Camp Pleasant Lake (2024) is a new addition to the slasher genre, taking a twist on the traditional crazy killer loose in the woods at a summer camp. In the film, Rick and Darlene Rutherford take over a closed down summer camp and turn it from a past crime scene to a haunted attraction. Things take a turn for the worse when weird things start to happen around the camp, mimicking the tragic events from the past. 

The characters are each their own fun, stereotypical, horror movie tropes. Some of them may have some absurd and silly sounding lines but they are reminiscent of some Rob Zombie characters sometimes especially Esmeralda and her crew. They have this edge to them that makes them an interesting group of antagonists to follow. The main group of campers, as well, have that stereotypical dumb vibe to them that has you wondering how they even got into these positions. With the killer, their backstory is pretty interesting, and the film further surprises us with a later reveal.

The plot of the film starts off pretty strong, with an immediate introduction revealing the masked killer, however. We are given a couple of flashback scenes to show us the “horrors” they’re trying to replicate at this new horror camp, giving us some insight on the killer and their reasoning for doing all of this. It does get a bit crazier as the Rutherfords and the camp employees start to realize this isn’t a fake horror camp anymore. The kills are fast but cool to look at, especially the campfire scene towards the end and the RV explosion! My favorite of the bunch would have to be when Echo confronts Esmeralda at the end, getting her revenge against her for everything.

Camp Pleasant Lake isn’t one of the scariest horror films out there, but it is a fun summer-vibe slasher film to put on when you need something to watch. The characters are fun, the story is easy to follow but interesting, and the killer is pretty cool! I would recommend the film for anyone who loves dumb, fun slashers.

We give Camp Pleasant Lake a 3/5.

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