10 minutes into this movie I was going to write it off as insipid, lazy, uninspired, unoriginal, etc. All the egregious offenses for every bad horror movie I've seen condensed into a 10 minute snippet of bad exposition, unlikable characters, and clichéd setup. But watching 10 more minutes I found myself surprised that movie actually has a lot more going on for it than the first act would hint. This movie lingers too long in the set up, which is normally nice in defining characters and setting, but there's very little unique in this aspect of the film and one jaw-droopingly stupid sequence of behaviors I just wanted to smack all the characters involved. But past the setup, the movie starts to kick up in intensity and doesn't relent until the credits roll. At the same time, there's a very dark humor interspersed throughout this movie, not detracting from the intensity but adding some much needed levity and breathing room. The movie never loses its 'serious' tone, but there are moments you get the impression the filmmakers have tongues firmly in cheek. There is an actual mystery behind the infection that is turning the camp counselors into ravening hyper-violent, black-goo spewing monsters and there are actually original aspects to the 'not-zombie' scenario here, including the fact, these are genuinely not zombies. They demonstrate intuitive and problem-solving behaviors, vocalize, and somewhat uniquely: can revert from their infected state over time. This movie delights in taking you down paths filled with red herrings and speculation, but it delivers on actual answers by the end, and all the various 'Chekov's guns' pay off. I won't say that elements aren't predictable or the characters ever likeable, but this is better and more fun than it should be.
Summer Camp