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 long with the likes of "Bloody
Beach" and "The
Record", "The Deadly Camp" is another Eastern take on
that most venerable of cinematic forms, the U.S. slasher film, and is
further proof that the recent flood of remakes and rip-offs is by no means a
one way traffic. Clearly inspired by the likes of "Friday the 13th"
and "The Burning", and borrowing its central motif of a family of
homicidal degenerates from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre",
"Deadly Camp" is an unambitious but enjoyable film which is aware
enough of its source material and target audience not to stray from the
accepted formula.
Fortunately, in this case,
familiarity does not breed contempt, and the film is a welcome throwback to
the old halcyon days of the genre, free from the tiresome ironic
self-awareness that has plagued it in recent years ever since the success of
the "Scream"
franchise. Although lacking even a single scene of real creativity or
originality, "The Deadly Camp" does give the usual mixture of
half-written characters and brutal killings a welcome, if superficial Asian
twist which sets it apart from many of its peers. In addition to this,
despite boasting only average quotients of gore, the film has a truly
perverse streak which makes for some very unpleasant scenes, made all the
more disquieting by the fact that they are often presented in the time
honoured Hong Kong tradition of tasteless slapstick.
The plot is generic, to say the least: a group of six
youngsters travel to an island for a few days of wild partying. Of course,
a bloody pre-credit sequence has already established that the island is
far from deserted, and is instead inhabited by a bandaged maniac who
wields a chainsaw and lives in a dilapidated shack along with his equally
grotesque, mentally retarded teenage son. To bump up the number of
potential victims, a group of condom sellers/smugglers (led by the
inimitable Anthony Wong, from "Infernal
Affairs" and "The
Untold Story") are searching for their unfortunate friend, who
was chopped up in the film's opening scene. With all the players in place,
the expected mayhem begins, as the madman stalks and kills the campers,
pausing just long enough to abduct the ladies as sexual playthings for his
son.
As should be obvious from this synopsis, all of the
genre's narrative clichés are present, with no deviation from the norm
whatsoever. To writer/director Bowie Lau's credit, he manages to keep
things slick, simple, and to the point. Lau eschews any technical trickery
or pretensions of style, and paying only lip service to the beautiful
surroundings, quickly gets down to business and never allows the pace to
slow. He manages to maintain this right through to the film's climax,
which comes complete with a ridiculous, tacked on twist.
Although there is the usual sprinkling of pointless
relationships and vacuous 'character development' scenes between the
soon-to-die, Lau avoids being sidetracked by explaining the presence or
motivation of the killer, allowing the maniac instead to function as a
silent, murderous force of nature. This is very successful, and the
maniac, referred to by the questionable subtitles as 'the leprous man', is
a fearsome figure indeed, best described as "Darkman" gone bad,
with an amusingly protective, sentimental attitude towards his wretched
son.
It is the character of the son who gives the film its
most perverse moments, and Lau exploits this to the full, utilising
frequent close ups of the son's disfigured face, presenting the boy as if
he was a distant, disturbed cousin of the lovable 'Sloth' from "The
Goonies". Many of the son's scenes have either a deviant sexual tone
or involve urination, and give the film a dark edge which is at times more
akin to that of a category III classic rather than a generic slasher film.
An important factor in the film's success is that all
of the characters are amusing rather than annoying, which is an
improvement over so many films produced during the slasher boom of the
1980s. Although it is doubtful whether viewers will feel any kind of
attachment to these disposable teens, the condom salesmen (boasting names
like 'pervert' and 'boar') are a likeable bunch who helps to liven up the
proceedings to the film's considerable benefit. Of course, Anthony Wong is
chief amongst these, and his presence adds a touch of class, especially
during some revolting scenes where he helps the retarded son attempt
intercourse with one of the understandably reluctant female cast members.
Some gore fans may feel a little let down by the fact
that a number of the movie's killings are off screen or presented in
silhouettes, though there are enough bloody moments along with the
depravity to raise "Deadly Camp" amongst the most grotesque of
its Western counterparts. There are also a few effective scenes of bloody
chainsaw action, though the special effects are of varying quality,
especially during some fairly unconvincing dismemberment scenes.
Still, there should be enough action to please any
fans of the genre, and despite not offering anything new or of any real
significance, "The Deadly Camp" is a worthwhile, if minor horror
film which is certainly worth checking out.
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