Children of Camp Blood

If you value your time on this earth, then avoid this film. The time wasted would have been more enjoyable on the porcelain throne thumbing through your phone.

A spin-off of sorts in the long-running microbudget franchise, "Children of Camp Blood" follows four young people whose lives were destroyed when various members of their family were murdered by the bloodthirsty clown killer. The youths seek the help of a kindly doctor who operates a rehab center nearby the infamous "Camp Blood." But despite reports of the killer clown being dead, the patients know this isn't true.

Mark Polonia is a frequent contributor to the series, produced by David Sterling. He produced and directed Part 3, Part 7, Ghost of Camp Blood, and now this installment. He understands this type of film very well and gives the audience exactly what they want.... some cool kills, blood and clowns! Polonia gives his films a breezy feel and with this installment I believe he provided one of the best entries in the series.

Our lead actress, Samantha Coolidge, is far and away one of the most likeable leads in the series since the very early entries. She is super relatable and makes you feel for her character. Coolidge is a very good actress and I hope to see more films from her in the future. James Kelly is also a welcome addition, providing some of the film's more endearing moments. And there is a cameo appearance from Jeff Kirkendall, and that's always a good thing.

The clown killer himself was strong in this film, boasting one of the best masks in quite some time. There were a few startling shots of the killer, especially in a tracking shot early on in the film. The locations were minimalistic but get the job done and the props and f/x were also pretty strong.

Overall, this is definitely a contender for a top three spot in the "Camp Blood" lineup. I hope Mark Polonia does many more entries in this series in the future.

Mark REVOLT ON THE EMPIRE OF THE APES Polonia wrote/directed this DOG about a group of young people in therapy after enduring decades of killer clown attacks in the Camp Blood vicinity. I'm often critical of slasher movies (especially the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise) but when you subject yourself to something as miserable as CHILDREN OF CAMP BLOOD you come away with a sense of just how much more production value and talent you get with studio backing. The rock bottom special effects and gore are substandard or are substandard AND recycled from previous installments and the cast of unappealing unknowns is no help whatsoever. This is the 10th dismal entry in the unpopular backyard brand (11th if you count 2005's unauthorized sequel WITHIN THE WOODS). As depressing as it is boring and frequently at the same time.