HOME          FILMS           MULTIMEDIA           INTERVIEWS           ARTICLES          VERSIONS           REFERENCES           FANDOM          MERCHANDISE           WEBSITE

 

Nightmare Vacation

Sleepaway Camp was released to the USA in 1983, but had it appeared in the United Kingdom at that time its distributors would surely be lynched, as the "Video Nasties" campaign was still in motion. For that reason perhaps, it wasn't until the mid-80's that the British arm of CBS/Fox Video Ltd acquired the UK video rights and bypassed theatrical distribution altogether.

Either to cater more to the mainstream video watcher or to stave off any realization of infamy, CBS/Fox tagged on the new title Nightmare Vacation, before submitting a print to the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) for rating. The men and women of the BBFC probably leaked in their ironed underwear because they, following the screening, gave the film an X Rating with laundry list of cuts to reduce to a legal rating. Subsequently, a staggering 57 seconds of cuts were required to obtain an R 18 Certificate (no one under 18) for public consumption. Much of the gore flew by, but oddly, shots as the screaming boiling Artie and some of Meg's dead body shots were trimmed. Most puzzling of all however, is the ending, where Angela's full frontal shots are seen, but every close up of her screaming face are not! Truly, the mind baffles at just what these cuts were meant for. Sadly, the best thing about the Pal cassette is the packaging commissioned.

For Nightmare Vacation 2 the story gets worse. In 1988, not long after Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers was released in the US, Futuristic Entertainment Ltd were poised to release the sequel in the UK, but not before the self-appointed gatekeepers of morality, the BBFC again, would have their way. Things had not changed, and the splatter horror/comedy would lose approximately 2 minutes and 16 seconds of gore and nudity to gain an R. As with the first film cuts, those dorky Brits made some questionable censoring... most remains but Ally's entire death scene following her ambush by Angela at the abandoned cabin is missing.

The following month, before general release of the shorn sequel, Futuristic Entertainment submitted the Nightmare Vacation 2 video trailer for approval. All trailers must receive a general rating before being attached to other videos. The trailer showcased mildly the grisly deaths at only over a minute and a half but had 9 seconds of censoring imposed, losing the point.

Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland was clearly less bloodier than its predecessor. So in 1990 the third chapter passed through the BBFC without any cuts, for an R 18 Certificate again. Whether or not it was the freer promise of a new decade, British genre fans would have reason to rejoice when Nightmare Vacation 3 hit the rental shelves 100% un-tampered.

This story does have a happy ending, because in 2004 Anchor Bay UK released the movies to the country in their proper forms, with the original titles, and bettering the USA versions by containing the first USA DVD's cut footage (not in the film, but as an easter egg at least). Ironic, that the land on earth where the most butchery of Sleepaway Camp was incurred, should eventuate as the global-best availible source of uncensored footage!

 
 

 

Copyright © Sleepaway Camp Official Site - John Klyza

Designed by: WordPress Themes