Rating: D+
Dir: Bert L. Dragin
Star: Charlie Stratton, Harold Pruett, Adam Carl, Chuck Connors
I went into this entirely blind, knowing absolutely nothing about it beyond the title. It’s just another film in a YouTube playlist through which I’m working my way. I hadn’t even seen the poster (below), which would at least have partly clued me that this might not be the slasher suggested by its name. On the plus side, this meant I had no particular expectations, good or bad. On the other hand… this meant I had no particular expectations, good or bad. I was surprised to see Penelope Spheeris crop up as one of the writers. While she had her own directorial career by this point, Wayne’s World was still four years away.
It takes place at North Pines, a camp where boys of all ages are sent for a month, to experience nature, sports, etc. – nearby, across a flaky rope-bridge, is South Pines, serving a similar purpose for girls. But new director, Mr. Warren (Connors), is not exactly keen on fun, preferring butterfly collecting, moral hygiene and discipline. This doesn’t go down well with the guests. A misinterpreted report leads to a belief Mr. Warren behaved inappropriately with a young camp resident, and after co-ed events are cancelled by the director as punishment for infractions, Franklin Reilly (Stratton) leads a takeover of both their camp and South Pines, wielding a gun he liberated from the camp counselors. Not everyone is entirely on board with the regime, however.
This isn’t a bad set-up, and could have gone in several different directions, from Lord of the Flies through to The Wave. Except, it doesn’t really go anywhere much at all. It’s based on a novel, The Butterfly Revolution by William Butler, and I suspect that perhaps had more nuance – or, to be honest, point – to it. This doesn’t seem to have much of a moral beyond “adults know best,” and if it was intended to be some kind of political satire (as the use of terms like “Supreme Revolutionary Committee” by Franklin would suggest), it’s fairly weak sauce. Those who refuse to go along with the leader, such as Chris Wade (Pruett), are shunned by the true believers; it’s not exactly disturbing.
In fact, the content is so tame, I actually had to check and make sure this wasn’t a TV movie. Nope, it received a limited theatrical release, though has been unavailable post-VHS days. The edgiest moment is when one of the boys is accused of rape, Franklin deciding to impose trial by ordeal on the offender, making him cross the rope-bridge. Which might have been more dramatic had the drop below the bridge been more than about eight feet, tops, offering little more than a sprained ankle. This is mostly amusing as a time-capsule of bad eighties fashion, hair and music, the last reaching its peak during the talent show, with a lip-synch to a song entitled “Beef Bologna.” Frankly, I was with Mr. Warren on pulling the plug.