Camp Vamp

Elvira #2

by Elvira, John Paragon

The reluctant chaperon to the Happy Campers during a outdoor excursion, Elvira gets closer to nature than she is comfortable with and must rescue her charges from a legendary killer beast. Original.

Genres: Horror, Humor

48 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very preachy. I’m not into wearing fur, so I completely agreed with most of what she was saying, but I was expecting a humorous horror story, and what I ended up getting was an (extremely) heavy-handed morality tale that got so bogged down in all the preaching that it forgot to have much fun.

[Emmy Lou Musgrave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was the epitome of camp, literally lol. This time, Elvira gets dragged into a camping trip with a couple of teenage girls, who are essentially Girl Scouts. They go on a hike thru the woods, oop, but there a beast! Oh no! Horror and Hilarity ensue, obviously.

I didn't care for the ending of this one as much, but it was definitely a surprise twist!

[Danielle Klassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is what I lovingly refer to as a "bath reader". I'm not so comfortable on the beach but it would be a decent one to bring out there too if the sun is your thing. (Blech!) Basically this kind of book is the fast food of the literary world and Camp Vamp is a perfect example of everything that a bath reader should be. It's fun, it's quick and it's not really that challenging at all. Without giving anything away, I was a little surprised by the anti-fur/veggie friendly things I found in the book. I'm a veggie person myself and I felt these additions were a little heavy handed but it didn't take away from the book in my opinion and anyone who knows anything about Elvira probably won't be that shocked by her stance and attitudes anyway. In short, if you're looking for something deep and heavy, this is not your book. If you're looking for something short full of bad puns, a little gore and some general goofiness, by all means light your candles and climb in the bath with this one!

[Bobby Stringini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but lacking

I enjoyed Camp Vamp, but it lacked the B-horror vibe of Transylvania 90210. It felt more like a teen comedy with a monster thrown in at the end. Still, the whole thing goes by so fast that you are never bored, and Elvira is as glorious always. Even with the shift in tone she feels like the real deal. If you enjoyed the first Elvira book I'd recommend it, but this isn't a must read, even for the die hard Elvira fans.

[Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too long ago I watched Elvira: Mistress of the Dark for the first time and something just clicked. Suddenly, I saw Elvira for what she is: a genius. I quit my job, flushed my goldfish, told the wife and kids I was going out for smokes, and ever since I’ve been following Elvira across the country in a Winnebago cheering her on as she does her spooky Valley girl schtick from one haunted hill town to the next. Nah. But I did greedily gobble up all things Elvira*. These campy 90s novels, for some reason, were the hardest to track down.

At first I was a little disappointed with the PG13-ness of it all, but Elvira’s trademark wit shone through and in the end it was closer to an R rating anyway. Elvira and co-writer John Paragon really know how to tell a fun, breezy little story. They could probably teach RL Stine a thing or two about chapter cliffhangers and fake outs, and that’s saying something. Recommended!

*Check out Elvira’s TV pilot featuring this mind-numbingly moronic and uproarious line: a guy introduces himself as Chip and she asks, “As in potato?”

[Andrew Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, then this book is for you! This book was originally written in the '90s and I'm so glad I found it on Kindle! In this story, there's stereotypical teenage girls, monsters, a creepy old timer, a cool park ranger, a skull, and skinny dipping! This is a campy, over the top, pulp fiction paperback masterpiece. Or should that be mistress-piece? The book is classic Elvira, who is the central character and narrator. Elvira chaperones the local teenage girls on a Happy Camper weekend trip, but unfortunately there's a monster in the woods. The jokes are full of double entendre, but there's that magical line that Elvira skirts, but doesn't cross, that keeps the narrative light-hearted and funny. This story is like a Scooby-Doo adventure for the teens (and those of us who just refuse to grow up). Elvira fans will love this book!

[Max Kilgore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The funniest of the series by far and super cute and wholesome. Not as spooky as I would have liked but I like that in this one the power dynamic between Elvira and the kids feels right. I’m others, Elvira feels like she’s pretending to be their age and it feels a bit odd. Here she plays more of a motherly or big sister role which is really nice :).

[Rian Monson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who miss her on tv....

I liked it overall, missing on one aspect but won't ruin it for people who haven't read it.
Spoilers!!!
A bit over the top (but come on its Elvira), but still was funny and creepy lol. Yes I'd recommend it to other Elvira fans or fans of dark/weird humor.
On to read the others.....

[Alexander Monaco · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my mind, easily the worst of the three schlocky Elvira novels from the '90s. There's too many characters, and there's not much of a conflict until the final few pages. Camp Vamp still has plenty of the signature raunchy Elvira humor, but Translyvania 90210 and The Boy Who Cried Werewolf have a stronger emphasis on the goofy monster antics that I was missing here.

[Cari Randa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A romp through the trials and tribulations of all the teenage tropes of a high school camping misadventure, complete with a hot park ranger and so-bad-they're-amazing groan-worthy puns.

[Rafal Kudlinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way more entertaining than the 90210 Elvira whatever book :)

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Great story!!! I remember reading this in the 90’s! It was awesome reading it again!

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 This was really such a fun read! I caught myself reading the book in Elvira’s voice because the writing flowed exactly like how she talks in real life. Anyone who knows Elvira knows what I’m talking about and that in itself made it very enjoyable and easy to read. I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the story itself was too. I’d definitely recommend this to others.

[Moriah · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are just a good ole time!! I love Elvira so much and her trying to wrangle a bunch of teenage girls and actually being a loving and trusting figure for them made my heart glow. This also had the best horror vibes of the Elvira books I have read so far. It gave very The Descent/Creature From the Black Lagoon vibes and the descriptions of the ‘monster miners’ cave was so creepy and fun. If you are looking for a chill read that takes zero brain power, this is perfect!