Plot: After her brother perished at summer camp years ago, Laura (Rhonda Gray) has been plagued by horrific nightmares. But she will soon have a chance to confront any lingering memories, as she and numerous others have been invited back to the camp with no other explanation. Soon a large group of former campers arrive, looking to cut loose and engage in some hijinks. While they get drunk and look for places to fornicate, the groundskeeper lurks around, cursing their existence. The various couples soon start to spread out and look for their own private spaces, but some barely get the action going before meeting a dark fate. A killer is loose in the camp and begins a blood soaked march of death, cutting down the couples one at a time. After a while, the others begin to notice and they realize if they’re going to survive the night, they will need to figure out who is behind the killings and take them out. But who hides in the shadows, waiting to unleash death on those who remain?

Entertainment Value: I do love summer camp slashers and Twisted Nightmare might be one of the lower profile entries, but it is well worth the hunt. This is a dark one and I mean that literally, as the visuals are bathed in shadows and lighting is minimal, so it can be a little murky at times. The story is simple and has genre staples, as a group of folks return to the camp where a friend was killed, only to find themselves hunted down by some unknown maniac. Not that original, but this is a summer camp slasher, so as long as it hits all the bullet points, I doubt anyone will mind. Besides, this one is soaked in so much 80s goodness, from the fashion to the hair to the lingo, it is a thing of beauty for fans of 80s horror flicks. The horror side is typical slasher fare, but it is still a lot of fun to watch, I think. The mystery of the killer is easy to figure out, but the movie throws in some nice diversions at least. The cast is hilarious with some outrageous performances that are right at home for victims in a slasher movie, which is about all we can ask in a case like this. I’m sure some will complain this is just another by the numbers 80s slasher, but given the kind of horror we’re stuck with these days, an 80s slasher clone is more than welcome.

A few scenes with some naked flesh, mostly topless women and some bare ass. But the highlight is a romantic bath for one woman, who lights a candle on the toilet, then slashes herself with a blade. This toilet candle enhances the mood so much, what a stylish and natural choice. This is a slasher, so the body count is solid and there’s some fun kills involved. Some of the bright spots include a double impalement, an arm is torn off, oversized nails are driven into faces, sauna rocks burn faces, and of course, an old man has his head ripped off. There’s some also some nice makeup effects, as well as a scene that involves my favorite character Dean and an electric fence. Not a flood of the red stuff, but some solid bloodshed. The dialogue is often hilarious, with plenty of catty girl talk, bro lingo, and the creepy old guy who warns the kids to leave before its too late for them all. I have to say a dude named Dean had my favorite moments, as he has these outlandish bursts of anger and bitterness that are just hilarious. Not to mention his mullet and epic mustache, of course. After the opening party scenes however, the frequency of good lines drops off a lot. As for craziness, this one sticks close to the tried and true formula for slashers, with few exceptions. But it does have more interesting kill fodder than most, including our hero and yours, Dean. So between that and some other little odd moments, it earns a point or so.

Nudity: 2/10

Blood: 4/10

Dialogue: 4/10

Overall Insanity: 1/10