The best summer camp movies

It's only proper to celebrate both the original 1961 version of this beloved tale starring Hayley Mills and the 1998 version that made Lindsay Lohan a young star. It's the story of two identical twin sisters separated at birth when their parents get a divorce and eventually meet at summer camp, and then try to reunite their mom and dad after all those years. It's all highly entertaining, especially in the camp settings.

Life at Camp Remote isn't what the Peanuts gang thought it would be. Especially for Charlie Brown, who was left by the bus on his way to the camp. Once there, he and his famed buddies had to deal with a regimented schedule, bullies, and the elements. However, Charlie also learned something about himself, especially his self-confidence. This also happened to be one of Snoopy's finest moments. 

This very well might be the best summer camp comedy of all time. It's Bill Murray's first leading film role. He plays the wise-cracking yet endearing senior Camp North Star counselor Tripper Harrison. He's somewhat in charge of a group of horny counselors-in-training (CITs). He's also trying to pursue senior counselor Roxanne and make life miserable for camp director Morty Melnick (not Mickey). Remember, when the going gets tough, "it just doesn't matter!"

When it comes to summer camp slasher flicks, the Friday the 13th franchise is hard to beat. While all the associated films that followed the first installment have their moments, there's still something about our introduction to the eeriness of Camp Crystal Lake.

Randy teenagers are often a central theme in non-slasher summer camp films. One of the best is Little Darlings, where tough girl Angel (Kristy McNichol) and well-off Ferris (Tatum O'Neal) make a bet to see which one will lose her virginity first at camp. While each has a different initial approach to the topic of sex, they both learn about the responsibility that comes along with it all. That and the friendship that builds between these two rivals make the movie endearing.

Cropsy (Lou David) is a former camp counselor who was severely burned as a result of a prank gone wrong. Years later, Cropsy, complete with a large coat, hat, and some garden shears, takes his misery out on those at nearby Camp Stonewater. The gore factor is respectable, but the big-screen debuts of Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter also make this worth one's time.

Speaking of The Burning, when Madman was in production, there was some controversy in that the killer in the latter film was similar to the one from the 1981 movie. With the details changed, the plot of Madman highlighted the story of Madman Marz, who, according to a group of counselors and campers hanging out around a fire, killed his wife and children with an ax. Set to be executed, Marz managed to break free into the woods and was apparently still on the hunt.

Sleepaway Camp might be the "little slasher film series that could." Often overshadowed by the Friday the 13th series, Sleepaway Camp has produced four movies within its relatively successful franchise. This first installment, arguably, is still the best of the bunch. Though a slasher film in nature, it's a thriller filled with suspense and a stunning final twist that sets the stage for the rest of this underrated franchise.

In the 1980s, NBC liked to showcase the network's young sitcom stars with a television movie every now and then. Family Ties' Michael J. Fox and Nancy McKeon of Facts of Life fame starred in two of the most noteworthy movies: High School U.S.A. and this summer camp comedy. In both, Fox's character is attracted to McKeon's but has many challenges. In Poison Ivy, Fox's Dennis also deals with a cocky, con-man camper, budding young baseball star, and the token kid who does not want to be there. 

Maintenance man Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) desires to be a counselor at Kamp Kikakee and won't stop trying to help those in need while dealing with some fortunes of misused and abused power. Sure, Varney's Earnest character can be a little annoying, but this is an endearing film that was quite popular with audiences back in the mid-to-late 1980s.

Perhaps the best thing about Cheerleader Camp is watching how far former teen idol Leif Garrett fell as an entertainer. He stars opposite '80s screen siren Betsy Russell, whose Alison finds one of her bunkmates with her wrists slashed and begins to mentally struggle with her stay at the camp. The film tries to offer somewhat of a psychological approach to the typical summer camp slasher genre but ultimately fails. Still, some guilty pleasure moments, like the actual cheerleading competition, are entertaining. 

Another one of those NBC made-for-television movies featuring some of the brightest young stars of its network. In this case, the likes of Candace Cameron (Full House), Jaleel White (Family Matters), Josh Saviano and Danica McKellar from The Wonder Years, and a then-unknown actress by the name of Jennifer Aniston. Not a great movie at all but harmless fun. John Ratzenberger (Cheers) is the surly camp director, and the highlight must be the camp rap.

The deviant mind of Wednesday Addams (Christian Ricci) is on full display when she and brother Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) are sent away to Camp Chippewa for the summer. Wednesday wastes no time showing her disdain for the camp and is somewhat exiled to watch Disney movies with the hopes of making her disposition a little sunnier. Her dark side returns when she eventually agrees to play Pocahontas in a poorly conceived Thanksgiving play. Wednesday and other camp outcasts stage a coup and ultimately set the camp on fire. Just your average summer.

Indian Summer might have flown under some radars during its early 1990s release. But it's a solid comedy-drama filled with plenty of nostalgia. Former campers of Camp Tamakwa return years later as adults to celebrate the retirement of owner "Unca" Lou Handler (Alan Arkin). Diane Lane, Kevin Pollak, Bill Paxton, and Elizabeth Perkins make up a portion of the ensemble cast that collectively expresses how the camp experience defined parts of their individual lives.

Critics didn't seem to like the idea of a group of disgruntled kids not wanting to go summer camp and starting one of their own to appease and trick their parents. However, over time, audiences found the film entertaining enough to make it worthy of a spot on this list. Christopher Lloyd's Dennis character essentially gets blackmailed to become the adult proprietor of a camp run by kids. 

Judd Apatow helped write this family comedy about a summer weight loss camp for young boys. Protagonist Gerry (Aaron Schwartz) and his fellow camper friends find that the camp they expected to enjoy has been turned into a boot camp of sorts by the new camp owner and fitness guru Tony Perkis Jr. (Ben Stiller). Gerry and Co. try to prevent that while also learning about themselves and the value of friendship and self-confidence.

Sometimes, it takes a film a while to draw a following. That's the case with Wet Hot American Summer. Even with a strong ensemble cast that includes Amy Poehler, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Elizabeth Banks, and Bradley Cooper in his film debut, the movie was not an initial hit with critics and audiences. Poking fun at the 1980s summer camp sex romps, this film about the shenanigans on the last full day at an early '80s summer camp eventually found success through cult status. 

Writer/director Todd Graff based this film on his experience attending a performance arts camp in upstate New York. The film version of said summer locale is the fictional Camp Ovation, a theatre camp option for budding entertainers. These teenagers looking to lay a foundation for a potential entertainment career are a very diverse group, adding intrigue to this underrated comedy-drama. Camp might be best known as multi-talented Anna Kendrick's film debut.

When Camp Rock aired on the Disney Channel in June 2008, nearly nine million viewed it to catch Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas sing and dance their way through a summer music camp. Lovato shines in the role of an aspiring singer who gets her shot at Camp Rock only because her mother provides the catering for the location. Jonas is the arrogant leader of the boy band Connect 3 (with his other two real-life brothers). There's plenty of Disney-appropriate drama between musical numbers to make this one of the network's most popular made-for-television movies. 

From the mind of writer/director Wes Anderson. Young Sam breaks free from Camp Ivanhoe, a Khaki Scout summer camp, to be with Suzy, his pen pal and object of his affection. The other campers and their leaders set out to find Sam after learning he has bolted from the camp. In true Anderson fashion, it's quirky and creative. Think of a more outdoor, scenic version of Rushmore, minus the overall pretentiousness. 

One must know that perhaps the best thing about The Final Girls is that it does not take itself too seriously. It's one of the more creative comedy-slasher flicks to come out in a long time. After surviving a movie theater fire, a group of high schoolers finds themselves transported into a 1980s slasher film Camp Bloodbath, which starred the late mother of the present-day character Max (Taissa Farmiga). The movie's homage to past summer camp horror films is a nice touch.

Holy Camp! is one of the more unheralded summer camp movies released in recent years. This Spanish musical comedy, complete with subtitles, follows 17-year-olds María and Susana, who have been going to Catholic summer camp La Brújula for years. Run by two nuns, Mother Bernarda and Sister Milagros, who have differing views on life, it impacts the young girls as they venture closer to adulthood.