Deer Camp '86

The overall story was good, although the pacing could have been tightened up a bit. The special effects were well done, especially considering the obvious budget constraints. However, the movie lost 5 stars due to a common issue in today's film industry...incredibly unlikeable characters. What I assume was intended to be what the writers imagined "guy talk" at deer camp would sound like was just awful. Basically just guys, who were supposed to be good friends, calling each other b***h and getting in actual fights nearly the entire run time. Trying to force this in is what killed the pacing of the film. Some interesting stuff happened, and then a long stretch of irritating bickering that made me root against nearly all of them, followed by a rushed but ultimately fun and interesting climax that wrapped the story up much better than most films in this budget range. I'm not mad that I watched it, but a little disappointed because it was so close to being much better.

This is one of those movies that has everything going for it except for a few problems in the writing. The performances are good, it's well-shot and edited, the cast and crew seemed to be having fun (bloopers are scattered throughout the end credits), there are impressive practical FX, the music compliments the visuals, and there are a few creepy moments.

On the writing end, issues begin with the characters, who are one-dimensional. There's a cop who's only there to spout exposition, the mean fat guy and the loser whom he bullies, the psycho war veteran, the token black guy, a bland redneck, and a blander final boy. This is a low-budget horror movie, and I can forgive the character shortcomings, so let's move on... It wants to be a comedy, but it's really not that funny, and the pacing is off. There's one particular scene that only exists to make viewers squirm - they try to frame it in a supernatural way, but it doesn't work and feels like it belongs in a Jack Black movie or something. But my biggest problem is with the twist, which I won't spoil because it comes totally out of the blue. After the credits rolled, I immediately started the movie over, expecting to find some foreshadowing that I'd missed, but it just ain't there. I did enjoy the movie more the second time, though.

Deer Camp '86 works as a throwback (although it feels more early-'90s than mid-'80s), and it's definitely better than the crap mainstream Hollywood has been churning out lately, but it's neither the masterpiece nor the disaster that other reviewers have claimed. I'd imagine it works best with an audience and intoxicants.

Fun chill watch, seriously campy. You can't take it too seriously, that's not the point. Kept thinking it took place in the 90s instead of the 80s but it didn't really impact the story at all. A bunch of one liners had us cracking up. The storyline is somewhat predictable, but there were a few points that we were sitting back going "wait, that doesn't make sense" before it corrected itself 10 minutes later.

Really loved that the characters were like caricatures of people you know. We had our favorites immediately, and the one you were encouraged to hate had really good reasons to hate them. Made you root for them to get their slashing.

This is a solid effort with strong character development and a semi-original story. The special effects, especially the practical ones, were outstanding-some of the best I've seen in a while. The CGI was good, though it could have been improved. The villain or monster was well-conceived, though the hunting sequences felt overly lucky. The film opens with a truck hitting a deer, so luck seems to play a big role in their game hunting. I didn't recognize any of the actors, but they all delivered excellent performances. There are some genuinely funny moments, including a scene involving a tick that was both hilarious and an effects masterpiece. The weakest aspect was the attempt to set the film in 1986; it didn't feel authentic to the era. The only 1980's thing was the pocket Simon. I would have believed it was 1996 instead, and if that had been the chosen setting, this would have been a perfect debut for director L. Van Dyke Siboutszen.

The "hunters" looked like they were outfitted by Todd Snyder. No actual hunter would wear clothing this nice. The actors seemed miscast. And the exaggerated stereo types of small town people was unnecessary (racist, homophobic, etc).

The movie took place in 1986. Besides the "Simon" game, nothing by way of set design or costume made you think "yeah this is the '80s." One highlight was the beautiful Michigan autumn scenery. I've never been to Michigan but I'm now interested.

The acting was decent. And again, the scenery is gorgeous. It was as though it was from the Michigan tourism department!!!!