Tales Point Horror Book Club – Camp Fear – by Carol Ellis
#PointHorrorBookClub was created by author Juno Dawson in 2013. Juno announced in 2015 that she was no longer able to carry on so, with her blessing, I took over the reins.
So why not grab a copy and join the discussion with this months #PointHorrorBookClub
Camp Fear by Carol Ellis
Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on a re-read? Have they not stood the test of time? After a hit of nostalgia? Or are you new to Point Horror and want to see what its all about?
Want to explore previous #PointHorrorBookClub posts? I’ve got you! Head to the main page here
Beware…….Spoilers Ahead
The past can’t hurt you, it can kill you. Almost everyone at Camp Silverlake is afraid of something but, there is a much deeper darker fear – the fear that one terrible, deadly secret will be discovered.
The Tagline
Where your worst fears hide.
Okay ….so…What’s It All About?
Tucked away in a woody secluded mountain lies Camp Silverlake where six campers (aound the age of ten/eleven) leave their tents in search of fire wood, but instead find a DEAD BODY wearing a royal blue shirt with silver letters saying CAMP SILVERLAKE. And not forgetting a cute little squirrel jumping in and out of his lifeless body…the poor thing was petrified with all that screaming!
OMG! What an opening! What happens next!
Flashforward to seven years later …. Dum dum duuuuummmmmm….. we find out that five of the counsellors all know each other and have stayed at camp before…..seven years ago…..and our story starts with an ominous threat for revenge….
Revenge?! Ohhhhhhh I love me some revenge!
That’s right. It’s the 20th anniversary of the opening of Camp Silverlake and ten shiny new counsellors are prepping the camp a week before small little campers arrive for five weeks of summer fun
Yippppeeeeee! Awwwwwww can you imagine their little happy faces
But will there be any counsellors left?!! Strange goings on begin someone is trying to scare the counsellors who are all connected to an event that happened seven years prior and their fears are about to be tested!
Test their fears? Like Saw?!
Yes that’s right! But with snakes, potential drownings, cliff falls, wet leaves, targets being put on picture and lots of running around in the dark with no flashlights……….welcome to Camp Silverlake…..enjoy your stay!
Rules for Camp
Strictly boys in one cabin and girls in another except when hearing screaming
Creepy footsteps outside your cabin at night….fear not it won’t be a bear at Camp Silverlake…it will simply be a person waiting for you in the dark
Don’t swim in our lake…simply float and take a trip in our old wooden boats which have recently passed health and safety inspections. Perfectly safe.
Stick together?! Not at Camp Silverlake….split up at every given opportunity to confuse everyone and to corner your victim!
Bonus! Black marker pens are given out free for graffiti
We totally encourage prank! Why not try the snake in a sleeping bag or the old wet leaf trick. Or how about throwing people in the lake and fishing dead snakes out of bins. Something for everyone!
Have an accident at camp? No one will ever hear about it? Cover it up is our motto!
Beware of the legend of Mr Drummond…..he will slice you in half with his shovel!!!
The Girl
Camp counsellor Rachel Owens forget her fear of stage fright signing up for camp took on a whole new meaning for our Rachel. Rachel had the ability to people watch and pass judgement on all of her other counsellors before actually knowing them….and boy were there A LOT of them!
With her observant green eyes, light brown hair which curled by itself (except in the mountain air where it became limp and straight *coughs*) and a passion for cleaning and swimming / floating on her back but ask her to cook … no way! I admired her bravery. She saved Stacey when her foot was caught in the boat and she was sinking….not many Point Horror leading ladies would do that! And I would be a total mess if someone left a decapitated snake on my bed with a knife….not our Rachel….she bags it up and sets off around camp with said knife in hand like some crazed camp killer……
She gave Paul flirty eyes over the fire, flirted with Jordan, knew her own mind and didn’t scare very easily. I actually quite like Rachel. She was put in charge of the 20th anniversary bulletin board arranging pictures to showcase the camp. She finds the picture of Johnny (before she knew it was Johnny) and puts it as a centre piece….boy does this push our villain over the edge…..
I can’t move on from Rachel without mentioning that Fright Night prank scene where the girls decide to play a prank on the boys. I mean what’s more terrifying than leaves in a sleeping bag lol. Rachel made me laugh the most in this. Her job was to stay in the cabin to let the girls back in after they had done the prank, but she realises after a while that the girls have gone m.i.a and are not coming back. So she heads out in the dark (with no torch), wanders around looking for everyone, gets spooked walks past the cabin with the door she left open, but rather than go into the cabin she heads further away towards the creepy toilets and the lodge……was this a good choice Rachel? I would have locked myself in that cabin and never left …. Let them rot with a potential camp killer I say. LOL
Another fave Rachel moment for me was when she turned on the cabin light, heard a scream (Steve and his snake) and turned the light straight back off again! This is also totally something I would do. I feel Rachel spoke to me on many levels.
Also turning down that walk with Jordan! You go girl! More on this later.
And how many times did she say she was going to remove those picture from the Bulletin Board!
The Love Interest
Paul Sidney our dark brown haired, hazel eyed good looking love interest who had eyes for Rachel from the very beginning (literally over that fire). He was very serious but had a good sense of humour which was buried deep inside. Like Rachel he was always watching people so much so he initially made Rachel feel uncomfortable, but soon won her over by opening up to her about what happened at camp seven years before making Rachel not even consider him as a suspect as he couldn’t possibly be involved….Paul basically spills the beans about what happened in the past although did anyone notice that Rachel never quite got the time to get he full story and kept having to go back for more….I see what you did there Rachel….any excuse!
I quite liked Paul and I think he was a good match for Rachel…..I loved it when near the end he tried to act all hero heading into those woods to “find Linda” and giving Rachel a sloppy kiss … you know just in case he didn’t return….nice one Paul!
The Villan
I’m sticking with this new heading that I added in after reading Funhouse last month as similar to Funhouse we get a glimpse into the villains head in the form of short sporadic paragraphs at the start of chapters with the villains inner thoughts about revenge which I thought was a nice touch to gradually reveal the motive.
I did work out quite early on that the revenge was going to be something to do with the motive and that it was a relative of Johnny’s wanting revenge ….but I have to admit I didn’t guess who until quite near the end (Terry was high on my suspect list).
That’s right our Linda Dolan with her fear of bees was Johnnys sister. She worked out that using things that scared people the most was cool for revenge. With her wide amber eyes and long red copper hair she was very friendly and outgoing with the potential to be bossy but very organised. I mean she would have to be really to do all that sneaking around camp/revenge and actually remembering to remove pictures from the bulletin board unlike some *coughs* Rachel *coughs*
Did she really have a boyfriend called Dan back home or was that part of her act? Also I’m sure she initially liked Steve…..did she or was it part of her plan to seduce and take revenge?
Also my fave Linda scene was when she went all Baywatch to save Stacey the first time she was drowning. This could have been a whole different Point Horror. I saw this scene slo mo in my head lol Also she was a very good actress…look at the whole fake falling off the cliff and hurting her ankle…..classic Point Horror move right there! Clever Linda!
The Gang
Wow! Where do I start….so many….so we find out that five of the gang knew each other seven years before and there is a strange tension between them and a secret. Something unspoken that happened. Stacey, Jordan, Mark, Steve and Paul all went to camp as kids.
Steve Michaels with his fear of snakes. He was like every goof you’ve ever met with his thick sandy blonde hair, long face and tall posture. He was always laughing at something or someone until we were laughing at him screaming at that snake as his scream sounded like an animal lol….. I can’t blame him though I totally would have done the same! The gang said all the kids would love him….I kind of loved him I have to admit. Don’t judge….I like me a funny Point Horror boy! Although I can’t forgive him for blaming Stacey for the snake in his sleeping bag though, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her!
Stacey Brunswick with her fear of lakes/water/drowning…but not boats…up until Camp Silverlake take two! Stacey was our classic Point Horror character with her blonde hair and she had a tendency to complain a lot but in a really funny adorable way. She wanted fun….theres always one in the group isn’t there. For me she was fun the fun character who made me lol on more than one occasion. She was also a generous soul who helped stock the Lodge with lots of food, hated cookouts and who took her radio for simply nothing due to no signal in the mountains. She exaggerated a lot, could swim but not in lakes and made a big thing about not being scared of boats until that whole boat almost death scene. I think Stacey should just never go near the water….ever again. I think she just like being saved by the ladies *wink* Does anyone think when Steve threw her overboard it was so Linda would save her *wink*
One of my fave Stacey moments was when she stayed to sunbathe rather than go for a hike and when the others return they don’t even notice she is missing for ages…. how did they not notice?! lol
Jordan Hurley with a fear of making any decisions with his dark blonde, thick hair, dimple in his left cheek, blue teasing eyes and his mood swings especially when being turned down for a walk by Rachel….burn Jordan burn (Yes I did laugh so hard at this)! And boy did he take that to heart…it bruised his ego! Rachel described him as wishy washy and going from moody to cheerful to moody again and I have to agree…I was not team Jordan! Fear not though….a snake in your bedroom…Jordan has you covered with a stick. A gun to your head and Jordan will never be able to decide who the villain should shoot….good stalling tactic or just Jordan *eye roll* ….
Teresa Montrose or Terry (as I found out a bit later into the book thinking I had missed out a character in my notes lol) who apparently had a fear of bees and bugs so she was in the right place wasn’t she?! Small with short dark hair, dark eyes, shy, scared and homesick Terry soon became the classic Point Horror red herring with her suspicious eyes. She was not your typical counsellor either. I mean she didn’t really like camp and told us that the first time she ever went to camp she cried herself to sleep. She has a boyfriend back home and kept a photo of him in a cute little 5 x 8 frame and although she’s described as withdrawn she soon got all excited when she put forward the theory of a ghost doing all the goings on around camp. I liked this theory Terry….I was on your side! And you were my number one suspect!
Mark James with his fear of heights and his white blonde hair, pale blue eyes, tall demeanour and acts like he is above it all. He was kind of cold and arrogant and apparently didn’t look like a fun guy…. except when he was faced with heights…..watch his little eyes change to black in fear….pretending to tie a shoe lace is not going to cover that phobia up in any way shape or form…. He was described a meant to be a genius *cough*. We didn’t believe for a second that he was heading down to help Linda on that ledge!
Head Counsellors Tim and Michelle (Finally found my name in a Point Horror – yay)….I mean what on earth were they doing? Oh that’s right disappearing for flashlights at the local town, taking a delivery of towels and taking the jeep at every opportunity. I think this was all code for sexy times to be honest. They were older than the others (in their 20’s) and the new Point Horror take on “disappearing parents”. Classic sweep things under the carpet and pretend they are not happening and turning up at the last minute after all the drama has happened kind of “parents”. I’m just saying they were meant to be looking after the younger counsellors ……. I think their fear was actually giving a shit lol
And not forgetting Mr Drummond the caretaker of the camp. With his love for roaming the camp at night and his commitment to working at the camp clocking up 15 years’ service he was the classic camp spook which everyone used to mock and scare each other with. You normally hear him before you see him, keeps himself to himself and doesn’t speak very much. He was big, tall and bald with a thick neck like a bald headed giant and was a much as a part of the camp as the lake. He had little beady eyes and never smiled. But boy he could do things with a shovel I could only dream of *wink*…. Basically he was a little hero really killing the snake…I will not hear anything bad against him.
“Oh god, not a bear and not Mr Drummond either. She didn’t know which would be worse!”
Also a mention to Johnny Danard who died seven years prior with his shaggy brown hair, band aid on his leg, skinny shoulders. He was bullied whilst at camp seven years ago and coerced out of his tent by Steve, Mark and Jordan and ended up slipping and breaking his neck…..my question is how did the camp continue after this and why no ghost stories about the boy who died? Did they cover it up?!!?
Fashion Faux Pas
I didn’t notice many fashion disasters in this one, but there was mention of a long sleaved flannel shirt….soooooo 90’s.!
Dialogue Disasters
Camp Fear is actually pretty good and would stand up to modern day so it was hard to find any disasters but these made me chuckle…..
“You make them sound like a bunch of terrorists”
The counsellors were excited for the little kids to arrive
“I got so scared I almost screamed”
No this was not me….but definitely something I would say
“Maybe if I’d just stuck around and said hello he would have turned out to be real nice”
Not sure who Rachel is talking about here …..could be any of our cast of characters
“Rachel let her breath out, only just realised that she’d been holding it in”
That old chestnut
“I guess I didn’t want you to think I was a bad guy”
Lol Jordan ….Rachel still won’t go on a walk with you lol
“Mark always looks like he’s smelled something bad”
Oh that’s why he was bending down for so long messing with his laces
“A person doesn’t have to be crazy to play a nasty trick” Amen Point Horror! Amen!
Body Count
1! Only 1!! And this happened right at the beginning seven years prior. I mean that being said it was a tragic death once we knew the circumstances but still. What a let down for a camp setting! I could have done with a few more dead bodies but I did like the prank aspect.
Is it scary?
I generally find camp settings quite scary. Running around in the dark. A physco on the loose. Camp Fear had this along with a forest full of different pathways to get lost down.
Did the best friend do it?
Well no….not in this Point Horror, but we do have sibling out for revenge! *evil laugh*
Some Mild Peril?
I would say snakes in sleeping bags, potential drowning and cliff falls would class as mild peril!
Is it any good?
I really liked this one. I thought the writing was good. Nobody really got hurt but they were all scared out of their wits which has to be done at camp right?!
However that ending was a bit anti climatic…just me? And I could have done with more death …..
Final Thought
Bulliten Board!
Over to you!
As well as your thoughts here are some fun questions to ponder….
- How did Rachel get that snake in the bag!?
- Do we ship Rachel and Paul?
- Did we suspect Linda?
- What other fears couldhave been tested?
- Mr Drummond – hot or not? lol
Cover Wars
I actually couldn’t find that many different Camp Fear covers….I love the classic UK cover but that American Point cover is well creepy!
Live Event
Want more Funhouse? Check out these fab Podcasts!
Or looking to buy Point Horror check out Welcome To Point Horror – I highly recommend!
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Thanks for joining in…..
