Sleepaway Camp Survival Kit (2002)

Details: DVD Box Set, Released August 20 2002.

Credits: Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Contents: Sleepaway Camp, Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers Special Edition, Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland, 16 page Collector's booklet, Sleepaway Camp 4: The Survivor Production Footage (Best Buy Special Edition only).

Notes: The Sleepaway Camp DVD was a sure-fire no-brainer in the late 90's when slasher films began to filter onto the digital medium. First rumored to appear on DVD through Troma, ace company Anchor Bay aquired the film and released it in 2000, abeit cut - perhaps underestimating the focus of the legions of "campers" out there. Two years later, they redeemed themselves: Anchor Bay's DVDs of Sleepaway Camp 2 & 3 are a welcomed development for fans as the films' previous forays onto digital media are currently hard-to-find collector's items. Laserdiscs for the two movies were released by Nelson Entertainment in '88 and '89 but are now out of print, extremely rare and sell to collectors for top dollar.

In recent years, Ebay has created a thriving cottage industry selling videos and merchandise of the sequels. A limited number of Nelson Entertainment's SC2&3 videos that were signed by the director are now considered hot collector items. The two made-in-Georgia SC sequels have attained international cult status since their initial, limited theatrical release in '88 with a loyal fan base attracted to their dark humor and imaginative gore effects. That said, they could not come out bare bones this time. Anchor Bay, in association with director Michael Simpson, brainstormed fully loaded Special Editions, packed full of extras fans only dreamed about.

Even sleepawaycampfilms.com got in on the act, contributing audio commentaries, international cover arts, writing liner notes for the special booklet included - and what is regarded as the holy grail of slashers - pushing for and suceeding some of the long lost Production Footage of the Unfinished SLEEPAWAY CAMP IV: THE SURVIVOR to be unearthed and included. Anchor Bay also believed in its rarity and near-treasure status so released it as an extra disc for versions sold in the Best Buy chain of stores and put a special blood splat label to call attention to it.

The box set quickly sped up the charts, at one point placing above the new Pulp Fiction DVD, a victory for Sleepaway Camp fans everywhere. But it seems the kit was too popular. The bleeding hearts at Red Cross got in an uproar about the Survival Kit first-aid art featuring the red cross nessecitating that Anchor Bay replace the box sets with new art on the second print run, resulting in a collector craze for the original versions.

But The Sleepaway Camp Survival Kit From Amazon

Director's Note >>
An exclusive message about the DVDs from Michael A. Simpson.

Cuts Controversy >>
The ultimate retrospective of the cuts imposed on the SC1 DVD.

Behind The Commentary >>
Behind the scenes of recording SC2&3's audio commentaries in LA!

Special Features