This was my first encounter with the "Camp Blood" series, and most likely also my last. This was merely a low budget knock off of the "Friday the 13th" movies, just with much less finesse and punch. By doing a little check up on IMDb, I was a bit surprised to find out that this was apparently the third movie in the series. And if the third movie was of this particular quality, I would hate to even speculate about the previous two.
And actually is the title "Camp Blood" not a bit too much of a direct rip off of the "Friday the 13th" franchise?
The story, well without going into details, lets just say if you have seen any slasher movie prior to this, then you know exactly what you are getting. And there is nothing new offered throughout the course of this movie. Here, storyline wrapped up in a single line: Demented killer on the loose and a group of young adults out in places where they shouldn't go.
The effects in the movie was well-meant, I am sure of that, but the CGI animated blood splatter and spray was just about the worst and fake of all blood effects that I have seen throughout my 39 years, and I have seen a lot of horror movies. Some of the kill scenes were so poor that I was almost in tears from laughing. The effects here were just so bad and poorly executed.
As for the killer in "Camp Blood: First Slaughter", well I found it hard to find him scary or convincing at all. I mean, a chubby guy walking around in a camouflage bodysuit, wearing a latex Halloween mask, and breathing like he had just run a marathon and walking like he was in desperate need of visiting the toilet. And how would people not hear or see that constipated killer coming from a mile away is just beyond my comprehension. No, it just didn't work out on any level. And the places the killer was 'hiding' behind to observe the young people, come on. Even a blind person would have seen the killer there. There was no chance whatsoever that it would be possible not to see someone trying to hide there.
The entire movie just reeks of low budget performance. But I am sure that the ones making it were having fun, and also that the people starring in it were having fun. But from a seasoned horror fanatic's point of view, then "Camp Blood: First Slaughter" was just a no go, pure and simple.
For a low budget movie, then I will say that the camera-work in "Camp Blood: First Slaugter" was actually adequate. And it was one of the brighter moments throughout the entire movie.
The sound when someone was being stabbed, by a machete of course - again, a clear cash in on the iconic weapon used by Jason Voorhees in the "Friday the 13th" movies - was just horrible to listen to. It sounded like someone was grinding a wet plastic bag between their hands.
The acting in the movie was adequate as well, though bearing the shackles of being a low budget movie, so don't get your hopes up. And what was hindering the performers were the stereotypical characters and storyline.
If you, like me, enjoy a good horror movie and enjoy being thrilled or even scared, then put your time, money and effort elsewhere, because you will get none of that from "Camp Blood: First Slaugter". I am sure that there is an audience out there for these particular kind of low budget slasher movies, I just wasn't in that audience, as I prefer to be properly entertained by a movie of proper production value.
