Short Film Review

Film Info:
Vampire Camp follows vampire hunting expert, Professor Bartholomew Dubbs
as he gives a weekend workshop on how to find and kill vampires. Comedy
ensues when his assistants discover
that half those signed up for the
workshop are vampires who intend to
kill Dubbs during the red moon.

Written By: Ray Nomoto Robison,
Cathy Stadtfeld
Directed By: Ray Nomoto Robison
Genre: Comedy
78 Minutes

IndyRed.com

VAMPIRE CAMP ( 2012 )

  I already know that my review of Vampire Camp will be a little controversial. The simple fact is that you're either going to absolutely love or hate this film! Writer / Director Ray Nomoto Robison has set out to create a campy movie that other campy films wish they could be. There is no serious horror here, and the film not only doesn't take itself seriously; it actually makes fun of itself over and over again on every level. If I could compare Vampire Camp to any other production, it would be to an old show I used to watch. The Benny Hill Show. How many of you remember or even know of that one? Probably not a lot, it was a production of yester-year. Summing up the style would be to write that the comedy and camp factor is intentional and can be quite funny. As I wrote above there won't be a lot of middle ground here. If you love this type of humor you're going to love this movie! If this isn't your thing you'll probably think it's the dumbest film you've ever seen. Personally? I loved it!
  On the technical side of things, Vampire Camp doesn't offer a whole lot of eye candy in the traditional way. It's pretty standard fare for a low budget feature. The lensing ranges from standard to below standard but on purpose. I'm pretty sure the goal was to play on the fact it's a low budget film. Use the budget as a comedic prop. It works and it works well. Having some technically amazing shots would actually harm the feel Vampire Camp tries so hard to create. Enough on the visual elements though... I want to write about the sound! Excellent! Don't get me wrong, the audio of Vampire Camp is not amazing by any stretch. Please refer to what I wrote above about the visual elements. It's the sound effects used all through the film that make it truly fitting. I loved hearing the odd sounds used to convey the actions of the actors! Brought me right back to comedy of old. Like I keep writing... you'll think it's awesome or absurd.
  Sound effects aside, it's the talent that really shines here at Vampire Camp! So completely awesome when you realize the cast is trying to be ridiculous! From the outright campy laughter some of the characters bellow out to the crazy insane attempt to be serious, as you look totally silly... is something really hard to accomplish. It seemed as though instead of attempting to coach the talent on being better... the exact opposite was done. The actor portrayals are intentionally cheesy, corny and full of B Movie spark! What can I say? It was great!
  If you get the humor you'll appreciate this film in a huge way. The comedic pacing and style is not the traditional road taken; rather the old style corn ball comedy only a select few will appreciate. If you're into classic and silly comedy you truly are going to love this. I promise. If you're more straight laced and a fan of more traditional comedy steer clear. If you're unsure... why not give this a shot. You may find yourself becoming a fan of the genre yourself.
-JT

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