DEER CAMP ’86 (2022)

Streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi!
Directed by L. Van Dyke Siboutszen.
Written by Bo Hansen, Riley Taurus.
Starring Noah LaLonde, Jay J. Bidwell, Arthur Cartwright, Brian Michael Raetz, David Lautman, Josh Dominguez, Tina Joy, Paul Wilson, Matthew Derek Davis, David Rubin, Michael Delgado, Anthony Sprague
Check out the trailer here!!

A group of beer-swigging buddies from Detroit gather together to go deer hunting in Northern Michigan. On the night before their trip begins, they stop into a bar and meet indigenous bartender Star (Tina Joy) who flirtily, yet sternly welcomes them to the hunting weekend. Later that night, after many beers have been swilled and a few bar fights have occurred, someone or something attacks and murders Star behind the bar. Not knowing about the murder, the good old boys get to the camp and start partying and hunting, but soon find their trip interrupted by a vengeful forest spirit out to avenge the murder of the indigenous woman. But does the spirit pinned the wrong guys for the murder?

DEER CAMP ’86 is a blast and a half. It’s a revenge tale. A mystery. A cabin in the woods flick. All schmelded together and peppered with fun and raunchy humor. The cast is made up of people I haven’t seen, but they feel like a comedic troupe that have worked together for years. The guys constant ripping on one another may shock some, but if you understand that this is the way they express how much they care about each other, their relationship is downright sweet at times, despite the raunchy words and innuendo. I especially liked the ultra-sarcastic Jay J. Bidwell and the hilariously serious Josh Dominguez, but all of the actors have great comedic timing, yet differing and distinct personalities. It’s a cast that makes you want to see them in other films, maybe taking on some kind of different kind of monster in a different situation next time.

The film plays out like a Predator movie done by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. Almost beat for beat, these guys find themselves against a what looks to be a cross between a skinwalker and the Predators. While there are plenty of small moments where comedy and horror meet, DEER CAMP ’86 still manages to pull off some big stunts and horror sequences. While this movie most likely was done on a budget, filmmaker L. Van Dyke Siboutszen is able to make it feel like a much bigger production, utilizing the expansive forests and getting some big action out of simple, creative settings. One of the biggest sequences reflects that kind of get your hands dirty attitude yet retains its humorous side where the monster tosses the hunters truck over a cliff and as it comes to a rest at the bottom of the cliff, the car explodes. And it is replayed three or four times. It’s that kind of gratuitous, comic fun that this film does so well as it feels, on top of everything else, this is a satire on those macho guy movies that permeated the 80’s.

During my countdown, this was a suggestion floated my way and I’m glad I listened. If anyone else wants of send me suggestions, let me know in the comments. I read them all. DEER CAMP ’86 is a big old fun time. It knows it’s a low fi horror romp and seems damn proud of it. This is going to be too overly masculine for sone, but if you like loud, obnoxious, rude, and occasionally shocking horror that still manages to elicit emotion and scares, this is one hunting horror movie you should put in your sites.