NOW That's What I Call: Camp!
Understanding Camp and Camp films.
by Isabel Hodges.
In 2019, the theme for the met gala was "Camp". I had never heard of the expression before when it was attached to an aesthetic or style. Instead, I expected every A-lister to turn up with their tents and sleeping bags looking like they were ready for gold Duke of Edinburgh. However, as I watched, there were no muddy hiking boots but flashy, vibrant colours, abstract and extravagant silhouettes and many celebrities who didn't know what "Camp" meant. Maybe at the end of the day, it would have been camp if they all just turned up wearing hiking rucksacks and thermals.
An example from 2019's met gala that has now been engrained into modern pop culture was Karlie Kloss tweeting out "looking camp right in the eye" as she was getting ready for the gala and then turning up to the event in the most nondescript gold mini dress. Since this happened, the internet has decided that it became camp because she tweeted that out and turned up looking like she was not attending the same event everyone else was. Now, if you type in "Karlie Kloss Camp" you get 441,000 results. Although most ridicule her, many are now commending her met gala build-up and entrance as the being camp all along. Her outfit failing to meet required Campness means its awfulness paradoxically makes it camp. It is the sheer lack of camp that makes it camp
What is Camp?
The first English definition of this word, which appeared in a 1909 dictionary, conforms to more contemporary ideas of "camp" as: "ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical; effeminate or homosexual; pertaining to, characteristics of, homosexuals." So, in turn, "camp" is a twist on aestheticism and hedonism, meaning that the camp style in question derives from 19th-century sexual deviance and defiance.
However, as the term has been carried on through the ages, it has transcended its homosexual connotations as Susan Sontag believes that "Camp is the spirit of extravagance." Camp is not Trashy, Camp and Trashy and two completely different things, both can bleed into each other in some respects, but neither are one or the same. Camp is vibrant, playful and glamorous but doesn't take itself too seriously; it's over the top in all the right ways and focuses mainly on pop culture. Susan Sontag says, "the essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration." But those who are trying to be camp deliberately and know in themselves that they are "camp", aren't as camp as those who come across as unknowing, and therefore they can come across as trashy. For example, although Jacqueline Susann's 1966 novel and the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls (Mark Robson) were supposed to be camp, the camp-ness comes across as just too forced. I'm not saying that it is not entirely camp, but I believe that there are many degrees of camp-ness that a film can forgo. So in light of the idea that there are many different degrees and styles of Camp filmmaking, I have decided to compile a list of various films that play into the aestheticism of Camp-ness.
The different styles of camp in cinema:
Modern camp:
The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014, Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Modern camp is something that most cinema-goers will be familiar with: think about Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) or Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit (2019) . Think about the over-the-top performances, the vibrant colours and intricate set designs that are complimented by strange plot lines. Modern Camp has grown to be much more mainstream but has left behind the exaggerated theatrical style of its predecessors for a far more toned-down approach. Contemporary Camp directors favour fuelling Camp-ness through their actors' performances or scripts. Although, I do believe that films like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Brad Silberling, 2004) and Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) kick-started the style of Modern Camp, it's still over-the-top but comes across as a lot less extravagant and set further in a believable reality. You can't get more camp than The Lego Batman Movie (Chris McKay, 2017) . Still, there is a modern visual style that has been carried along; for example, Mirror Mirror(Tarsem Singh, 2012) still draws on the theatrics of Camp costume design as Armie Hammer dresses as a rabbit in a hat and Julia Roberts' larger than life ball gowns fill the frame. The modern subversion of a classic fairytale like Snow White allows camp to thrive as it sets itself in a realm of fallacy through an extravagance of an un-reality. Camp is not supposed to be believable or realistic. And with Anna Biller's camp horror film The Love Witch (2016) , we see that camp isn't just restricted to a fairytale style of filmmaking but can be anything.
Horror or Comedy Camp:
The Addams Family, 1991, Paramount.
I use or because even though A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1984) was considered a Horror film when it was released, it scared a lot of people; however, the film is now viewed as a Camp classic. Why is this? With the rapid development of technology, and the changing styles and ideas of the Horror genre, a bed eating Johnny Depp and then throwing up his blood is just too funny to me. The horror is just so over the top that it becomes comical to the point that it veers into the realms of camp. We also have this with Friday the 13th (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980) , The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981) , Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) and Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992) . What was scary then is now seen as comical to a modern audience. The difference between these films and the films I'm going to list in a moment is that the comedy wasn't intentional; it was and maybe still is supposed to be scary. But then, when I think of Horror and Camp, I also think of Clue (Jonathan Lynn, 1985) , The Addams Family (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1991) , Jawbreaker (Darren Stein, 1999) and Idle Hands(Rodman Flender, 1999) . All self-aware films use tension and horror alongside extravagant drama, aesthetic filmmaking and exaggerated performances. The pinnacle of this type of Horror or Comedy style of camp has to be Robert Zemeckis' 1992 Death Becomes Her ; it's just the correct dose of horror and campness that makes this film the best of both styles.
A feast for the eyes and ears Camp:
To Wong Fo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar, 1995, Universal Pictures.
With bright visuals come bright musical numbers and colourful characters. Not every musical is camp, yes Hairspray (John Waters, 1988/ Adam Shankman 2007) , Moulin Rouge! (Baz Lurhmann 2001) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Mel Brooks, 1993) are Camp musicals, but I wouldn't pair these films into the same musical category as Dear Evan Hansen. Like I've said before, there are many different degrees of camp. I believe this category is the most noticeable of all the camps I'll be writing about. When I first tried to label this style, all I could think of was To Wong Fo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (Beeban Kieron, 1995) . This camp is constantly a performance, sort of like a rainbow three-course meal as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (David Mirkin, 1997) and Spice World (Bob Spiers, 1997) come out as a starter whilst Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton 1990) , Cry-Baby (John Waters, 1990) , The Mask (Chuck Russell, 1994) and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (Tom Shadyac, 1994) come out hot as our mains (Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp as our notable Camp superstars) whilst for drinks we have Mars Attacks! (Tim Burton, 1996) And Earth Girls Are Easy (Julien Temple 1988) , and finally, for dessert, we have Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (James Signorelli, 1988) with a side of Down with Love (Peyton Reed, 2003) . Then we tip our waiter with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Stephen Elliot, 1994) . This camp-style seems to have limited itself across the late 80s into the early 2000s as the tone seemed to flourish in the mid to late 90s with recurring actors and directors dominating the Camp stratosphere.
Dreamy Camp:
Labyrinth, 1986, Walt Disney Pictures.
Dreamy camp is much more of a niche group of Camp films; although they a very much like most of the films on this list, their visual style follows a hazy aesthetic. Throughout these films, there seems to be a dreamy filter permeating throughout. Instead of blinding colours, we are greeted by colours created with light. Artificial light appears to be visually absent through the moonlight, sunlight/daylight, or light fracturing from crystals, even though most of these films were probably filmed somewhere on a studio back lot. Think about The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939) ; although we have the bright yellow brick road and the sparkling emerald city, this dreamy quality seems to be perfused throughout. The same goes for Labyrinth (Jim Henson, 1986) ; even though we literally see David Bowie in a skin-tight body suit dancing around with a group of puppets, it doesn't come across as so conventionally Camp as the films before have. All I can say is these films have an airy quality to them. Even in Donkey Skin (Jacques Demy, 1970) , we have songs about incest, and horses dyed blue and red, a large throne in the shape of a cat, a woman vomiting frogs, a donkey that shits jewels and a fairy godmother turning up in a helicopter in what aesthetically looks like 15th-century France. However, in the end, I wouldn't think of these films straight away if you asked me for a Camp film. Again this style does follow musically inclined films; think about The Young Girls of Rochefort (Jacques Demy, 1967) , Xanadu (Robert Greenwald, 1980) and Grease (Randal Kleiser, 1978) . These films also seem to work with dreams; in Grease, we have Frenchy's Teen Angel dream with Frankie Avalon, and in Donkey Skin, we have Le Prince Charmant's dream about La Princess as he sings about the life that they'll live. However, none of the films are restricted to a particular genre, not all are fantasy or fairytale films, and not all are bound by a specific time. The only explanation I can really have for this style is the development of technology and certain film types the filmmakers were using. Although this is camp, it's subtle.
Pop Culture Camp
Scooby Doo, 2002, Warner Bros.
One of the most relevant camp styles comes from films that work with pop culture. When I began writing this article, the first "Camp" film that came to my mind was Scooby-Doo (Raja Cosnell, 2002) and its sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (Raja Gosnell, 2004) . From here, I realised that this was, in fact, a style of camp, just like Charlie's Angels (McG, 2000-2003) , D.E.B.S (Angela Robinson, 2004) and the Austin Powers sagas (Jay Roach 1997-2002) we see Camp-ness bleed into action movies. This camp also works from a source material that came before it Scooby-Doo animated series in 1969 and the Charlie's Angels tv show in 1976. Although pop Culture Camp updates the old to fit with the new, these reboots, remakes and revamps also work with parody movies. Austin Powers is a parody of James Bond and 60s/70s spy and heist films. Even the Scary Movie franchise (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000-2001, David Zucker 2003-2006) parodies other famous horror movies making itself inevitably camp. Although the visuals are not as theatrically extravagant, these films subvert and imitate different styles and eras.
Action Camp:
RoboCop, 1987, Orion Pictures.
Who wants to watch a muscly man drive around shooting guns when you can watch Flash Gordon (Mike Hodges, 1980) , where a muscly man runs around shooting and sword fighting in space wearing a tight leotard with his theme tune, which was written and performed by Queen. That is peak Camp-ness right there. That brings us to some honourable mentions such as RoboCop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987) or Tank Girl (Rachel Talalay, 1995) and even The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987) , which are all camp action films. There are many comedy/action films, but they lack the foundational camp-ness. With the camp, action film comes comedic flamboyancy, 'bad' visual effects, over-the-top costumes and violence, and campy characters that follow an action-packed camp storyline. Action Camp also merges with Pop-culture Camp or the post-modernist style of filmmaking. Who wants to watch James Bond when we can watch Austin Powers? Who wants to watch Terminator when we can watch RoboCop? Who wants to watch Star Wars when we can watch Spaceballs (Mel Brooks, 1987) . Think about Police Academy (Hugh Wilson, 1984) and Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (Jerry Paris, 1985) . However, tipping into more comedy than camp, we still get the campy action similar to the other films I've listed. And then we have Mannequin (Michael Gottlieb, 1987) …1987 was a crazy year for chaotic campy films, am I right?
Is it camp, or is it just bad?:
Many people have told me that labelling a movie as camp is to excuse it from being bad. However, Susan Sontag noted, "The ultimate Camp statement [is]: it's good because it's awful." Many will apply Camp to Batman and Robin (Joel Schumacher, 1997) , Barbarella (Roger Vadim, 1968) , Cool World (Ralph Bakshi, 1992) and Dune (David Lynch, 1984) , and to an extent, yes, they are subjectively all bad films. Still, they can also be subjectively highly camp. In the end, both are the same, something can be good, and camp and something can be bad and camp. Although a large majority see cinephiles as bad, they are still entertaining and fit into the aesthetic style of camp. We all know that Sky High (Mike Mitchell, 2005) isn't bad but rather just camp, and that Valley of the Dolls (Mark Robson, 1967) and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Russ Meyer, 1970) are also somewhat camp in their own right. So are these films just missing the mark? Some are too camp making them not camp at all, and some are not camp enough making them again not camp at all. Throughout these lists, we've found happy mediums, but many may argue that some of the films I've listed are bad. What is bad and what is good is a personal opinion. I may hate The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003) , but someone else may love it, I may love Supergirl (Jeannot Szwarc, 1984) , but someone else will be writing a scathing review about how awful it is. We all know that good is a thing, bad is a thing, and Camp is also a thing; it sits neatly in the middle between the two. So is it camp, or is it bad? Or is it so bad it's good?
What happened to camp?
There seems to be less of a market for camp now than there was before, as many viewers confuse irony and kitsch with camp. Camp is always going to be divisive because not everyone will get it. But it's not like camp wasn't celebrated worldwide, yes, it's hard to make something so mainstream so campy, but I think Star Wars (1977- 2005) comes pretty close. Camp has become a sort of little niche genre that many filmmakers avoid as it dominated the 80s-90s due to its post-modernist and absurdist style. You couldn't make Barbarella today without making it a gritty and cynical reboot. For some reason, studios believe that modern viewers don't want to watch something ironic but strip anything that was camp and make it dry and dead-pan. The contemporary horror genre embraces camp and the modern action genre. The biggest problem with camp is that it cannot be just one specific type of film, camp-ness is subjective and is a form of art referred to as kitsch which is also forever evolving. As Susan Sontag wrote camp is "failed seriousness", believing that it is less of an aesthetic but rather a way of engaging with a piece of work. Camp is not dead, it's just studios and advertisers failing to bring it to the forefront and do it justice.
Here's a list of films that people believe are camp, but I don't:
Legally Blonde (Robert Luketic, 2001) : Although we have a very camp character in the form of Elle Woods, her overall environment surrounding her takes on a far more 'realistic' visual style. Although Elle is constantly dressed in pink and owns a Chihuahua, she is more of a caricature of valley girls rather than a camp creation. Suppose you relate her to Barbie or Buffy you realise that systematically blonde white women have been characterised as being "ditzy and dumb" however, these characters turn this stereotype on its head. In that case, they are strong, independent, intelligent, and good role models who can still be stylish and exude femininity.
Mamma Mia (Phyllida Lloyd, 2008) : Although dancing around a greek island singing ABBA songs sounds camp in theory, this musical lacks the exaggerated and over-the-top atmosphere and costumes that the Camp musicals had mastered before. The portrayal of the young Sophie trying to find out who her father is, is played out within the realms of a 'normal' reality. Although it is a musical, it lacks theatricality. We have no dream sequences or quirky subplots; only by the end of the film, as the credits begin to roll, do we see Meryl Streep and her co-stars dressed in elaborate costumes reminiscent of ABBA's sequinned and platformed on-stage outfits. If the movie followed this particular style, it would be considered camp, but it just wouldn't work in the greek early 2000s foundations of Mamma Mia. Maybe because Pierce Brosnan's singing is so bad it's now considered as camp?
Jennifers Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009) : Eating men to suppress the hunger of a demon living inside you is justifiable but not camp. As I've said, camp bleeds into the horror genre, but Jennifers Body lacks the complete comedic ambience. Yes, it is self-aware, and yes, there are some funny one-liners, but I do not believe that any of the characters or the film in its entirety take upon a Camp ideal. This universe is far from camp. Although there is a clear style from Kusama, it does not grow on you like a Tim Burton style. It's somewhat distinguishable and dark but does not draw from anything camp.
Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006) : Telling a bunch of poor people to eat cake and building yourself a village where you'd dress up pretending to be peasants in the surroundings and comforts of a royal lifestyle is definitely camp. However, if you compare this film to Emma (2020, Autumn de Wilde) , we can see that Marie as a historical character is hard to make camp compared to something created entirely in fiction. Coppola leaves an absence of real camp theatricality; the costumes are over the top because they were over the top already at that time. As the film progresses, any sign of camp-ness fades away as we are faced with Marie's heartache and fear that the French public will overthrow her. This film is just another period drama, and although the colours are more vibrant than, let's say, Pride and Prejudice (2005, Joe Wright) that does not give it the gold seal of Camp-ness. Again Marie is a camp character stuck in a universe very far from camp.
Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991) : I don't even know how this film is here. Whilst going through a few lists of camp films, I fell upon Thelma & Louise and was thoroughly confused. Could driving off a cliff after leaving their male partners to be with each other camp? Thelma and Louise is a queer film, and although both queer and camp are two very different things, they can be the same in some respects. But I think an attempted rape, young Brad Pitt stealing money, Susan Sarandon killing someone and the final Romeo and Juliette kiss isn't camp at all. Ridley Scott is not known for his Camp filmmaking (because he's never made a camp film), so all I can pin this film as being is queer and slightly sapphic, not camp.
Ella Enchanted (Tommy O'Haver, 2004) : not every fairytale is camp, we have a world stripped of any sign of our actual reality, and we have Anne Hathaway singing and dancing, but when you compare this fairytale to Mirror Mirror, Donkey Skin, Labyrinth or The Princess Bride you see that Ella Enchanted misses the mark on complete campness. Casting actors like Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy into these roles determine the type of performance we will be receiving. Suppose the film's entirety had the same flamboyant performances as Lucy Punch's Hattie, Vivica A. Fox's Lucinda and Cary Elwes King Edgar. In that case, I guess maybe Ella Enchanted would be camp. There were many opportunities to have this film be a camp classic, but O'Haver missed the mark and gave us the dullest fairytale movie ever. And where it tries to be camp by making our main characters sing Queen's Somebody To Love it fails even more. Don't you dare ruin a Queen song for me!
Empire Records (Allan Moyle, 1995) : This isn't camp. Rex Manning may be camp, but nothing else about this movie is camp. Why would a bunch of teenagers working in a record store be considered camp or a camp classic? It's a fantastic movie, and I highly recommend watching this Linklater-esc film, but in no way, shape or form is this film camp.
Clueless (Amy Heckerling, 1995) : Ugh As If this is Camp. Yes, Cher and Dionne are camp characters, but again they are just caricatures of air-headed rich L.A valley girls. Although camp is an exaggeration, much like a caricature is, we are void of anything else camp apart from the costumes. Clueless is a comedy, not a campedy, it's an over-the-top melodrama, but it's not so over-the-top in theatrics and artifice. I wouldn't say it's source material of Jane Austen's Emma is very camp either. Maybe kissing your ex-step-brother is camp?
Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950) : Again, we have camp characters and costumes in a universe that isn't camp at all, and with the lack of colour, the opulence and luxury are lost and blurred through the glittering black and white of the film. It's camp to see Buster Keaton and Anna Q. Nilsson playing cards with the fictional Norma Desmond, but apart from that, this 50s film struggles to grapple onto camp in its entirety. Like, I know Norma Desmond is a gay icon, an astrology hoe, and an iconic sugar mommy. Still, her overdramatic performance is overshadowed by the posthumous narration given to us by William Holden, who I would say was far campier in Paris When It Sizzles (Richard Quine, 1964) .
Now I shall end with a question:
Couldn't every movie, to a degree, be camp?
Yes, but it's only to a degree. I could sit here and agree that Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985) may be camp, but I may not agree with you if you tell me that Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014) is camp because it's not. Not when you compare it to other films that are just far far far more into the cinematic style of Camp-ness. Maybe if we didn't have any camp movies, or we watched Interstellar from a camp view point it could be considered camp because its not camp at all, making it a paradox of Camp-ness. Camp is everything and nothing. One could even say 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) is camp, and I think maybe I'd agree. If you want something to be camp, it will become camp, and if you try extremely hard, like go out of your way to make sure the film you make or watch is not camp, it will eventually become camp. Everybody has their own ideas of what a Camp film is or can be.
If you ask me, that's camp.
by Isabel Hodges, July 2022.
