Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Site coverage of Michael A. Simpson's Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) was previously provided by my colleagues Jeff Kauffman and Ken Brown. Jeff critiqued Scream Factory's 2015 "Collector's Edition" while Ken wrote about Sandpiper Pictures' 2024 BD-25 early this year. For their views on the film and assessments of the discs' a/v presentations and extras, please consult the linked reviews above.

It's time to sing "Happy Camper"!

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory's latest CE of Unhappy Campers comes with a slipcover featuring identical artwork as what appears in the sleeve. (It is the same image as what's on the theatrical poster and Nelson's VHS box.) The 1.85:1 presentation on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray is based on a 4K restoration of the 35 mm interpositive. The picture is encoded with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible).

I don't own Scream's BD/DVD combo from ten years ago or the recent Sandpiper but do have Anchor Bay's R1 DVD, which I'll discuss in a bit. When there's a fade in to the campfire scene that opens the film, one will immediately notice the coarse grain field (see Screenshot #s 2 and 11). The film stock used is probably on the low-contrast spectrum, which is is also apparent in other nighttime scenes (particularly exteriors). On the 2015 transfer, Jeff observed an inorganic quality amidst the grain field. He cited a clumpy and imbalanced appearance to the grain. Fortunately, grain doesn't look too chunky on the 4K. It's consistently present while retaining a stable appearance. Flickering is non-existent. I did catch a small tear in the image: you can see it in a shot of T.C.'s (Brian Patrick Clarke) light blue sweatshirt in the first scene. Fuzziness on the prior Blu-rays is overcome here by the higher resolution and DV grade. Background detail is very good at times. Ken saw some compression-related artifacts on Sandpiper's presentation but those are absent here.

Anchor Bay's DVD was interlaced. I deinterlaced it and upscaled the native 720x480 video to 1280x720. The image on the AB is a notch brighter than Scream's. Facial complexions and skin tones have a more natural look to them on the Scream. For example, compare the AB (#27) with Scream's (#28). The AB has some infinitesimal specks on the image that aren't present in the exact frames on the Scream transfer. The AB has a scratch on its transfer in the shot (#21) of Molly (Renée Estevez) sitting up on her bed. The Scream has no scratches outside of a slight tear over T.C.'s sweatshirt in one shot.

The feature and all bonus materials have been placed on a triple-layered disc. The film occupies 47 GB of space. The UHD boasts an average video bitrate of 80.5 Mbps and an overall bitrate of 83.9 Mbps for the full disc.

Screenshot #s 1-20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, & 40 = Scream Factory 2025 4K Ultra HD BD-100 (downsampled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, & 39 = Anchor Bay 2002 DVD (deinterlaced and upscaled to 720p)

There are seven chapter breaks for the 80-minute film.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1673 kbps, 24-bit). I compared it with Anchor Bay's Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track, which sounds clear throughout. Fidelity and treble are excellent. I feel that Scream's mix shares those same attributes. There are some moments where the mix uses the upper ranges, though not often. This is probably the same master as the BD editions. I admit that I am higher on the mono track than my colleagues but its representation here is likely authentic to how it was originally recorded and mixed.

There are optional English SDH for the feature.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Scream has ported over the extras from Anchor Bay's SD disc and its 2015 CE. It has produced a recent featurette and two new interviews courtesy of Ballyhoo's Daniel Griffith.

• Audio Commentary with Director Michael A. Simpson, Writer Fritz Gordon, and Moderator John Klyza (2002) - Klyza has been the webmaster of sleepawaycampfilms.com and moderated this commentary track for the Anchor Bay DVD. The commentators bring in a lot of the film's tongue-in-cheek and acerbic humor (which they mimic), but the commentary isn't particularly insightful. Gordon and Simpson bring in occasional nuggets about their experiences writing and directing the film but those are few and far between. While Klyza is very familiar with the movie, he doesn't present especially good questions. This comes across as a fun but mediocre trivia track. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Return to SLEEPAWAY CAMP II (2025) (9:42, 1080p) - a relatively brief look back at the making of the movie with counselor Jeff Hayes, author of SLEEPAWAY CAMP: Making the Movie and Reigniting the Campfire. Hayes covered some of the same material in Michael Felsher's A Tale of Two Sequels, which is recycled on this disc. He introduces some different information (which has probably been covered elsewhere), but this is a good summary. This is more like a video essay with Hayes beginning his piece on Sleepaway Camp (1983). I noted one inaccuracy. Hayes claims that Jason Lives (1986), Friday the 13th's sixth installment, did "really well at the box office." That wasn't the case. While Part VI performed decent business, it was the lowest grossing film of the series up to that point. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW I'm a Happy Camper – An Interview with Actor Brian Patrick Clarke (2025) (14:32, 1080p) - Clarke remembers where he was in his career at the time of doing General Hospital and his transition into films. He tells a couple unforgettable stories that occurred before filming began on Sleepaway Camp II. He discusses his character's mullet haircut and most of the scenes he performed in the film. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Camp Carnage: Inside The Make-Up Effects – An Interview with Special Make-Up Effects Artist Bill Johnson (2025) (21:54, 1080p) - Johnson talks about how he designed the make-up effects for Unhappy Campers and Teenage Wasteland. He saved several of the molds and acrylic heads that he made. He does a "show and tell" for the viewer. Johnson covers quite a bit in around twenty minutes. In English, not subtitled.

• A Tale of Two Sequels – Part One (2015) (28:06, 1080p) - a retrospective program about the making of Sleepaway Camp II. It features interviews with the aforesaid Jeff Hayes, as well as director Michael A. Simpson, editor John David Allen, cinematographer Bill Mills, art director Frank Galline, special makeup effects artist Bill Johnson, and actress Amy Fields (Jodi Schote). The featurette does a fine job of covering a variety of aspects about the production in pretty good depth. All interviewees speak in English, not subtitled.

• Abandoned – The Locations of Sleepaway Camp II and III (2015) (15:27, 1080i) - Adam The Woo and a fellow horror film aficionado venture into a Georgia woods to find the original locales where parts II and III were filmed. Adam The Woo gives detailed descriptions of the locations' features. He feels he has pretty precise coordinates for where the sets once stood (i.e., those that have been torn down). He makes a few cool discoveries along the way. In English, not subtitled.

• Behind-the-Scenes Footage (13:21, upscaled to 1080i) - a compilation of BTS footage shot during the production of Sleepaway Camp II. There is both the original production audio and a later commentary/narration recorded ca. 2002 by director Simpson, who discusses his direction of Pam Springsteen in one scene. Other footage shows personnel working in the hair, makeup, and art direction departments. There's also BTS footage of interior shots in the abandoned cabin. In English, not subtitled.

• Home Video Trailer (2:05, upscaled to 1080i) - The official videocassette trailer for Sleepaway Camp II. It reveals the fates of lots of the characters so don't watch it until after you've seen feature first. Presented in 1.33:1.

• Sleepaway Camp III Teaser (0:19, upscaled to 1080i)

• Whatever Happened to Molly? Short Film (0:50, 1080i) - a brief live-action reenactment of the fate of Molly's character, according to a page in the original script, which differs from what's in the film.

• Still Gallery (7:07, 1080p) - a slide show consisting of 71 individual stills from the production and publicity campaign of Sleepaway Camp II. A majority of these are behind-the-scenes color photos of director Michael A. Simpson and his actors during principal photography, between takes, and breaks from filming. In addition, there are several sheets of B&W pics from Double Helix Films' press kit. The miscellaneous images are from industry trade publications (e.g., reviews and articles). There's also a few poster stills for the theatrical and VHS releases of the film.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sleepaway Camp II is a self-reflexive film that knows what it is and what it is critiquing. It parodies slasher movies (and their famous principals) while also drawing upon slasher tropes for its own means and ends. The film is packed with serio-comic touches that make it less conventional than straightforward horror movies. Pamela Springsteen nails all the right notes as Pamela. Some of the other actors play stock figures that you would commonly see in summer camp movies of this era but they portray them in a self-aware kind of way.

If you own the Anchor Bay DVD or Blu-rays from 88 Films, Scream Factory, or Sandpiper Pictures, you should consider upgrading any of those editions with Scream's 4K UHD. Granted, the image presentation is a fine improvement but not a massive upgrade compared to the older transfers. While none of the colors really pop, the palette is generally pleasing. This is probably the best Sleepaway Camp II will look unless the original camera negative is unearthed somewhere. The recent interviews with actor Brian Patrick Clarke and special make-up effects creator Bill Johnson are each very good. A VERY SOLID RECOMMENDATION.