Sleepaway Camp: Making the Movie and Reigniting the Campfire

by Jeff Hayes

In 1983, Robert Hiltzik’s Sleepaway Camp was quickly disregarded by film reviewers. Variety called it a “tired version of teen oriented horror film formulas," The Philadelphia Enquirer "had more thrills untangling paper clips," and The Cincinnati Post branded it "more horrible than horrifying." But fans saw something different. Very different. 40 years since its release, the film’s unique blend of horror, tongue-in-cheek comedy, sexuality, and gender roles—along with an ending to end all endings, was seemingly ahead of its time. Sleepaway Camp is now discussed and debated more than when it was initially released. Longtime official Sleepaway Camp webmaster, writer, and filmmaker Jeff Hayes goes behind the scenes like never before, revealing the development and making of the film, its immediate aftermath, and the more than four decades of fandom since its release. This definitive Sleepaway Camp compendium includes interviews with much of the cast and crew (with many new exclusives), more than 75 production and memorabilia images (including previously unreleased on-set stills), and takes you backstage to the reunions, retro screenings, and convention events that have united fans and reignited interest in this beloved horror tale. Two sequels later, plus Hiltzik's retcon film Return to Sleepaway Camp , Sleepaway Camp continues to resonate in a big way with ’80s film buffs, global horror fans, and the LGBT community, all of whom enjoy their horror films…with a twist. Welcome to Sleepaway Camp . Meet you at the waterfront, after the social.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror

310 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

Jeff Hays is a voice actor with tremendous range, a producer and narrator of more than 100 audiobooks, a musician and composer, and Founder & CEO of Soundbooth Theater. Jeff has always loved the arts. He grew up immersed in media – from novels, film, and music to tabletop RPGs and videogames. His natural creativity coupled with unrelenting ambition led him to launch Soundbooth Theater right at the crossroad of all these mediums.

Reviews

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If she were any quieter, she'd be dead!"

My first experience with Sleepaway Camp is one that I’ll never forget. I was no older than eight years old and I loved horror movies. What caught my attention was the bloody knife going through a shoe on the cover. I was glued to the screen as things unfolded. Then the ending showed itself and my eyes got wide with fright as chills ran down my spine and goosebumps ran up my arms. I’ve got goosebumps right now as I’m writing this. That end will always terrify me.

Sleepaway Camp was one of those movies that critics seemed to hate but I loved. It was different than what was being released at the time but people seemed to compare it to a lot of popular horror. Watch and judge for yourself.

This book takes us on a journey of how the movie came to be, behind the scenes while filming, and the chokehold it has on horror lovers around the world. It also includes never seen before photographs. It was a fantastic read with lots of information about the film. Hayes dug deep to get the fans what they’ve always wanted to know about this cult classic. It’s a must read for any Sleepaway Camp fan.

Just remember that if you go to Sleepaway Camp… you won’t be coming home.

[Rick Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read full of anecdotes and rarely seen photos of the behind-the-scenes of this cult classic.
A must have for ‘80’s horror fans, and aficionados of low budget film making.

[Brandon Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and interesting look at a heavily criticized movie when it first hit to a beloved film with a amazing fan base.

The quest to find the people originally involved, the surprise and love of them finding out there horror film was so popular and the dealing with Anchor Bay, The Red Cross, Alamo drafthouse, and Shout! Are fun moments.

Fan of the movie? Behind the scenes information? Even the franchise? Give this a read.

[Alex Schulz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fine. It may be a little too self-serving toward the author in my mind because I would’ve preferred more direct interviews with the people involved (not to discredit his involvement either). I’m still glad something like this exists in some capacity.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch movies. All of them. Then read

[Dope Ghost Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been skimping severely on logging books on this site. But I had to get this one down; an in-depth book that covers the behind the scenes production of the 1983 classic slasher Sleepaway Camp- absolutely Heaven! Entertaining and insightful from beginning to end, kept me invested the whole read. Author Jeff Hayes did his research and conducted countless interviews to make this book possible and it shows!

[Joshua Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was amazing to see where fandom can take a person. From sharing the movie with friends, to sharing it with the internet, to playing a pivotal role in reuniting the cast for events Jeff really did see his fandom come full circle. Some awesome insights into one of the best horror movies of the 80s with one of the greatest endings of any movie ever. A quick painless read that was very enjoyable

[Jim Mickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and thorough read with a twist. This book starts off detailing how the original film was made with a whole bunch of never before seen photographs from behind the scenes and insights from cast and crew on how the most memorable aspects were achieved. It was nice to see a Sleepaway Camp product that wasn't just focused all about Felissa Rose and her portrayal of writer Robert Hiltzik's Angela character who was eventually played by Pamela Springsteen in the sequels. Throughout the book you hear from many voices behind the films most notably some crew that have never spoken about the film before in interviews. A bit after halfway through, you follow the journey that the author took to bring the film out from behind the shadows of so many other slasher films. Starting with his creation of a website to tracking down almost everyone involved to do interviews and commentaries and conventions. It's a fascinating journey of how Sleepaway Camp was brought back and how 40 years later it is bigger than ever. The sequels are discussed but this book mainly focuses on the original.

[David Denoyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very passionate & informative look into the creation & legacy of SLEEPAWAY CAMP, through the eyes of its number one super fan. The lengths that Jeff Hayes went to in bringing fans together but also locating multiple cast & crew in the early days of conventions is nothing short of incredible. A quick read but an inspirational one at what you can do when you truly love something as simple as an 80s slasher film.

[Michael Sowinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read for anyone like me that was amused and shocked by the movie Sleepaway Camp. For long time fans it gives a nice behind the scenes look at some of the happenings in this franchise over the last 20+ years. From the release and disappearance of the Anchor Bay DVD box set, the release of Return to Sleepaway Camp and the Shock Factory Blu Ray release.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, fun look at a cult classic. If you haven’t seen Sleepaway Camp or have and don’t really remember it, this’ll do nothing for you. I think the second half, about the author’s own involvement in the franchise and resuscitating it, was really interesting.,

[Elias Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative! Wish it touched more on the sequels but that's not a negative on the overall book.

[Jessica Carver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so insightful. As a fan of the series, I still learned so much I didn't know before.