a horror fan, especially fan of classic slasher films, you should catch Spirit Camp if it comes to your city.