Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
ChanFamous
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Leofwine_draca
SPIRIT CAMP is a little better than I'd hoped for, what with it being a no-budget independent horror film and all. This one's a slasher that heavily copies Friday the 13th, replacing the summer camp locale with a cheerleader camp set in the isolated woods. This means that almost the entire cast is female with just a couple of guys in support.The gender reversal twist is probably the most interesting part of this story, as are the attempts at characterisation that you don't normally see. Certainly the slasher aspects are predictable and the gore quite cheap and disappointing. The acting is average but not the worst I've seen, and at least the actresses are making a genuine effort here. I can't call SPIRIT CAMP a good film, but at least you get the impression that the filmmakers tried their best here.
FilmFatale
A group of cheerleaders head to cheerleader camp to strengthen their skills for a shot at nationals. Unfortunately for them, there's also a crazy coverall-clad killer in the woods intent on picking the ladies off one by one. Sound familiar? Probably yes, since we've seen it all before. Spirit Camp borrows heavily from its predecessors and doesn't really bring much new to the table. The gore starts off well but drops to mostly offscreen deaths as things go on, and the acting is uneven - some of the cast seem to be playing it straight while others ratchet up the camp. Roxy Vandiver is a standout as bad girl Nikki, whose past is not what it seems. Spirit Camp works when it's moving along on retro slasher mode or when Nikki is on screen. The lame attempts at humor are mostly painful and the last act could have used some tightening, but you could do worse if you are looking to scratch your slasher itch.
trashgang
Thanks to fangoria I came beware of this flick, I watched the trailer and agreed, I want it, but that wasn't that simple. Again the production let me know that they weren't allowed to export their feature. But I kept emailing and after a while they send over the DVD. Included in my package was a pair of knickers from Julin. That was already a fun part, but was the movie as good as her panties? Lucky it was. First I would like to say that the movie is indeed a mixture between 70's slashers and comedy. But the comedy doesn't take the lead. This independent takes off already with gore and nudity, always a good teaser to start. Then we go 2 years further and the movie really starts, and as in a slasher all kind of girls are in it, the fat one, the nerdy one, the sexy one. All facing into the face of death. The killings are mostly off screen only showing the results or even just hearing the knife going into the flesh or a scream. But still it works. And the best thing is that the editing is okay, you will never notice that it is a low budget flick, and the acting is good too. So if you are into some old school fun, be sure to take the road to spirit camp.
hamburgerman
I have been a fan of low budget horror my whole life and as a longtime fan of the genre, you really don't expect much when you hear "low budget horror film." Things are different now. If you weren't aware that Spirit Camp was a low budget horror film, you'd never know it when viewing the movie. It easily looks like a multimillion dollar effort.Technically, the film looked perfect. The cinematography, sound, shot composition, direction all first rate. And when I learned the history of this project, that not only did Kerry Beyer write, produce, direct and perform in Spirit Camp, but he was also the cinematographer, editor, sound editor and did the digital effects himself, it almost redefines "indie" -- he almost did everything himself.The acting is a lot better than it needed to be as well. The leads and co-stars are great, and there are some great actors in bit parts.If you are a horror fan, especially fan of classic slasher films, you should catch Spirit Camp if it comes to your city.