Sleepaway Camp: Making the Movie and Reigniting the Campfire

Softcover edition contains over 100 NEW BONUS PAGES and more than 50 ADDITIONAL IMAGES about Sleepaway Camp II and III!

As featured in Fangoria, Movieweb, ComingSoon, Queerty, Rue Morgue, Yahoo News, Bloody Disgusting, and more! The book and author Jeff Hayes are also profiled in the 2025 Shout! Factory 4K releases for Sleepaway Camp II and III.

In 1983, Robert Hiltzik’s Sleepaway Camp was quickly disregarded by film reviewers. Variety called it a ＂tired version of teen oriented horror film formulas,＂ The Philadelphia Enquirer ＂had more thrills untangling paper clips,＂ and The Cincinnati Post branded it ＂more horrible than horrifying.＂

But fans saw something different. Very different. 40 years since its release, the film’s unique blend of horror, tongue-in-cheek comedy, sexuality, and gender roles--along with an ending to end all endings, was seemingly ahead of its time. Sleepaway Camp is now discussed and debated more than when it was initially released.

Longtime official Sleepaway Camp webmaster, writer, and filmmaker Jeff Hayes goes behind the scenes like never before, revealing the development and making of the film, its immediate aftermath, and the more than four decades of fandom since its release. This definitive Sleepaway Camp compendium includes interviews with much of the cast and crew (with many new exclusives), more than 125 production and memorabilia images (including previously unreleased on-set stills), and takes you backstage to the reunions, retro screenings, and convention events that have united fans and reignited interest in this beloved horror tale.

Two sequels later, plus Hiltzik’s retcon film Return to Sleepaway Camp, Sleepaway Camp continues to resonate in a big way with ’80s film buffs, global horror fans, and the LGBT community, all of whom enjoy their horror films...with a twist.

Jeff Hayes is a filmmaker who has made independent short films, documentaries, and even a handful of experimental feature-length films (mostly horror-related, of course). Jeff has run the official site SleepawayCampMovies.com for over two decades and co-produced Robert Hiltzik’s Return to Sleepaway Camp.

Jeff is also a vocalist and music producer who was lead singer for several bands and released two ’80s/’90s-influenced solo albums. He enjoys spending time with his cats Sadie and Dexter (named after another one of his favorite characters) and is a supporter of NeadyCats.org. Married to his lovely wife (and always his co-producer) Cheryl since 2005, the couple reside in picturesque Massachusetts.

This is his first book.