Where there is one sequel, there usually are more to be found, at least in the world of bad horror movies. This particular series descended rather quickly into mediocrity, so let's continue that trend with 'Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland.'
A tough teen is headed to camp. Before she is picked up by the bus, Angela (Pamela Springsteen) kills her and assumes her identity. She is now known as Maria.
At the camp which is the same one as from the previous movie, but renamed, we discover that it is a giant social experiment, combining underprivileged, troubled youth with wealthy kids from good neighborhoods. What is it meant to prove? Who knows?
Not content to hang out in cabins for an hour and twenty minutes, the story takes the campers and counselors out camping in the woods. First, they are divided into three groups to fish, set up a tent, start a fire, and to complete stupid trust exercises.
Of course, people start to misbehave and Angela takes the 'divide and slaughter' approach, offing them all one by one.
That's about it.
Angela remains committed to killing people whose behavior 'warrants' it. She makes a decision at the end which is a nice surprise, but this time around, it doesn't take much to get on her bad side. A few victims really did nothing wrong.
It seems unlikely that someone could shove a firecracker up someone's nose while they were sleeping and not wake them. Keep an eye out for a particularly embarrassing attempt at rapping. Angela's one-liners are out of control at this point, especially because they are unfunny puns. At least with the second movie, the overall tone was self-consciously campy. Here, a lot of the time it seems to want to be serious, but it slips and gets goofy out of nowhere.
The kills are also A LOT less inspired than the other entries. One or two of them are a little creative, but very little is shown. We are even shortchanged on most of the aftermaths. Maybe that's because of an even tighter budget or perhaps the production was rushed.
Again, the acting is terrible. Springsteen even seems to be a little bored throughout much of the story.
Special features include: a little extra footage and outtakes, some scenes from the director's cut, and a still gallery.
'Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland' continues the trend of diminishing returns with this series. If you saw the first two and want to spend more time with Angela and the great outdoors, have at it. Don't expect to be scared or overly amused, though.
Add an extra half star to this rating.
Rated R 80 minutes 1989
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