It probably isn't every day that you think about the 1983 camp slasher flick Sleepaway Camp. Unless you're me, then you think about it all the time. I have an obsession with cult classics, but Sleepaway Camp has always held an extra special in my heart and my spank bank. That's because the sexual politics in this movie are pretty bizarre and the men are super sexy. The gay undertones are EVERYWHERE and range from panic to celebration. It's all over the spectrum, but I'm very here for it and I think you will be, too. Here is my official Mr. Man argument for why Sleepaway Camp is actually one of the gayest movies of all time.
If you've never heard of Sleepaway Camp (okay, shame on you), allow me to attempt an explanation of this bonkers plot. It's a low-budget cult classic that takes place at a - wait for it - sleepaway camp. A teenage girl named Angela and her male cousin Ricky go to a summer camp together. Angela is a grade-A weirdo who never speaks. People are immediately mean to her for reasons that aren't 100% clear. Because she doesn't talk? Okay, try saying hi to her maybe? Crazy idea, but it might be worth a try. Instead of talking to her, the girls just bully her because teenage girls in the 80s were vicious bitches (according to movies!). One thing that is worth mentioning is that one of her bullies is named Judy and wears a T-shirt with iron-on letters that say "Judy". Legendary fashion.
BACK UP FOR A SECOND. The movie actually BEGINS with an insane murder-by-speed-boat where Angela's dad andanother man took Angela and another kid to a lake.Due to a freak accident, Angela's dad and the other kidget decapitated. YEAH, I KNOW. It's brutal. It's also a horror film, so this kind of thing happens. This is important to know because this is the trauma Angela is carrying with her and people should be more sensitive to the fact that this is likely why she's shy. Back to the good (gay) stuff.
There is a super long and super hot baseball scene featuring hunky 80s guys - totally sunkissed - wearing the shortest shorts and muscle-baring tanktops. It is well worth the watch. One fit dude literally just wears a crop top as he pitches balls. Hey, that's giving us some ideas.
My favorite hottie is Paul DeAngelo who plays a camp counselor with a bulge that is absolutely stuffed into his short shorts. His tight outfit shows some serious moose knuckle that would probably give Angela something to talk about if any of the campers wanted to dish with her about who the hottest counselors were. But again, no one even tries to talk to Angela.
The homoeroticism doesn't just sit in these sexy 80s shorts. At one point a male camper asks "who wants to go skinny dipping with only 15 guys and 5 girls?" when the campers get nude to dive into the water. First of all, notice how he says only. Secondly, he then goes skinny dipping with all those guys and what turns out to be exactly 0 girls. That is iconically gay. We don't see any of their dicks, but the implication sure is fun.
So let's talk about where the movie takes a weirdly problematic turn. As I said, the sexual politics in this film are complicated.We find out - SPOILER ALERT - that Angela not only witnessed the decapitation, but she also knew her father's secret. He was gay! Who couldn't see that coming? It was actually Angela's father and his partner that took Angela and her brother to the lake that day and it was Angela - the real Angela - who died. Peter, her brother, survived. WHAT?!!? Yeah, I know. It's a lot to take in. I didn't get it in the first viewing and I'm still not 100% sure this is the plot after seeing this movie multiple times (unrelated question: should I get a real hobby?). Ricky's demented mother (Angela's aunt??? I'm not convinced they are actually related and I think that that this is her father's boyfriend's wife? Don't @ me.) took custody of the-boy-who-lived and raised him as the daughter she always wanted. So actually Angela is Peter. Angela is trans and the implication at first might seem that her identity leads her to murder, but remember that she was forced into this identity. With that in mind, what exactly is this movie about? Do secrets kill us? Hiding our identities leads to our death and turns us into monsters? Always play baseball in short shorts and crop tops? The world may never know.
We also find out that (obviously) Angela is the murderer. But that isn't even played as the actual twist of the movie. The twist is absolutely iconic. I submit to you the final scene of Sleepaway Camp. Watch at your own risk!
