BFFs Claire and Marta are a pair of fun, independent ladies. Marta works in a laboratory that exclusively experiments on animals and Claire is one of them there fashion models. When the weekend comes, these two gals ditch the big city and head out to Camp Sunshine. That’s right, these ladies are a pair of nudists. If that grosses you out, I totally understand, and you don’t have to keep reading any more of this review. Some dangerous chemicals that make rats overly aggressive get spilled in the lake nearby and the mentally challenged groundskeeper named Hugo gets a dose turning him into a crud-faced monster. When Hugo starts terrorizing the camp, the military is called in to take care of the situation.
As soon as this film’s outrageous narration began, I cracked my knuckles and said, “Oh boy, here we go.” In case the truly bizarre collage opening credit sequence doesn’t give the game away immediately, The Monster of Camp Sunshine or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nature (1964) is never meant to be taken seriously. The wacky narration and the heavenly post dubbing just charmed my pants off, but all the long, drawn-out nudist camp sequences had me putting those pantaloons right back on. By the end of those scenes, I had on three pairs of underwear, two pairs of pants, and fifteen sweaters. Hey, I’m no prude. The human body is beautiful unless you’re looking at it.
I wish I could recommend The Monster of Camp Sunshine more because about half of its runtime is a rip roarin’ blast of kitsch perfection. If only it didn’t get bogged down in ogling at butts and boobies. And no peepees?! Seriously? There’s not a single swingin’ dingle in this entire film. That’s not how nudist camps work. Then there’s the stock footage. The last third of this movie has so many clips from unrelated films jammed into it that it felt like Edward D. Wood Jr. was a creative consultant on this thing. The film’s score is exclusively library music and runs the gamut of every conceivable music genre, except maybe trip hop. Jeez Louise, I need to stop writing about this film now, my eyes are sore from all this leering.
One thing’s for sure, this Blu-ray looks gorgeous. The black and white cinematography of Monster is sharp and very pleasing to the eyes. Vinegar Syndrome, AGFA, and Something Weird added a pair of slightly naughty films to accompany the main feature. First up is Honeymoon of Terror AKA Ecstasy on Lovers Island (1961). It’s about a newlywed couple who go honeymooning on a supposedly deserted island only to find it inhabited by a nasty man. It features live sound and slightly less nudity. This movie looks as sharp as Monster in terms of quality. Also on the disc is All Men are Apes! (1965). This one is about a dancer who gets into all kinds of trouble and the video quality is what you’d expect from an old VHS master. There’s also a trailer reel with more cult classics. I wish this release had had a video essay or accompanying booklet with more info about the films