CAMP -- Forgive, But Never Forget

Review by Steve Barton II

Did you ever go off to camp as a kid growing up? Was it forced upon you as a punishment or did you actually desire to leave home and escape your reality for a few weeks? The word “camp” can strike an entirely unique emotion in every individual that hears it uttered. Some folks will have fond memories of swimming with friends and goofing off or hitting a major life milestone like a first kiss. Others will remember being left out of games and wishing desperately to go back home where you have peace from your evil classmates. For writer/director/editor Avalon Fast, it seems to be a mixed bag of complex emotions and memories. CAMP follows Emily (Zola Grimmer) in the aftermath of being directly involved in two separate tragedies and feeling like she’s cursed and worthless. At the behest of her father, Emily attends a summer camp for troubled youth to put her energy into helping them and (hopefully) herself simultaneously.

Going into CAMP, if you’re expecting a traditional horror movie in the same vein as Friday the 13th or Sleepaway Camp, you’ve entered the wrong cabin. Avalon Fast has coined her own genre titled “girl horror” which focuses on the creepy and unknown horrors that you encounter growing up as a young lady. In CAMP, Avalon explores these themes using Emily’s character to show how complicated and difficult growing up is. She does this by throwing some of the worst possible obstacles in her life path like multiple deaths and feeling in complete despair at the thought of moving on. Avalon also explores womanhood and young women taking control over their sexualization with Emily’s fellow camp counselors. While Emily is much more conservative in her outward displays of affection, Nev is open about her sex life and is almost shown as a succubus in this Christian camp. In many ways, CAMP isn’t as much of a horror movie as it is a movie showing the horrors of being an adult.

CAMP’s visual style is its boldest and most compelling aspect of the whole feature. From the first-person POV shots walking through the woods with unusual editing in the opening credits, the audience is uncomfortable and expecting a new experience. In Fast’s previous work like Honeycomb from 2022, she explored the subgenres of psychological and folk horror and those influences bleed into CAMP. While the themes of the film don’t necessarily go too far into folklore territory, the look changes with our main character’s development. The dreamy, psychedelic visuals and a striking color palette during the dream sequences will stick in the minds of every viewer for days after.

In conclusion, CAMP isn’t treading new water with its story about overcoming tragedy and dealing with a new environment. It is an interesting visual art piece that can be interpreted in several different ways and will inevitably be divisive among its audience. The performances of the campers and counselors all did well. They covered the many different types of people you’d encounter in a Christian camp setting, including the saints and sinners. While the setting is at a Christian camp, criticisms of religion are more of a subtext here. The slow burn of CAMP will be rewarding for you if you enjoy a weird, witchy story of a young woman trying to work through her trauma to find a reason to live again.

CAMP will be in select theaters starting June 26th! 

Rating: 3/5