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If there was one horror movie growing up that was my favorite to show friends at a slumber party, it had to be Robert Hiltzik’s cult classic shocker Sleepaway Camp, which proved that eighties slashers weren’t always a dime a dozen. Scream Factory brings this often overlooked gem home to Blu-ray with a stunning transfer and presentation that would certainly live up to Aunt Martha’s high standards.

The story of Sleepaway Camp is pretty much everything you’d expect from a slasher movie and nothing you’d ever expect, which is what makes Hiltzik’s campy and disturbing summer camp tale still one of the more memorable horror movies I’ve seen. It follows a traumatized teenager, named Angela (Felissa Rose), who witnessed her entire family gruesomely killed after a tragic boating accident. She’s been living with those haunting events for the last eight years as...

This is another Blu-ray release, that I wish existed a year prior. Last summer, we recorded a retrospective podcast series, covering the entirety of the Sleepaway Camp series, and could have really used a loaded, Uncut Blu-ray release of the first film. We made due with what was available, though, and now I can revisit Scream Factory’s new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of the film, with the image of the DVD still fresh in my mind for comparison. If you are interested in our retrospective look at the series in its entirety, you can check that out here. I’ve seen this movie at least a dozen times, and as many problems as it has, it still manages to entertain me just as much, each new visit. I know the ending is coming, and I know what to expect, but it still has that same impact it had on me as a kid.

Robert Hiltzik's entire movie career has basically been in telling one story, that of Sleepaway Camp. Hiltzik wrote and directed the original, as well as Return to Sleepaway Camp. So who better to discuss Sleepaway Camp's move to Blu-ray from Scream Factory on May 27 than Robert Hiltzik himself.

Hiltzik recently sat down with Dread Central to talk about some interesting aspects of this horror staple, which was released in 1983. "I was in graduate film school at the time and I wanted to do my own film," Hiltzik said, when discussing the origins of the movie. "I wanted to figure out what would get me into the marketplace the easiest. The path of least resistance. I figured dramas and comedies would be very subjective, but everyone likes a good horror film. And I figured shooting a horror film in one location would keep the budget modest. So I thought...

May’s big release for Scream Factory is the Blu-ray / DVD collector’s edition of the 1983 cult classic, Sleepaway Camp. Featuring a 2k scan of the original camera negative and a brand new set of bonus features, this release looks to be just what fans have been hoping for and we’ll give you our verdict in the coming weeks. Until then, here’s a look at the original theatrical trailer and a couple of clips that were provided by Scream Factory.

“Welcome to Camp Arawak, where teenagers learn to experience the joys of nature, as well as each other. But when these happy campers begin to die in a series of horrible “accidents”, they discover that someone – or something – has turned their summer of fun into a vacation to dismember. Fans of celebrated cult film writer/producer/director Robert Hiltzik know well the shocking tale of cult slasher thriller...