Transcript

Sleepaway Camp w/ Zack Pearlman (HDTGM Matinee)

From How Did This Get Made? · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 6 min · 13,519 words · 372 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Sleepaway Camp w/ Zack Pearlman (HDTGM Matinee)", an episode of How Did This Get Made? published October 21, 2025 (1 h 6 min, about 13,519 words). It mentions 9 people, works and ideas, including Sleepaway Camp, Paul Sheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Manzukas, Zack Pearlman.

What this episode is about

The discussion revolves around the cult horror film "Sleepaway Camp," highlighting its bizarre elements such as fake mustaches and questionable portrayals of adolescent relationships. The hosts and guest Zack Pearlman reflect on the film's mediocrity, its unexpected box office success, and how it evokes curiosity about the filmmaking process behind such an unusual project.

Key takeaways

  • Sleepaway Camp: proof that bad taste can sometimes cash in big—$11 million on a $350,000 budget!
  • When in doubt, add a 10-minute baseball scene; Sleepaway Camp took 'filler' to heart!
  • Short shorts and faux pas aside, the real horror of Sleepaway Camp is its questionable casting choices.
  • Forget the plot—this camp's true legacy is its ability to make the absurd entertaining.
  • Underage antics, penises in disguise: Sleepaway Camp reminds us bad films are often just good fun.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Sleepaway Camp, Paul Sheer, Jason Manzukas, June Diane Raphael
  2. – 20:00: Martha Thomas
  3. – 30:00: Robert Earl Jones, Sleepaway Camp, June Diane Raphael
  4. – 1:00:00: Martha Thomas
  5. – 1:06:16: Sleepaway Camp, Jason Manzukas, June Diane Raphael, Zack Pearlman

Notable quotes from "Sleepaway Camp w/ Zack Pearlman (HDTGM Matinee)"

  • Everyone decidedly picked Sleepaway Camp. And we have a very special guest today with us. Please welcome Zack Pearlman.
    about Sleepaway Camp · at
  • You know what the person who put up these movies it's called Sleepaway Camp TV. So I don't think it's a person dedicating things to their mom. I think it is the way the movie opens. I think the person who made.
    about Sleepaway Camp TV · at
  • Here we go. It's revealed that Angela survived and is now living with her eccentric and aunt, Dr. Martha Thomas, and cousin Ricky Thomas.
    about Martha Thomas · at
  • I noticed his name in the credits and I thought that's a coincidence. But then when I heard his voice, he has James Earl Jones's voice and looks a lot like him. That's crazy.
    about Robert Earl Jones · at
  • Big thanks to Zack Pearlman whose show, The Inbetweeners, airs on Monday nights on MTV. It's a really funny show.
    about Zack Pearlman · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Paul Sheer — Person · Host · 1 mention · first at
    Primary host guiding the episode structure, introducing co-hosts/guest, and steering the discussion of 'Sleepaway Camp' and its plot/ending.
    Very good. It is Halloween week. This is our Halloween episode. A movie that you picked for us. We came to you, we asked you what is their best Halloween movie.
  • June Diane Raphael — Person · Co-host · 3 mentions · first at
    One of the three regular hosts; participates throughout with analysis, jokes, and observations (e.g., identifying Robert Earl Jones).
    Hello, people of Earth and welcome to How Did This Get Made? I am joined as always by my two co-hosts, June Diane Rafield. How are you, June?
  • Jason Manzukas — Person · Co-host · 2 mentions · first at
    Regular co-host contributing comedic commentary and plot dissection; participates in the group’s confusion/analysis of the film’s twist ending.
    Very good. And Jason Manzukas. How are you Jason?
  • Zack Pearlman — Person · Main guest · 2 mentions · first at
    Guest comedian/actor brought in for the Halloween episode to discuss and react to the film 'Sleepaway Camp' with the hosts; he also plugs his MTV show.
  • Martha Thomas — Person · Fictional character (referenced via plot exposition) · 2 mentions · first at
    Identified (via Wikipedia/plot clarification) as Dr. Martha Thomas—Angela’s eccentric aunt and Ricky’s mother—key to explaining the film’s backstory and twist.
  • Robert Earl Jones — Person · Referenced actor (cast member discussed) · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as a notable cast surprise: identified as James Earl Jones’s father and recognized by voice/appearance in the film.

Books & papers

  • Sleepaway Camp — Book · Primary recommendation · 8 mentions · first at
    Central topic of the podcast episode, discussed extensively for its bizarre plot and ending.
  • Return to Sleepaway Camp — Book · Referenced work · 4 mentions
    Mentioned as a sequel to Sleepaway Camp, directed by the same person.

Companies & orgs

  • Sleepaway Camp TV — Company · Referenced entity · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as the entity that uploaded Sleepaway Camp to YouTube.

Full transcript with timestamps

Fake mustaches, short shorts, and underage sex. It's not a porno. We saw sleepaway camp. So, you know what that means.

Now it's time for this. We're going to have a good time celebrating failure. You know, you wonder how the mediocrity of some art. Perhaps we'll find the answer to the question, how did this get made?

Hello, people of Earth and welcome to How Did This Get Made? I am joined as always by my two co-hosts, June Diane Rafield. How are you, June?

Good. How are you, Paul? Very good. And Jason Manzukas. How are you Jason? I'm pretty good. How are you?

Very good. It is Halloween week. This is our Halloween episode. A movie that you picked for us. We came to you, we asked you what is their best Halloween movie. Everyone decidedly picked Sleepaway Camp. And we have a very special guest uh today with us. Please welcome Zack Pearlman.

Hey. Hey, Zach. You can see Zach on his MTV show, The Inbetweeners, airs on Thursday nights.

Monday nights. Monday nights. Monday night. The Thursday of the early week. Exactly. Should replay on Thursday nights. Uh, all right. I never heard of Sleepwake.

Same. Never heard of it. Yeah. I have never I never knew it existed. And uh and man, now I am so happy that I know.

This is crazy. This is one of the most bizarre movies. It It kind of feels like The Room at the top. Like you're kind of like, "Oh, this is bad acting. But this was a real deal. It was released. I just want to get a real took it to be a real amateur production.

Well, I will say this that when it opened up, it was number one. It grossed a total of $433,000 on the opening weekend and it was uh it knocked out Amityville Horror and 3D. Really?

Yeah. So, it made like $11 million at the end of the day for a movie that only cost $350,000 to make.

Okay, cuz that is shocking to me because this movie is horrible. I mean, it's it is that's why I thought I was like, "Oh, this is like a low-budget movie that no one should ever see like, you know, like Jack Frost. He's killing and chilling." No,

it looks like the camp itself had a class called Let's Make a Movie and this movie is the result. Yes. the final project.

It It feels to me not It doesn't feel like a lowbudget horror movie, you know what I mean? Like in the sense of like, oh, um, you know, like shitty horror movies that studios like barf out to capitalize on the fact that people It feels like somebody who's like, "Well, uh, my dad owns a summer camp. We could probably shoot a movie there. We'll get some cameras. We'll get a bunch of short shorts. And we'll get everybody we know who has terrible Long Island accents."

Crop t-shirts. crop t-shirts and shorts cuz we can't afford longer shorts or full t-shirts.

There's so many outlines of penises in Holy [ __ ] They're not even They're not even shorts. They're just like penis holders. I mean, that's all they are. They're [ __ ] baskets.

The movie that between between just the overt pedophilia that overt pedophilia, the over sexualization of the under 12 set and the short shorts. I was like, "This movie is insanity."

Although, I will say that this camp is comprised of 11year-old campers and 35year-old campers.

There's literally a 10-minute long baseball scene where it looks like 8-year-olds playing uh 30-year-olds and the and the 30-year-olds are so mad at these 8-year-olds. The thing is,

everyone is mad in the film at all times. Everyone is mad. And the I while watching that baseball scene, they were talking [ __ ] like hard trash talkinging and then pitching underhand.

Yeah. Really under. It was so it was just like and here you go and like lobbing the ball.

And the eight the 11year-olds rather are killing. They are crushing. They're always getting the best of the older kids who are, you know, I'm assuming meant to be like 15, 16 year olds but are played by 30-year-olds.

But that's a weird that was a weird runner in the movie because it doesn't ever pay off. or did I miss it?

No, the baseball game was just a baseball game. The point of that baseball game.

Oh, it's I think it's just to show us the the the competitiveness between the older kids and the younger kids and like how the older kids are bullies basically.

To me, the way I thought of it was the movie ran 75 minutes and like we need to add a 10-minute long baseball scene just to get this to theatrical length. Cuz I mean the baseball game like there literally is a scene where someone hits a baseball and there's a kid in the outfield and he's playing a um a video game like a handheld boxing video game.

Oh you mean Mozart? No. Wow. You know the kid's name I did not remember. Why is he called Mozart? Because we never saw him with any

because he's a nerd and he's just a nerd. Someone from Long Island's like what's a nerd? Mozart writes music is a nerd. So, basically, the ball is coming at Mosart, who's on his uh his video game, his portable video game device, and then he's like, "Oh, no." Drops the video game and then catches the ball with no like a lot of tension for no reason.

And you would think, you would continue to think that the the younger kids are perceived of as nerds and lameos, you know. Um, but they are always hitting home runs, catching all the balls, like they are winning all the time.

But there's also no tension in this baseball game. I don't know when it's going to end. What's at stake? It didn't seem like

There's no score. There was no score. There was no no. At one point they were like, "What's the score?" And then one kid goes, "I think it's 68." And I was like, "What you think it is?"

It's not the best way to do it. All right. So, let's let's just go back to the beginning. The movie opens up with one of the best scenes. I I would say that

Wait, is it the thing to mom? Cuz that that say the cold open the the boating scene.

Oh, god. This [ __ ] the title at the beginning which was uh in fond memory of mom a doer I forgot about that movie is dedicated to a mom

and it's not like a mom a like loving woman who you know helped me through childhood it's a doer wait a second I thought that that was just a title card that some the person who put this movie on YouTube put up there

I think that that's a part of the movie I'm assuming it's part of the movie yeah me too

although your version of it is also fascinating because for somebody for I want now I want to examine that cuz somebody's like ooh I got to upload this bonkers next level crazy horror movie to to YouTube but I got to do it as a tribute to my mom.

Yeah, this is my mom. She did stuff. Um you know what the person who put up these movies it's called Sleepaway Camp TV. So I don't think it's a person dedicating things to their mom. I think it is the way the movie opens. I think the person who made this movie it which is even more sick and twisted is a love letter to his to his or her mom.

Do you think mom was based off of his mom? God she's the mom in this movie is straight up crazy.

By the way, that's an amazing performance. Yes, we do have creepy mom. Um we're going to play a clip of the mom in this movie. Here we go.

Richard Angela. Oh, here you are. Look what I did. I packed you and your cousin some goodies for the ride up to camp. Wasn't that nice of me? H any chips?

Why, of course. I believe there's a whole bag. Why, I'm almost sure of it. So, Angela, isn't there anything special my little girl would care for? So basically, you see the acting in this is not even like bad community theater. It's like bad high school production from an adult. No, you guys, she making a choice.

She was making a choice and a fine one at that. I She's talking as if there are no one there

cuz she's the character is insane. That's That is true. The character has gone insane because in the cold open, which you started to talk about, Paul, in the cold open, we see a father and two children on a little like um sailboat in the middle of the lake

having a great day across across just across from the sleep away camp. Yeah. And they're like, "Oh, they're having so much fun." And then it cuts to um two campers, a man, a a counselor boy, and a young girl in a speedboat. Yes. With

with a water skier. With a water ski. The water skier gives one of the best performances of the movie. Amazing.

The water skier gives an unfathomably good performance in this cold open. Okay, so basically what happens is the the sailboat flips over. The kids and the dad are in the water and they've got to swim to shore. Um

well the sailboat flips over. One of the kids throws the dad out of the sailboat

and then the dad calls them schemers. Yes, you schemers. You schemers, but it's still all in good.

By the way, but by the way, the dad is on the edge of a very small boat, no longer than like 5 ft, and the kids are able to sneak up behind him without him noticing, and then just lightly tap him into the water. I mean, it's the most it's the worst like scheme ever.

He does like a Chvy Chase fall. They are a real couple of schemers. So So then the schemers and the dad are in the water together. The boat flips over. I don't know why.

Yeah, that's I don't know why. Then there's another man. Yeah. On the dock. Oh, that guy is the best.

That is just foreshadowing. Yes. Okay. Who says this is where I had some questions. He says the doc is on the way.

Yeah. That doc is on the way. Doctor. The doctor. As we established later, the mother is a doctor through the wonderful line of even though everyone knows I'm a doctor. Cuz the mother is giving the kids their own physical.

Oh my gosh. Okay. Then what happens is this. Oh, I just put that together. Yes. That the doctor is the mother.

Yes. The mom when she the mother gives the kids now. I get I get it now. Okay. And he's basically warning the dad

because of what we learn later. He's warning saying your wife is coming back, right?

Yes. Got it. Now, oh you guys. So that was his wife. That was his wife. No. Yes. That That was the man That was the man in on the beach's wife.

Yeah. Yeah. That was the man on the beach's wife. Those two as I mean like I don't want to give No. The man on the boat is their dad,

right? That is their wife. The man on shore, spoiler alert, is the ma the dad's lover.

No, he is the dad's lover. No, because that's her cousin. That the kids All right.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Let's just break this down without Okay, cuz I'm without spoiling the We're dancing around.

We got to walk to the end. By the way, this is my understanding. Watch this. This is my understanding of the movie. Okay.

Yes. Father and son and daughter are in the sailboat. Father's lover, a man is on the shore. He's saying, "Hurry back to shore. Your wife is coming." The doctor. Yes.

Your wife is coming. So, he's like, "Oh, we got to go in." Okay. That's where That's where it's wrong. This is where I open. That's where you're wrong. Right there is where you're wrong

because uh the the mother that we met, the creepy mom, that's Angela's cousin. Nope.

Aunt Angela's mother. I thought Ricky is her cousin. Ricky is her cousin. That's what I'm saying. So Ricky is her cousin. So that's her aunt.

No. Because at the end, guys, that's the misdirect. You're missing the misdirect. That's the misdirect. Okay. Can we talk about the ending?

Okay. I I guess we have I guess we have Wait a second. Wait a second. Wait a second.

This is Wait a second. Angela Angela is the daughter of the crazy woman. No, no. Ricky

Ricky is the son of the crazy woman. And that and then and then the gay lover is that woman's husband.

Wait, say that again. Oh my god. Say it again. No, he's further. I cannot deal with this.

Wait, because Ricky Ricky and Angela. Why did she make Okay. All right. Okay. Here's the reason.

Because she's getting them to live with them. Because she already because she already has Ricky. That's why she's Angela,

right? Does that make sense? Say that again, Zach. No, I'm with I'm with Okay, so this is what this is. This is the setup. We have the father and two children on the boat. Can we just reveal the ending because I'm getting confused right now.

All right. All right. Well, basically All right. All right. It's so good and we're pulling it. We're All right. Okay. Well, we don't I mean

I do Can you Okay, fine. Without explaining the ending, I can come back. Let's come back to this.

I can give you a pretty good Okay. So, we open on uh two ch two children and their father.

Yes. And uh without everything else that happens, his gay lover is on the shore and his wife is coming.

His gay lover's wife, his gay the gay lover's wife, the man who's on the shore.

Okay. His wife is coming to meet them with their child. I I'm going to I'm going to say this. I'm Wait.

Where is the dad's wife? It It doesn't It doesn't But basically, this is Oh, come on. Because the surviving child would go to the mother.

They're divorced. She's dead. She's dead. No, they would explain that. They're going to such length to explain everything. It's not her mom.

It's definitely not her mom. She's introduced to her. Unless your theory is this, which I'm going to pause it cuz it is possible.

Okay, here's a possible theory, which is the mother was originally totally normal because of the if this is their mother. Okay, if this is Angela's mother,

the doctor, their mother was completely normal until this horrible, horrific accident happened in which her husband and one of her kids was killed. Correct. However, the problem with that theory is that we see a scene later on

with the end of the movie where one of her children is introduced to her. So, she must be so bonkers.

Okay, this this Okay, this is the Oh my god, guys. So, my understanding of the movie is framed like this.

Oh my gosh. Because of the a Okay, [ __ ] If you have not watched this movie, you need just to stop listening right now. Watch it and we're now going to talk about the ending right?

YouTube. Just watch. We have to watch the end. I mean, we we have not even talked about any of the movie yet. I feel this discussion. table discussion because my understanding of the movie basically is that this the the mother has like a a psychological breakdown and with her surviving child makes a decision that is that provides the insanity that leads to the rest of the movie and that the little boy is normal visitor. He is the cousin that is taking her to camp.

No, because he calls her the normal visitor. Ricky calls him and goes that's my mom.

Yeah. And like he does, doesn't he? And also that explanation is if they had a script writer.

Yes. That's like if it was a good movie. You're saying you're saying that Angela goes to just happens to go to live with an insane person.

Yes. It's because he's the only living relative. The only living relative. That's not her relative, you guys. She's not her.

Guys, this is crazy. But you're acting like you haven't seen the movie. No, no, no. But there is such an easier expl it's such an easier explanation that the insanity that happens to Angela is because of the accident. Not a the accident is insane and then you're telling me she also then happens to go to live with a next level insane person.

All right. I think I what I'm hearing is this. She would have had to go insane. Not just because her husband and ch child died, but also because she found out there that the guy on the the guy that her husband was sleeping with on the land was so emotionally distraught that his lover died that she then also found out that her husband was gay.

Here we go. It's revealed that Angela survived and is now living with her eccentric and aunt, Dr. Martha Thomas, and cousin Ricky Thomas.

Right. All right. So, there we go. I didn't even know they had last names. Um, we have to get into this movie cuz well, we can break in. There's so many things right here before this amazing ending.

Exhausting. Wait, guys. I just thought of something else though. Wait. Oh, brother.

Okay, so the guy on the land and the guy in the boat are lovers, but they might also have been brothers.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Well, there is tons of weird insinaw brothers-in-law.

How do you know that, though? Because it's it's the god. Wait, no, but the lover isn't killed. like the lover, the male, the man on the shore is alive.

He wouldn't get that. So, we never see him again. So, he would be married to the crazy mother in theory.

Yes. Yes. You know, but we never see him again. So, the presumption is my presumption is that he's just a male like a male lover for the father. He is unrelated to

he's not married to the the doctor. I don't think so. That would be we don't know all the relationships, but there's so much good stuff to break into before though. He could have been married to her. All right. So, the movie opens with a a boating accident. There back remember when we started talking about this 10 minutes ago scene of the movie

the uh there's a water skiing there's a water skiing couple. There's no more difficult movie in our history to try and unravel. Well, I I think I I I applaud us for staying away from the ending just for this moment cuz I feel like if you are not going to watch this movie, which you definitely should,

got to watch it. Uh I feel like we should walk you into the ending. Um so there's a water skiing thing going on. The kids are in the water with the dad. The water skiers decapitate the father and the son, I guess. Uh

well, a child. A child and a father. A child and the father are killed and leaving one child alive.

Yes. Right. And then that's how the that's the cold open of a movie. The a senseless decapitation via jet ski or water ski.

Wait, do you see a headless body? Uh, no. You actually don't. You just see the body float by.

Dad's body and then the child's life life preserver. By the way, this life vest this movie employs one of the best things I've ever seen, which is the reaction shot, the screaming reaction shot. It goes like cut to someone screaming. Cut to a dead body. Cut to someone screaming dead body. Every time the screamer is the water skier. Did you pull that by any chance?

No. Because it just is somebody screaming. I Because here's the thing. Her scream now it's really the person on the boat's fault who you know that there's a camper who's on the boat. I I'm sorry we're still talking about the first two minutes of the movie, but the camper

literally the first two minutes of the movie. It is so good though. But the camper de she wants to take the wheel from the counselor. So she takes control and she's for whatever reason looking back at the water skier.

Both of them apparently are because the water skier is the only person who sees that they're headed towards a boat,

right? But the water skier's reaction in the water once she realized this horrible horrific death has occurred is like she's done it. I mean, she's taking full responsibility for it.

Somebody help them. Somebody help those people. And then they cut to the two kids in the boat who are arguably responsible and they are just stonefaced like sitting there like what happened?

Yeah, we don't know. We just ran over a human being and a boat jumped our boat over their boat.

Not not surprised. Probably the water skier killed them. No, of course not. But she's the only person the water skier or

she she dropped off. Yeah, the water skier is like you're going to run into that person and they're like, "Shut up." They're going they're going, "What's she saying? And she's screaming, "There's a boat." And they're saying, "What's she saying?"

And then it cuts to the gay lover and he goes "Tubby." This whole movie is about bad reflexes, too. No one can swim fast in this. Everyone is It's like speed two. Like something is coming at them like, "H, I'm going to stay frozen. The boat is coming. That guy could have survived. He could have swam to the left, to the right." All right. So that's right. We meet the creepy mom. These kids go to sleep away camp. We get to camp. It's full of pedophiles, angry camp counselors. Angry angry camp counsels.

Oh my god. The first um the first scene of the kids arriving at camp is they're all like running by. Yeah. And the the guy the pedophile camp counselor goes they're look he's like licking his lips and looking at all the young like young kids and he goes where I call them

where I come from we call them baldies. Makes your mouth water looking at it. Wait, I missed this line. He says, "We call them baldies because they're hair on their pubic hair yet." He says, "Where I come from, we call him bald."

Where does he come from? And can I visit? That guy is instantaneously like I was like, "Wa, this just got crazy rapy." By the way, by the way, not even crazy rapy. Like that's a weird thing to reveal to a group of people like, "Hey, I'm going to [ __ ] a young kid this summer."

I'm a child master. He reveals to like six people that are standing there and one of the people just goes, "Nah, that's that's him."

Yeah. He just laughs it off. By the way, it just goes to show you you cannot trust the kitchen staff cuz the same kind of thing in Sucker Punch, the same guy who runs the kitchen likes to rape young girls. That's it. They put them in the kitchen. It's a real theme.

I feel like that's my wheelhouse 20 years from now. I'm just going to be doing like rapy rapy rapy creepy adults. Well, June pointed out a very special celebrity guest star in the in the kitchen staff.

James Earl Jones's dad, Robert Earl Jones. Ben, he plays Ben. Yep. By the way, his name is Ben.

How are you remembering all these names? Because it's so insane. He plays the Robert Jones played.

I noticed his name in the credits and I thought that's a coincidence. But then when I heard his voice, he has James Earl Jones's voice and looks a lot like him. That's crazy.

And I would more crazy is that he would name his kid the same middle name as him. Like it's it's not like it's you have to go like Earl Jones. Yeah. But anyway, so that's Robert Earl Jones. We see we meet our amazing camp owner who is just smoking a cigar. They smoke in front of these kids non-stop in the 80s. It was good to smoke.

Yeah. That's I I not just smoke, but like talk and be like so lascivious and sexual. Yes. you know, and I I guess I appreciate that, you know. I guess I appreciate like the forthrightness with which like all the kids swear like a blue streak like in that way that

a way that I haven't heard it on film before. But that's the thing is like in the 80s like Bad News Bears or Meatballs or those movies like kids swore like we as kids swore, you know what I mean? And that just doesn't exist anymore. Like a a movie with kids now, you would never hear a like a a 13-year-old.

[ __ ] you, you [ __ ] cuck. [ __ ] yeah, it's like it's it's so many fbombs and from little kids. Uh we should also point out and this is a very important thing when we meet Angela 8 years later after the accident. Uh she doesn't speak. We haven't heard her speak.

We also have to say sleepaway camp happens 8 years after the accident which they haven't said.

Yes. Yes. Uh they don't really let you know how long it has been. Um so they, you know, they're they're at camp. People immediately hate Angela because she doesn't speak at all

and she just sort of blinks. She doesn't even blink. She knows she stares vacantly. She appears to be like um a real weirdo.

I feel like they give her mushrooms because she has no like pupil versus like eye color. It's just black.

Well, you don't you don't know what's wrong with her. Is she catatonic? Does she have no emotions? But then guess what? A couple scenes in, she starts talking up a storm and a boy flirts with her.

Yeah. Like nothing. Like nothing. The movie interesting. The movie is also, which I also liked, is like singularly obsessed with people with kids getting laid.

Oh, yeah. You know, it's just again like that ' 80s way of like um uh all movies like like like The Sure thing and um that that that Tom Cruz movie where they every they're trying to lose their virginity. No, they're trying the first one. Um, I know what you're talking about. Yeah. Like they're all obsessed with getting laid and Judy got tits and and and blah blah blah.

I also like when the kid runs up to Ricky like, "Hey, Ricky, man. Oh, man. You got to see Judy. She's got some big tits." Or whatever. And then and Ricky's like he says to, you know, he says to his cousin, he's like, "We went steady." It's almost like it's like he's like, "It's so cool. It's

Ricky is like the playboy. He's like the badass of the camp." Yeah. But he hasn't He's considered one of the little kids. I just realized something crazy. Is this the first year that Angela has lived with Ricky? Because if 8 years have passed, where was why hasn't she been going to camp with him?

Yeah. Oh my god. All right. Well, we'll get again. That makes no sense. Yeah. I mean, I'm looking at the Wikipedia and you're right. Angela is the cousin of Ricky and there is eight years.

I just don't because when I saw that mom, I was like, this mom is crazy because of the accident, but now it is not that. She is just a crazy person.

Yes. Although looking thinking about the mom again, I'm starting to think she actually might have been a man at one point.

Really? No, no, no. That the mom is the gay lover. But then how do you explain Ricky?

Wait a second. How do you explain Ricky? No, no, no, no. Ricky Ricky is her son, right?

Yeah. Desiree Gould. It was a play by a real actress. Her name is Des I know. Well,

we Oh, okay. All right. Well, all right. We can get we can Oh, that's right. Gold. Um, all right. So, we can get let's get into it. I want to hold off on one more second before because I think the end is going to open up all these.

Um, I mean, Wikipedia does Okay. Yeah. Well, the first death that happens is the one of the cooks, the guy who makes that comment about Baldi's um attempts to rape Angela.

Oh, yeah. Like in like instantly. Very quickly, he is like like he's like, "Oh, you want some food? I'll uh why don't you come back into the pantry? And then starts like unbuckling his pants like I'll give you I'll give you something to snack on for whatever he says.

It's so upsetting. And then Ricky finds Angela, grabs her and runs out and then the cook punches a box of tomatoes.

A huge box of tomatoes. A huge box of tomatoes. Then Angela comes back later on or the killer comes back later on and

spoiler alert. Huge spoiler alert. I'm obsessed with this scene because the cook is trying is salting an enormous pot of boiling water.

First, well, first he says, "By the way, is it boiling?" It's like a hu it's like a 55gallon drum of boiling water. He goes, "Is it boiling?" And he goes, "Oh, it is like so that we understand it's boiling water.

Boiling water." And he says that a girl that Yeah, he does say that a girl that a girl to the water that it's boiling. Yeah. Always got to talk the water out. My my favorite part is how angry that guy gets at the drop of a hat. He's out of salt. [ __ ] this salt.

Well, everyone everyone there is on the border of just freaking out. That makes everybody a suspect.

So he he gets on a step ladder. This is my question. The pot is so large. The pot is so large and he must stand on a chair to pour the salt in. Now meanwhile, how much salt would you have to put? Like I know you put a little bit of salt in a pot of boiling water. That's Paul. I'm so glad you asked because this be our our passion being that how did this get made turns into a cooking show. I mean the question we don't know is what's he preparing the water for?

Well, I was it was corn. He had all that corn on the side. Put a significant amount of salt in there.

Yeah. You know, so I thought that was interesting. For those of you keeping notes in the cooking part of the show, it was very interesting.

So he's standing on a chair salting this water for days. And I mean, listen, that's a lot of sodium. These kids, this is at a time when we didn't understand the dangers of salt. And I also think, by the way, that that's why he has a few pounds to lose because he's been overs salulting his food. He's been oversulting.

He has really high cholesterol. Yeah, he's salt. He's putting a lot. He's very heavy on the salt. Big guy.

So then the killer comes in and we see a pair of hands coming up. Hands outstretched like first person. Now the camera is first person. Like we are the killer's POV.

Yes. Which was killer cam. Killer cam. My the best part of of every single death in this movie is the way everyone goes, "Oh, it's you."

That I I have I have Unbelievable. I put together a clip. Yeah. I'm obsessed with how he dies, though, because what happens is he realizes who the killer is. He tells her to

Well, he tells the I mean, you're just spoiling who the killer is. He well basically wait you wait you didn't even you didn't even say you didn't you didn't even

I'm using a gendered pronoun you didn't even like the the biggest thing was the kid

just keep on moving the kid the kid pushes his butt reminiscent of the father who also got his butt pushed in the opening scene

and then and then I'm certain I'm certain that is not meant to be a thematic reference

in a body of water in a body of shelf. Now, he's like about a foot off the ground. At any point, he could go any way, but he's holding on like he's holding on to the side of a building. Like, all right, help me out of this thing. He is in no physical danger whatsoever at all.

And and instead of being like, "Stop it." He's like, "So, I'll offer you some I'll get you an ice cream sandwich." Like trying

No. When he falls though, he could fall any which way. Yes. But lose. So he falls in such a way that he grabs the 50 lb pot of boiling water, I guess, and pours it on all over himself.

Burning him to a ridiculous again a yelling scene. This this this yelling scene, if you actually go through the math of the yelling scene, and I have it written down, he because he it it cuts from him yelling in the same position to him gaued, same position, still yelling. If you think about how long it would take for someone to call the ambulance because people just stand around when they see people get

no cell phones there. Ben walks in and he's just like and he's just watching this guy scream boiling his face. If you think about it, if you think about a camp that's removed from a city, how long it would take police officers and an ambulance to get there? That man was sitting there for an hour and a half screaming in the same position. Well, I would also want to add to that, too. Not only did the ambulance get there and and not only did the ambulance get there, but then a doctor got there and they did a lot of work in the kitchen because when you see him being removed from the kitchen, he's still screaming, but is totally gaued out. Like, that would be something that they would do in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The doctor's like, "You know what? I'm going to set up shop here.

There's a lot of fly traps around here." That's so weird. And the doctor, they literally say to the doctor, "Where were his eyeballs burned?" And he goes, "It's too soon to tell." Too soon to tell. You would definitely tell if his eyeballs were burned.

And And is that is that Are they asking Why do you ask if his eyeballs are burned?

Because he just like his main thing. That was weird because I guess I know, but if it was if it was the chef that was badly burned, I think the first question you'd probably ask is, "Are his hands okay?"

Well, not when it's a pett. Yeah. Their concern is mainly their concern the guy that runs the camp's concern is like get him out of here. Don't tell anybody. We still need to make dinner. James O. Jones is dead. Can you be the cook? And he's like, I guess so.

Yeah. Camp goes on as normal. Yeah. Camp goes on as normal. That's the thing that's shocking to me is it's not until like six deaths in that the guy that runs the camp seems a little bit like suspicious.

And he's not even suspicious. He's just kind of like h all right we'll combine the camps and we'll just we'll make it smaller and we cuz he keeps being like kid people aren't going to send their kids to camp if they know about all these deaths.

How much money do you think the camp is bringing in every summer from these kids?

This is a great question like what are the what are the economic finance? This is another great how did this get made pocket. What are the economic finances of the business that that is part of the movie? When we last up to you guys, we were talking about the finances of Camp Arowak. Uh I think

camp owner seems like he's going to lose. So I guess if you're a camp owner, I don't know. It just seems like he's going to lose millions if this camp gets shut down. So concerned livelihood

and only millionaire smokes cigars in true. So he wears he wears black socks up to his knees with shorts. was short.

By the way, we'll find out later on. He's also [ __ ] the children of He's also asked on a date. She's a counselor to be fair. She's a counselor.

But that's a little less agree. It's not me. It's Is it Meg? Yes, it's me. And Meg is into it. He is like a Milton Burl looking old man. And she is like, I got a date tonight. Hot date.

What? You are dating. She asks him on a date, but he's already asked her on a date. She says, "Remember when you said Remember when you said you wanted? How about that dinner you said you wanted?" And he's like, "Well, sure."

The man The man was born in 1922. This movie was in 1983. They just give you an idea of how old he was. That's the age difference that we're talking about. And uh and of course Meg, the beautiful Meg, was uh was born in uh let's see. Oh, they don't say when she was born. Um

she's a teenager. She's maybe 16. 16. Yeah, she's 16 years old. And she's psyched about this.

Yeah. and and is, you know, probably like to me is Meg is the real bully of the girl. Me and Judy are the bully.

Judy is so Judy's a very dark character. Judy is a [ __ ] but Me is the muscle. Me is the one that throws Angela in the water.

Um, it's interesting. Judy's more like psychological. By the way, I like that Judy has a shirt that says

Judy. I love that. I love Judy's hair. I've never seen side pony. Oh, just a side pony. side running to the

Just FYI, if you have not seen this movie, chances are you have because it is almost a You could see now that Wet Hot American Summer directly parodyied this movie. I mean,

there are even scenes that Heavyweight stole from this movie. It's crazy. It's I mean like characters are dressed the same in Wet Hot as they are at Sleepweight Camp, the side pony, all that sort of stuff. It looks identical, too.

Um I asked Cam Marino last night. I emailed him because there was like a a kind of like a a weightlifting kind of Jewish guy who's like the the voice of reason at the camp. I go, "Did you base your character on this?" He goes, "Yeah, part that guy and part a guy in meatballs." So that that was the impetus to Ken's character. Um

all right. So the the second murder happens in a boating accident. This kid is flirting with a girl. Want want wants her to see the the water snake, which would be his dick in the water. um flips over the boat.

Lots of boat flipping to get her into the water so he can show her his water snake.

To get her into the water. Mix it up a little. Hey, there's a hard water snake here. It needs to clar on to your you part.

This is difficult like to float in the water. Like what was he planning on doing there? I'm serious. Cuz his feet their feet weren't touching the ground.

Hey, look. This is 83. People were [ __ ] in all interesting ways. But uh yeah, so now this kid is now trapped. He just decides to hang out underneath the canoe that he flipped.

He's high on drugs, by the way. He's high on drugs. Was he high on drugs? Yeah, he and the other kid are high on drugs.

And by the way, though, what did he do to the killer to get her so upset? He was making

to get the killer so upset. He said to get her so upset. No, I said the killer.

Either way, we don't know the killer could be male or female at this point. So, you said the killer

to get to get him. What did he do with the killer to get her so upset? Uh, please go see this movie. Do not do not wait for our amazing review of this.

I can't do this. I can't do it. We got to just get to the ending because it's going to be so good.

It's so good. Uh, so he's now high on drugs singing a song in the boat. Now I He's alone.

He's alone. Now I played this I put two clips back to back because it is uh what happens when everybody sees the killer. So these are two clips of people seeing the killer. Here we go. again.

What the hell are you doing here? I bet the rest of the boys will be interested in seeing you.

That's That's number one. Here's another killing. It's you. What do you want? Well,

then she gets knocked out. So, they always are saying you I knew it was you. Do you think I can't imagine being 14 and seeing this for the first time being?

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I didn't realize. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that Judy was killed by having a hot curling iron stuck into her vagina.

June pointed that out. I thought it was just being burned, but Jude's like, "No, it's going into her vagina." You can tell.

Of course it is. Of course it is. Yeah. Like in the shadow. It's like being How did you think she was killed?

Burning. I don't know. I Well, you told me so. That was the only way for Judy to die.

By getting a curling iron in the VJ. Absolutely. Oo, that was a And by the way, would that kill you? I mean, no.

It would burn your It would burn your vagina into uselessness, but it would not kill you.

It would certainly not kill you. Yeah. No, no, no. You would just like melt your vagina.

Wait a second. Could there be a sequel to this movie where we see Judy with a burned vagina?

There are three sequels to this movie. Oh, you know what, guys? I actually know the answer to my own question. There was a short film released on sleepwakecamptv.com. It's called Judy's Return. So, you can follow the 16minute return story of Judy as an adult. Um, and I I don't I haven't seen it, nor probably will I, but uh you can you can see how her burn vagina does in the future.

Judy's a real sad character. I think what Judy admires like Judy and Angela have an interesting relationship because I think in so many ways Judy would like to be more like Angela.

Why do you say that? Because Angela is Yeah, that's it. I think Judy sees a little bit of her old self in Angela and has become last summer.

Last summer now sprouted those tits. Well, by the way, crazy cuz that scene where that guy rejects her a little bit. I mean, not even that much. She goes nuts.

Yeah. But I I also feel like everyone in this movie though, like they hate Angela cuz she's a mute some of the time. By the way, she's a mute some of the time. Some of the times she's a totally welladjusted girl. It goes back and forth.

I don't know if I would say well adjusted. She just talks. She talks, but in a way that's like kind of she doesn't doesn't It's not like the mom. It's not overly creepy. It's like a girl. It's normal. I have a really important question for when we get to the ending.

And so, all right. So, basically, but all the kids like will grab her and go, "How come you're so [ __ ] up?" Like, "God damn it, answer me." And they shake her. They're always like shaking her

because she doesn't talk. It throws people into rages. Well, they project all of their own fears and insecurities onto her.

Well, when that kid was killed in the boat, even the camp counselor in the morning is like, "Oh, god damn it. Look at all these chairs." He's like throwing chairs around and then he just uncovers a dead body. That's so decomposed in less than like what 5 hours

in within from late night until early morning the body is is mangled. That's not de decomposition.

It's not decomposition but it's water snakes. It's either it's water snakes. A water snake does climb out of water. That was hilarious.

Wait, you think the water snakes ate him? I thought he was beat to death or something.

No, no, that was his body snap snapping turtles. Oh, yeah. This is snapping turtle.

This movie is so stupid. There there are literally maybe like eight times I said to my I keep thinking in my head this is the part of the movie where nothing makes sense.

Well, it's just like the entire film. It makes Well, okay. Well, by the way, so the this the kid is dead. We have a Then there's a the police come to kind of inform him that there could have been an accident. This is the the accident debate here. Listen.

As far as I can tell, the boy drowned. Of course, we'll have to wait for the medical examiner to check him over before we can be certain.

Of course, he drowned. He was horsing around. A canoe tipped over. He must have hit his head.

I don't think so. Weren't any bumps or bruises when I checked, though? Again, I'm no expert on this matter.

It was obviously an accident. I mean, the boy might have got scared and panicked right?

That could be a logical explanation. So, it was one of those fluke accidents we could not have foreseen, and that is all there is to it.

I don't know, man. It was an accident. So that is that is the camp counselor try or the head of the camp just trying to justify

he's smoking a cigar during that scene. Oh yeah. I'm not technically uh ste man that that guy is the best. That security guard.

Can we move ahead to Meg's death? Yeah, sure. Okay, so Meg, this is the most improbable death. I think

the craziest death. Yeah, me is getting ready for a hot date with old [ __ ] action camp counselor there.

Megan Melgan. Megan Mel. Megan Mel. Hearts Forever. 16 and 60. 16 and 60. That's a new MTV show.

So, she's taking a shower. She's surrounded by like handsome men her own age. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. I mean, and even h handsome men closer to her age than now. So, she takes a shower in a different bunk because all the girls are using up the shower and hers. And she's, by the way, singing the craziest song in that shower,

but not even singing. No. Humming the entire time. She's like, "He h it's maddening with a huge smile on her face."

Then all of a sudden, she leans back on the shower to so her back is against the wall and the killer stabs through the wall and stabs her from her neck down to her ass.

Yeah. Yeah. In half pretty much. Yeah. Now, at no point in feeling the knife go into her back does Meg step forward in order to avoid the knife destroying her.

She stays firmly with her back against the wall. Feet planted. Feet planted so that the knife can continue to wreak havoc with her with her back area.

It's almost like someone's scratching it and she likes and she's like, "Oh, yeah, that get it." She like Yeah. She really edges that knife into her. Oh, man. And so she dies and presumably stays in such a precarious position that her body until Mel comes to find her much later in the movie. Mel walks into a room. She's been dead now for arguably a couple hours, right?

A couple hours. But the minute he walks into the room, she falls into frame. So she was hanging so precariously that he didn't even move a curtain. He doesn't do anything. She just kind of enters enters the scene. They could have made that scene so much easier if he just moved the shower curtain and she fell out. Nope. She just falls to the ground.

So weird. So do you think the knife was holding on to her back and in the wall at the same time? So she was

because she takes the knife out. Yeah. So she's just standing up a dead person standing

standing against the wall. Holy. It's the wind shifted. Absolute nonsense. All right. My honestly that uh speech he gives which had to have been improvd when he sees me totally improvised is unbelievable.

Uh do you I do have that as well. I'll play it. It's a little hard to hear cuz the music is so overpowering but it's worth trying to hear. Here you go.

Oh my god. I knew he did. I let him go. Please stop. Got to stop him. Get away from me. Never get away from me again. And as he's talking, he's talking with his like finger at his like like almost like like a stereotype of an Italian man like, "Hey, I'm going to make him a cup of cool. You're never going to forget." It's like he's like presenting this information like this.

Oh my god. I love that all of the times where he wasn't talking, it would cut back to the back of a body.

Yes. And it wasn't like it was like, "Oh, something else has happened to this body." It's the same shot.

Same. So [ __ ] And no blood at all. No blood out of there. I guess the blood was drained out. Oh my god. Uh, by the way, I want to just talk about one line that was pretty great. Hey man, eat [ __ ] and die, Ricky. Hey, eat [ __ ] and live, Bill.

That was one of the classic kids like, oo, that was a great comeback. Uh, um, so a bunch of other camp counselors die. Um, or kids die, but let's get

gets killed with the bees. Yes. Wicked dump. This is amazing. The amazing That's it. You You have her in that. So, read it cuz I don't have her in.

It's It's I'll be right there, guys. But first, I got to take a wicked dump. That's that's a line in this movie that an actor memorized and then said and takes a magazine into the bathroom where the killer, the genderless killer reaches in and puts a beehive by the way toilet with him. Another slowass reaction first knifes out the screen on the window. Takes a while and got and the guy does we never see the guy in the stall. We only see his feet. Hey, who the hell is that? Continue stick is wicked [ __ ] Does not look around. And then a wicked [ __ ]

And then someone that puts a puts a beehive on a stick and puts it in there. And then

look like an old timey hobo stick. A bindle. It definitely looks like a bindle.

My my problem my only problem with that scene was they put a very thin broomstick to stop them from getting out. It's like you we start on a pretty large gap between the floor and the top of the door. Just get out of there.

Yeah. And that beehive, like at the end when you see all of the bees on his bo on his dead body, that beehive contained thousands and thousands of bees. His body looks so eaten alive. It was as if you locked him in a beehive in an actual beehive for days. Like, but this is like 2 minutes later. He is the same thing with the boiling water. It like his body was like boiled a lot. Um, and that was after the amazing water balloon scene, which uh which our main character Angela gets a water balloon and goes down like she was like John F. Kennedy shot like you [ __ ] It's like and these kids are playing with water balloons on the roof of a cabin like just all on a roof. All fighting on a roof.

Ricky Ricky's outbursts like Oh yeah. I can't imagine where the head space he had to go to.

Well, that's why I think in your mind you're supposed to think like is it Ricky? Is it Angela? We don't know who the killer is because Ricky is

he is so volatile. So angry and so overprotective. And even Mel is like why are you Even Mel suspects him at a certain point. He's like, "Why are you always protecting her? Why is you you did it? I saw you by the by the thing or whatever." And like Mel is like accusing Ricky of doing it. Um

the thing I wanted to to talk about was at a certain point Angela gets a little boyfriend. Paul

Paul starts to like Angela and they're holding hands after movie night. And then he he kisses her.

Oh, this is the best. He kisses her behind the bunk. He's She's like, "Where are we going?" And he's like, "I just want to show you something. I just want to show you something." And then they go behind the bunk and he like plants like a the meakest little kiss on her and she and she's like, "I have to go inside.

I have to go inside now." I mean, what? Well, now don't you But this is But this is the time where she has a flashback, right?

Like him, but this does like him. That's what I want to get to. But this is what I want to get to.

But this is the flashback, right? Where she literally it says smash cut to gay sex.

Yes. Cutting to these two men. And and like I don't know if this is where you find out that the man on the shore was the gay lover. We didn't know this. We should have said that at the beginning. We I didn't think he was the gay that the two men were gay lovers in the cold open. No way.

In this scene, which appears to take place in a black box. It It's like that episode of Family Ties where That's what I was going to say where Alex's friend dies and he has to go to therapy. It's It's like It's like a community.

It's like a breian production of of something where where it's a black box and the two little kids, now they're back to being little kids are looking at the dad and the man like bone zoning.

Yeah. just doing it. But they also are bone zoning like a thing. It was it was a very tender tender. They were touching each other's faces in a tender way. Yeah. And then the two little they weren't ramming. Um and then it that dissolves to the two kids, the the little boy and the little girl in bed like touching each other like the men were touching each other,

but not even trying. It was Don't they touch each other's faces or ET? It's like ET. Oh, he's poking her tit. He's like her her his finger is just going slowly at her, but it never touches her. And it's super creepy. The camera's like rotating around their bed. It's like, what the [ __ ] am I watching?

Well, but that wasn't I don't think we were supposed to take away that they were

She was slowly molested by her brother. That was definitely incest. It's definitely incest. Total incest. Total incest.

It's It's like an underlining theme in the entire You guys, that's not true. Yes, it was. That's why they showed that scene. No. The reason why they showed that scene was that we see the boy pointing to her, which is why we're thinking she's the killer. Angela's the killer cuz he's pointing out talking about what the [ __ ] are you talking about?

There are three people who are going no and one person is going yes. That was not an incest scene.

It was an incest. It was so incestual. It was. It was totally incest. He's pointing her tin. He's like point he's like re basically his It keeps dissolving. It keeps dissolving to his feet are getting closer and closer and closer to her.

It's like that is like something sexy looking at her like you. No, he's like getting closer and closer like I'm going to touch this.

I'm going to touch you. I'm going to do this. It was so creepy. It was like they just saw sex and now they were going to

That's exactly what it was. Yeah. Um All right. So, now we're getting to Let's just get to let's get to the meat of this [ __ ] movie.

Literally. Uh so the whole movie is pretty much predicated on an amazing 5minute ending sequence. So uh Angela decides that after she's been like upset with this boy, she's going to finally b take him to the bone zone.

Yeah. And uh and we cut to a flashback. Anyone can take who wants to describe this scene. We cut to a flashback of the creepy mom that we established in the beginning.

Oh. Oh yeah. Go ahead. Or do you have want to go for Well, you know, that's fine. That's fine. Well, what Okay, what happens is a bunch of people are killed and then all the people are running around chaos and they run down and they find Angela and Paul naked on the beach. Okay. Then looks very tender.

Then yes, Angela is is humming and cradling Paul, right? Um and they come across her and like her back is to the people and she's naked. Then you dissolve into this flashback

and it's Aunt Martha and Aunt Martha again on a breian set uh starts doing this thing. We see it's like right after the accident uh

child's come to the surviving child has like a head cast on or something. That's the funniest part is like that doesn't exist in any world.

No. Um I have the dialogue here that I can read goes so it cuts into this. Oh, you're going to enjoy living with us so much. Yes, I know you are. As a welcome home present, I bought you such a wonderful new clothes. I hope that Richard doesn't get jealous that I didn't get him anything. Oh, but then he's such a deer. I'm sure he won't mind. You see, I've always wanted a little girl. But of course, when my husband left, oh well, that's all water under the bridge. As I always say, water under the bridge. But it certainly will be a nice surprise when Richard comes home to find a little girl in his house.

Yes, I've always dreamed of a little girl just like you. That's the the monologue. We find out that Angela is actually the son the little boy.

The boy survived, not the girl. And the mother raises the little boy whose name was Peter.

Yes. As Angela who she says because it's from the angels. Yes. Uh and so and then you cut back to camp, present day camp. Angela gets up. Paul's head, decapitated head, rolls off of her lap. She's holding a knife, screams this crazy blood curdling scream, turns around to face everybody, and has a tiny dick.

And that is bonkers. That's how the movie ends. Angela is the brother. Holy [ __ ] It's crazy.

That monologue though, actually, when you read it, answers a lot of my outstanding question.

Okay. So, so from that monologue, we're to we're to understand that the man on the beach was her husband.

No, no. Left. Left. He left. Thank you, Zach. Left. Yes. But was her husband left her?

Left her for the guy. So, the By the way, the guy on the beach was the was married to Martha, you're saying?

Yeah, I think so. Oh, so wait a second. So, you're saying the dock is coming is he's not going to be like, "My wife is coming."

Got it. The dock is coming. [ __ ] what's her name? The dock. Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Cuz I really want to understand this. So you're telling me that Martha, Aunt Martha, and dude on the beach?

Yeah. Were married? Let's just call Gary and and Gary. Aunt Martha and Gary were married. Okay. And then dad of Peter and Angel of

dad of two little kids, Angela being the boy, Peter. Um Peter/Angela and little boy.

Little girl. Little girl. Sorry. Little girl. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Little girl.

Guy on boat. guy on boat with kids. So he was presumably married to somebody, right? Yes. They are gay lovers, right? Are they but the kids are she is their aunt. She is their aunt. Wait a second. I figured it out.

The guy on the boat with the two kids and the guy on land, Gary, they are related.

And it was in Yeah. So it's So it's incest. So that's why she gets custody cuz she is the aunt of that little girl boy.

I think she is the I think it is incest in the sense that it's like through law. That's yeah that I think that yeah I'm I'm with that. Yes.

So maybe so maybe the Martha and so maybe Martha and the kids' mothers were sisters right

and these two men married these two sisters but decided to bone zone each other but they were not related except by marriage

because because that's how the kids caught them. The two little kids were like at a summer house when they had some sort of family thing and that's when they saw the men having sex in the bed. Weird to understand then that when the doc is arriving at the summer home, she also has Ricky in tow, which they never mention.

Yeah, they never mentioned Ricky. By the way, I do think that we were wrong on one thing. This did not take place. The boating accident did not take place in front of the camp, even though it would lead you to believe cuz the the camera pans off the camp.

It did. It totally did. It did. It had 100%. All right. I a camp. I thought those kids came from a camp. I mean, he even goes like he was like, I don't want to lose my job, but Okay.

All right. Maybe you're right. Okay. So, this got to be and that's why she starts to go crazy when she's back at the camp.

Back at the camp, the water, it's just terrible. It's too much. It's too much for her.

All right. So, so also to understand though that Angela/P Peter is a gay boy. Like, she's been raised as a girl, so probably has a crush on Paul because of

cuz he's a guy. She's he's a guy paying attention to her, but I'm sure feels that's why the the kiss is so she reacts to the kiss. So,

and that's also why she won't get in the shower. It's also why she won't get in the shower,

right? I think she's just an asexual murderer. See, Wikipedia just says that's interesting.

Wikipedia says the man on the shore is just his lover. It does. That's all it says about that.

It says the doc is coming. Yeah, the doctor's coming. Well, why would the doctor be coming to the beach? It's just

the do because the doctor is the aunt of the kids. So, just unrelated. The doctor

unrelated. The doctor's coming. Unrelated. He's like, "You have to get out of the water. The doctor is coming."

Maybe it's your sister's coming. He could have said, "Your sister's coming." No, he said the dock.

No, no, I know. But he could have said, "Your sister's coming." Your sister's, you know, like, "Somebody's coming. Hurry up. Get to shore. We have to cover up all our gay stuff."

Oh, maybe. I I don't I don't know. Did you guys notice that cop at the end had the worst

fake mustache? Oh, the worst fake mustache I've ever seen. I mean, like that was bought in a prop.

Like, it was worse than than Eric Bann's beard and Hannah. Well, again, if you if you if you go on the the idea that this is a real camp that made a movie over a summer, it was not that bad. I do want to talk about the spirit finger death. Every time people get killed in this movie, they their hands kind of go up like and like they're in spirit fingers like like they just go really wide and and and back and forth because they only show it through shadows.

Do you think though that we're understand that Ricky did does Ricky know that Angela is a dude?

That is a terrific question. No way. No way. Well, cuz the mother does say he'll be so happy to have a little sister.

Yeah. So, the presumption being then the mom said, "Okay, the mom is going to tell him it's a little girl." I only

Why is he Oh, is that why he's so protective? He's like, "It's my sister. It's my girl sister."

Um, I do want to just clarify one thing here so much. Do you know who was supposed to originally play the part of Angela?

Jane Kowski. No way. Where did you see that? On IMDb. Apparently, she dropped out at the uh at the end. That's [ __ ] crazy.

And the movie was indeed dedicated to the director's mother. Those are two things. Just answering those questions, just so we know. The a real doer.

Can you imagine if that movie was dedicated to you by your child? I'd be like, I will say this, people should 100% watch this movie. It's on YouTube in its entirety.

In its entirety. It's amazing. And even if you're not going to watch the movie, watch the last 10 minutes. Yeah. Well, it it you have to I think the the payoff only works with the full.

I will tell you also a new film returned to sleepwake camp was completed in 2003 and initially struggled to find distribution. It was directed by the same guy uh the of the original. He decided this chapter would ignore the story lines of the previous sequels stating he wanted to pick up where the original film ended. According to Fangoria, the digital effects were redone in 2008 and the film finally found distribution and was released in 2008 and uh and basically it is if you want to follow the story, it's called Return to Sleep.

I want to I just would like to add something to this. Okay, that movie, you're correct, is a sequel that the director made. But yes, in the8s, another director made two sequels called Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers and Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland. in them. Angela, now played by Bruce Springsteen's younger sister, Pamela Springsteen,

resurfaces at a nearby sleepaway camp, but this time masquerading as a counselor after a sex change that made her entirely female.

Then there's a fourth there's another sequel called Sleepway Camp 4: The Survivor, directed by a whole different person, which was partially filmed and never released. This is all Wikipedia.

Can I just bring up how Paul pitches himself as the best friend ever? He's like, he's like, "Yeah, me and Ricky hung out all like we're best friends. This these are the shenanigans we got into last year." And and she's just like thoroughly impressed to the point where she's like, "That's great." And that's her first line.

Yep. First line she speaks like 45 minutes into the movie and it's But by the way, that's what I I think the really big question that remains is why didn't she go to camp before? What was she doing?

Being a boy. I mean like just probably the mom probably didn't want to Oh, she she couldn't do the physical.

Oh, no. But the mom did the physical. That explains why the mom did the physical too.

Guys, by the way, I'm looking I'm reading the whole plot summary for return to sleepway camp. It looks like everyone had returned. Ricky returns. Ronnie returns. Every surviving victim returns many years later to find the real killer. Oh, that would be

the real killer. It wasn't Angel. Well, I think maybe Angela's coming back. Maybe it's like Psycho, too. Um, obviously we had an opinion about this movie, but it is now time for a second opinion. These are five star reviews cold from Amazon.

I can't even decide which ones to read here because they're so good. Um, Ben Conrad writes, "Plot, characterization, screenwriting, or acting might be the conventional criteria that most film buffs use for grading a movie's greatness. I used to believe that, too, until I saw Sleepaway Camp. After that, I drew a new template for my own evaluation.

Based solely on sheer audacity. This movie is poorly written, poorly acted, and it ends if someone just slammed the brakes on a tractor trailer that was leisurely cruising at 200 mph. This movie stops and you're never the same again. Five stars.

That's true. Um, these this is my favorite one from Christina Rust. Oh, actually, not my favorite one. Second favorite one. I got to say, when I first watched Thank you for clarifying.

Sorry. I need to know the hierarchy of second favorite. Not as good as my final favorite. I got to say, when I first watched this movie, I was around four years old and I had nightmares for a week over the last shot. Now when I watch it being 24,

nobody remembers their nightmares from four years old. That's maybe if you saw a dick out there like that and a headless kid. Now when I watch it being 24 as of 2009, I think it's pretty good. And it would be and it it's a really good past the time kind of movie. What does that mean? Pass the time. My brother owns this movie and we watch it when we order pizza.

Well, for a brother and sister to watch this movie over pizza is really weird. Something you'll want to have said. I watch Sleepaway Camp. Great movie. Five stars.

That's something you'll something I want to say. I've watched Sleepaway Camp. I just haven't been able to say it yet.

Dot dot dot. Great movie. I watched Sleepway Camp. Dot dot dot. Great. That's That's part of the whole quote. Wow. That's not like I watched. So it's like you want to have said this.

This is written by this titled A Kids Review. Honestly, I don't know what people are thinking when they call this movie bad or dumb. The people who call horror movies funny, that's a sure way to tell that they're bluffing. Don't listen to those people. Okay, this is a wonderful slasher flick. I will not give a detailed synopsis for I do not want to ruin it to you. I will tell you that you are in a you for quite a scare. The killings are nothing short of spectacular. The characters are somewhat likable.

The ending is so scary that when I first watch it, I let out some strange noise. Not quite a scream, maybe a moan of terror, and I ran out of the room. My mother said I look like I saw a ghost. And I told her I had seen something worse. Watch this movie with a dog. Or if you think

Wait, what? Yep. or if you think you can handle it. I barely can now. I just that love that scared feeling. That's why I like well-made horror films. Watch it alone

with a dog. Be warned, you will be scared. I guarantee it. If you are not scared, then I am nothing but a wimp. This will invoke fear in you. Be it slight, which I highly doubt. There are some tough-hearted people out there like war veterans lol.

What? Wait, no, that was a joke. That was a joke. I still watch this movie and it scares me. By the way, I'm not a kid. I just forgot my password. I'm 17 and I live in Brooklyn, New York. So, you know, it's not some 8-year-old in the middle of nowhere who gets spooked by the Halloween episodes of South Park. Have fun being scared.

Wow. Holy cow. That is one of That was as well written as the script. Holy cow.

Someone also just said, "This is better than anything that Kubrick has done." Uh,

oh my god, that's great. Um, anything that we did not talk about that is worth mentioning.

We've covered it. Definitely watch it. It's on YouTube. Uh, big thanks to Zack Pearlman whose show, The Inbetweeners, airs on Monday nights on MTV. It's a really funny show. And, uh, and you can follow you on Twitter, right? You have

Yeah. Zack Pearlman. And, um, it's And you with the CH, right? CK. CK. Yeah. I'm glad we clarified that. Jason, still not on Twitter?

Nope. June, what do you want to plug? Uh, I don't know. Ices. Ices. Ice pops. Thank you to everybody who listens to the show. Thank you everybody at EarWolf. Uh, thank you Cody for our engineer for the day. Uh, uh, thank you so much. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Happy Halloween.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Sleepaway Camp w/ Zack Pearlman (HDTGM Matinee)"?

Paul Scheer (Host), June Diane Raphael (Host), Jason Mantzoukas (Host), Zack Pearlman (Guest).

What is "Sleepaway Camp w/ Zack Pearlman (HDTGM Matinee)" about?

The discussion revolves around the cult horror film "Sleepaway Camp," highlighting its bizarre elements such as fake mustaches and questionable portrayals of adolescent relationships. The hosts and guest Zack Pearlman reflect on the film's mediocrity, its unexpected box office success, and how it evokes curiosity about the filmmaking process behind such an unusual project.

What is mentioned in this How Did This Get Made? episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Sleepaway Camp, Paul Sheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Manzukas, Zack Pearlman, Martha Thomas. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Sleepaway Camp w/ Zack Pearlman (HDTGM Matinee)"?

The episode runs 1 h 6 min; the transcript is about 13,519 words in 372 timestamped sections.

More from How Did This Get Made?

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 26, 2026.