Kim Myers

Isabelle Mejias

James Wilder

Jennifer Inch

Brian Dooley

Walter Massey

Christopher Bolton

Peter Virgile

Louis Tucci

Andrew Jackson

Lance Van Der Kolk

Catherine Gallant

Henderson Walcott

Carol Ann Francis

Rummy Bishop

Jessica Booker

Penny Mancuso

Daniel Stamatovic

Hamish McEwan

David Gow

Todd Haak

Crisstyn Dante

Shana Golden

Ted Nugent

Ian D. Thomas

Richard Leiterman

Ion Webster

Matthew McCauley

Josette Perrotta

André Link

Darrell Fetty

John Dunning

Rafal Zielinski

John Forrest Niss

Irene Litinsky

Charles Braive

Anne Murphy

Sean Dwyer

Micheline Cadieux

Hélène Boulay

Marie Théberge

Annette Benson

Lucinda Sill

Bert Tougas

Glen MacPherson

Robert Crone

Patrick Rousseau

Véronique Gabillaud

Paola Ridolfi

Gilles Aird

Serge Bureau

Louise Jobin

Pierre Perrault

Gillian Chandler

Constant Natale

George Erschbamer

Antonio Vidosa

Rory Cutler

David Rigby

Marco Bianco

T.J. Scott

Michael Scherer

John Walsh

Jamie Jones

Guy Marcenay

Johnny Goar

Chris G. Willingham

Josceline Genest

Françoise Durocher

Hari Ryatt

Robert Fitzgerald

Kevin Ward

Martin Ashbee

Terry Kirk

Piroska Mihalka

Jacques LaBerge

Johanne Prégent

Kim Berlin

Victoria Frodsham

Rick Maguire

Michel Comte

Réal Baril

Clair Blondel

Gabor Vadnay

Don Perry

Bob Summers

Comedy

State Park

Cinemars Productions

ITC Entertainment

United States of America

_**As clichéd as it sounds, a GOOD bad movie**_

Several youths converge on a State Park in Michigan, which is threatened by a mogul who wants to usurp the land of a family that does business with the swimmers & campers, not to mention dump toxic waste nearby. James Wilder and Kim Myers play the main protagonists. 

"State Park" (1988) was also known as “Heavy Metal Summer” on video. It’s a goofy B comedy focusing on summer camp, just not in the usual sense of youths going to camp together as an organized group à la “Meatballs” (1979). While this is a low-budget production and technically a “bad movie,” it’s superior in all-around entertainment. And entertainment is the name of the game. Yes, it’s sometimes over-the-top silly, but it has a good cast, a picturesque setting, a compelling story, a quality 80’s soundtrack and a famous hard rock musician makes a surprise appearance.    

On the female front, Myer as Eve is super-cute, even stunning in a young Meryl Streep kind of way; you might remember her from “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2” (1985) or, more likely, as Pam on the 1996 Seinfeld episode “The Soul Mate.” Meanwhile Isabelle Mejias plays Marsha and I like her story arc with the punk-metal dude. Then there’s Jennifer Inch as Linnie; she’s winsome and has a notable soft feminine voice. On the other side of the gender spectrum, James Wilder has the ‘cool’ factor of Peter Fonda, albeit a little shorter.

I can’t fail to mention the entertaining subplot about the two metal rockers. The drummer (Louis Tucci) is reminiscent of Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. It’s amusing when they finally perform live because (1) they’re not very heavy or extreme at all and (2) the singer sounds like a woman; of course the reason is because it was Rachel Sweet singing the song on the soundtrack (it’s just part of the joke, I guess). “Love is Like a Chainsaw” is one of the songs. The female vocal lines and spirit reminded me of “Living in America” by The Sounds, released 14 years later. I guess everything old is new again, huh?

Besides Rachel Sweet, the soundtrack includes the likes of Ted Nugent and TT Quick amongst others.

This is just a fun flick that captures the magic of the mid/late 80s (because that’s when it was shot); turn off your brain and enjoy.

The film runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot at Mont-Tremblant National Park & the corresponding Lac Monroe, Québec, which are located a little over an hour’s drive northwest of Montreal.

GRADE: B

English

State park trailer (1988)