Camp – Movie Review (3/5)

CAMP is a summer camp horror movie that comes across more like an arthouse coming-of-age movie with a delicious queer twist. Based on the trailer, which I didn’t care much for, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was absolutely better than I expected. Read our full Camp movie review here!

CAMP has been described as a bewitching queer summer camp horror, and I can easily get behind that description. This is more of an arthouse horror movie than your classic summer camp slasher, but it definitely has that sinister vibe you’d expect.

The main issue I had with this movie was its runtime. It is definitely too long, and cutting a good 10-15 minutes wouldn’t have hurt the plot in the slightest. It would, however, have done something for the overall vibe, but it was just too slowburn for me. And I say that as someone who enjoys slowburn.

Continue reading our Camp movie review below. Find it in Select Theaters on June 26, 2026.

Classic Coming-of-Age with a Witchy Twist

In Camp, we begin by meeting Emily, who is trying to find her way in life. She has been hit with two devastating tragedies, and her dad comes up with an idea to give her some space and distance from the life currently crushing her.

Emily follows her dad’s suggestion of becoming a camp counselor at a summer camp. Once she arrives, she gets a little nervous that it may be a “God Camp” or “Church Camp”, but this isn’t an issue.

Rather, she becomes friends with the other camp counselors, who have been going to this summer camp since they were kids attending themselves. A good sign, clearly, but there’s more than meets the eye.

While Emily enjoys feeling needed and making a difference in the lives of other kids struggling, there’s a sense that more is going on. Could it be that the other girls seem to be engaging in witchcraft and possibly even succeeding?!

Kill Your Darlings… Please!

No, don’t worry, I’m not talking about kids being killed at summer camp. Instead, I’m talking about the notion that artists sometimes need to make difficult cuts. Whether it’s books, screenplays, or movies, it can be good to “kill your darlings” if the end result is stronger and better for it.

Camp would have been better and stronger as a story and movie for it.

Having said that, it was already much better than I expected from the trailer, which I did not care for. In that sense, it was already a better experience than I was expecting. Of course, I did also go into it with an open mind. I feel this is mandatory, as you have to give art a fair chance.

For me, Camp completely lured me in thanks to its vibe and character-driven plot. When these kids (regardless of age) were talking and describing their life stories, I wanted to know more. Kudos to both the filmmaker and actors for this!

Watch Camp in select theaters

I am not surprised to learn that Camp has been somewhat of a film festival darling. Writer-director Avalon Fast (Honeycomb, Drinking and Driving) has created a coming-of-age story that incorporates a lot of genre film treats.

Producers include Taylor Nodrick (Influencers), Milan Chakraborty (My Friend Dahmer), Peter Kuplowsky (In a Violent Nature, Psycho Goreman), and Michael Peterson (Harpoon). To name just a few.

Filmmaker Avalon Fast has self-labeled the film as “Girl Horror”, and the cast also primarily has female actors, as it focuses on the power of female friendship. The film stars Zola Grimmer, Alice Wordsworth, Cherry Moore, Lea Rose Sebastianis (In A Violent Nature), Ella Reece, Austyn Van de Kamp (This Too Shall Pass), Sophie Bawks-Smith (Honeycomb), Izza Jarvis, and Aiden Laudersmith.

This genre-bender world premiered at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, where it took Best Feature in the Next Wave competition. I can understand why, while also feeling that it could have been even better.

It also screened at Seattle International Film Festival, Beyond Fest Chicago, Boston Underground Film Festival, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival, Fantaspoa, Fantastic Fest, Frameline, IndieLisboa, OutfestNEXT, Sicilia Queer, SXSW Sydney, and TIFF Next Wave Film Festival.

Now, you can get the chance to watch it if you’re near one of the selected theaters screening it.

Camp is out in select theaters on June 26, 2026.

Details

Director: Avalon Fast
Writer: Avalon Fast
Cast: Zola Grimmer, Alice Wordsworth, Cherry Moore, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Ella Reece, Austyn Van De Kamp, Izza Jarvis, Sophie Bawks-Smith