LET’S GET PHYSICAL: THE MONSTER OF CAMP SUNSHINE (1964) *** ½

FORMAT:  BLU-RAY

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

(As posted on July 17th, 2007)

This fun nudie monster movie, in the spirit of The Beast That Killed Women, is a must for people who like their nudist colony movies with a touch of monsters thrown in. And it’s SILENT! Before we get to the monster attacks though, we get to witness nude kite flying, skinny-dipping and even a naked birthday party! When the caretaker Hugo turns into a monster and attacks the nekkid ladies, a helpful doctor parachutes in to save the day. The army is also called in and we get to see some hilariously gratuitous army stock footage. There’s also some cool Monty Python style animation in there too. The corny silent movie titles are also great (my favorite: “Thank that great surgeon in the sky!”) and add to the fun.

QUICK THOUGHTS:

I hadn’t seen this in over a decade, so I forgot it takes a while to get going, but once it does The Monster of Camp Sunshine is frequently hilarious.  The impetus for the trip to the nudist colony is great as the nudist becomes all shook up when she is attacked by crazed lab rats.  The “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” finale is still a thing of B-Movie beauty, and the “summary” of the film’s events at the end is fun too. 

Like the early nudist movies, there are long conversations about the benefits of the nudist lifestyle.  This isn’t really necessary in a monster movie, but it helps to pad out the running time.  As a nudist film, it must be said there are some really innovative nudist scenes here.  I’ve sat through a lot of these things, and I have to tell you, The Monster of Camp Sunshine contains some of the best.  

Here’s the complete nudist rundown.  We have:  Nude sunbathing, nude smoking (What better way to enjoy the “healthy” nudist lifestyle than to smoke cigarettes while lounging naked outdoors?), nude kite flying, nude swimming, nude zither playing, nude van unpacking, nude marshmallow toasting, nude weenie roasting, nude birthday party (possibly the only cinematic instance, and therefore, highly recommended), nude sparkler waving, and nude fending off a monster.  It also may be the earliest progenitor of a slasher movie as a deformed axe killer stalks nude women at a summer camp.  If that doesn’t scream “must-see”, I don’t know what does.

AKA:  The Monster of Camp Sunshine, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nature.  AKA:  Monster at Camp Sunshine.