Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A musical camp puts on a play, that had previously ended in murder, and they incur the wrath of a masked killer.
Review: Be aware there are many films with this title, and other reviewers are wondering if this is a remake; as far as I know it's meant to be original. When I saw the trailer for this film I was very excited, because it looked like the throwback to '80s slashers that I've been waiting for. Upon seeing it, however, I feel it's a mixed bag of things done correctly and numerous mistakes and wasted opportunities. You can fill in any contrast you see fit (such as "Glee" meets "Sleepaway Camp"), but I felt this movie was mostly a cross between "Prom Night" and "Phantom of the Opera." Musical horror films are rare as hell so this aspect is refreshing, but the film falters in most other regards when it had a premise that should have been amazing.
To provide some context, I'll run down the plot quickly. The film opens ten years earlier with two siblings, brother, Buddy, and sister, Camilla, visiting their mom who is the star in a play called "The Haunting of the Opera" (an obvious play on "The Phantom of the Opera" and both having Minnie Driver). A masked killer murders the mom and then we skip to the present when the two are now working at a music camp under the watchful eye of the mom's producer...serving as their guardian or something. The music camp decides they will perform "The Haunting of the Opera" to reinvigorate interest in the failing camp's finances. Camilla feels compelled to star in the play, because it will be like picking up her mother's role. A lot of jealousy and competition emerges during the production of the play as well as the appearance of the masked killer. Oh no, who could it be?!
We'll go over what worked first, because I seem to prefer to build a film up and then pull the rug out from under it like a douchebag. Obviously they pulled off the '80s slasher vibe excellently, as I had hoped, and the tone is dead on. You've got the ridiculous camp setting where people die and no one goes home. My favorite was the abundance of red herrings, and they threw in every kind: creepy groundskeeper (trying to look like Filch), suspicious brother, bitter rival, guy with a crush, overbearing camp owner, or the out of left field character which there were aplenty. The characters are funny and likable, and the film, as a whole, doesn't entirely take itself seriously which I believe works in its favor; some of the ongoing gags making fun of the kids were great. The kills are good and bloody when they happen, but there weren't nearly enough of them to go around.
Okay, now for where the film went wrong. Most annoying of all, the killer's identity is beyond predictable. I'm dead serious, I guessed who it was in the first 3 minutes! In case you're wondering, the killer is Buddy and his motivation is questionable, at best, but it feels like "Prom Night." I feel like I'm Randy from "Scream" here. They do add that the producer was the one that actually killed their mom, but it felt so forced and nonsensical considering Buddy's scheme. Making matters worse, his identity is revealed with 20 more minutes left in the movie making it all the more of a letdown with the film dragging on too long. They also wasted the opportunity to make the events of the film occur alongside the play as it's being performed. Yeah, this happened to a degree, but after a certain point, the play is ongoing while the real action is happening elsewhere at the camp. They should have designed the climax to occur on stage in a way that would confuse the camp's audience, but make them think it's apart of the show; well, that's how I would have done things at least. As I already mentioned, there are not enough kills. Come on, this camp is ripe with victims and only a couple people die. Don't fucking wuss out on me when it comes to killing off kids! Pull a "Sleepaway Camp II" and end that shit with a massacre! As for the music, well, let's just say it sure as hell is no "Phantom of the Opera" in this regard. I know you can't expect stellar songs, but I didn't like any of them; I'll admit this is a nitpick, but I wanted more from a musical than this. Finally, while I praise the homage to '80s slashers, there wasn't enough follow-through in the climax to make this film memorable; honestly, things just kind of fall apart until the movie limps to the credits rolling.
With all this negativity said, let me reassert that there was still an exceptional degree of originality and creativity. The acting is good, and I can tell the makers had an attention to detail when it came to crafting an homage. The characters were solid, and I was genuinely laughing at multiple scenes with their antics; I wouldn't mind seeing these kids appear in another movie. But there was a serious need for more deaths, better songs, less predictability with the killer, and a great opportunity was squandered to make the ending unforgettable. Overall, I do recommend this for how rare a breed this kind of movie is, but I expected so much more--maybe my own expectations were too high. If there's ever a sequel, I would hope they focus on the weaknesses and maintain the current strengths.
Notable Moment: When the one kid keeps reassuring everyone he's not gay. It was an amusing ongoing gag.
Final Rating: 6/10
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