5 Summer Camp Horror Movies From the '80s in Need of a Revisit

Everyone knows that the 1980s had a lot of slasher movies, but summer camp horror became its own little corner of the genre during this decade, and it's not hard to see why. A remote camp (often full of teenagers) with not a lot of people around where things start to go wrong—it’s a nice and fun setup for horror. 

After the first Friday the 13th movie became a massive hit when it was released in 1980, both big studios and indie filmmakers rushed to try and make their own versions, hoping to capture some of that same horror magic. 

And yes, some of those movies were obvious cash grabs, but plenty turned out to be pretty entertaining and good. Even when the stories followed familiar slasher formulas, they often had enough personality to stand out from the crowd, including their obvious inspirations. 

Modern horror has recently shifted toward elevated horror, while traditional camp slashers have become more of a nostalgic throwback. That's part of what makes revisiting these films so much fun. 

1. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
2. The Burning (1981)
3. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
4. Just Before Dawn (1981)
5. The Prey (1983)

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Even among '80s slashers, Sleepaway Camp is a little different. At first glance, it may look like another Friday the 13th-style camp movie. But it doesn't take long to realize that it's different. The movie has an awkward and almost dreamlike vibe, and its atmosphere is one of its best aspects.

The story follows Angela, a shy teenager who arrives at camp with her protective cousin after surviving a childhood boating accident a few years earlier. While the other campers bully Angela, the people responsible for tormenting her begin dying one by one. 

The movie was clearly made following Friday the 13th's huge success, but it also includes some inventive kills and uncomfortable character interactions, along with a healthy amount of psychological mystery, all of which do just enough to separate it from the rest.

The Burning (1981)

If there's one slasher that deserves to be mentioned alongside the best of the genre, it's The Burning. Instead of introducing another masked supernatural villain, though, it based its story on the New York campfire legend of Cropsey. This gave the movie a slightly different flavor from many of its competitors.

The film opens with a cruel prank that leaves camp caretaker Cropsey horribly burned in a fire. Years later, after being released from the hospital, he returns to another summer camp looking for revenge. 

The movie has some incredible practical effects thanks to makeup artist Tom Savini, who had also worked on the original Friday the 13th but skipped its sequel to work on this movie instead. The infamous raft massacre remains a very impressive slasher sequence and is packed with gruesome effects that still hold up really well.

The cast is another fun surprise. Future Seinfeld star Jason Alexander appears in one of his earliest film roles, and Holly Hunter also makes an early appearance before becoming an Academy Award-winning actress.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Obviously, this list wouldn’t be complete without a Friday the 13th movie, and the fourth one is one of the best. 

Now, by the time this movie was released, audiences already knew exactly what they were signing up for. Jason had become one of horror's biggest stars, and Paramount was ready to give him one last outing before supposedly retiring the character for good. The title didn't exactly stick, as there were many more of these movies, but it did push everyone involved to make the biggest and most polished Friday the 13th movie yet.

The story picks up almost immediately after the events of Part III, with Jason somehow surviving once again and making his way back to Crystal Lake. This time, his victims include two neighboring groups: a house full of partying teenagers and the Jarvis family. 

Tom Savini also returned to the series after creating the effects for the original film and delivered some of the franchise's best practical gore effects and kills. 

Just Before Dawn (1981)

Unlike most backwoods slashers from the early '80s, Just Before Dawn isn't in a hurry to start with the killing. Director Jeff Lieberman, who had already made cult horror favorites like Blue Sunshine and Squirm, spends a good amount of time letting the audience soak in the wilderness before things take a dark turn. It's a slower movie than many of its contemporaries but enjoyable all the same. 

The story follows five friends as they head into the mountains for a camping trip. They ignore the repeated warnings from the local forest ranger and continue deeper into the wilderness anyway. Then they realize someone else is out there watching them. 

It's easy to compare this movie to Friday the 13th or The Hills Have Eyes, but the movie builds tension excellently through isolation and uncertainty. The movie also makes great use of silence instead of constantly trying to startle or scare the audience.

The Prey (1983)

The Prey was actually filmed in 1979, around the time Halloween and (later) Friday the 13th were helping launch the slasher boom. But due to distribution problems, it didn't receive a proper release until years later. By then, the market was overflowing with these types of movies, so it slipped under the radar a bit. 

The movie has a familiar setup—a group of young friends heads into the wilderness for a camping trip. They expect a relaxing weekend outdoors. Instead, they're being stalked by a mysterious and disfigured figure.

Because the film was made before the slasher formula became completely locked in, it has a noticeably different rhythm from many of the movies released after it. The movie often cuts away to wildlife and lingers on the environment until it starts to feel unsettling.

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