Campfire Stories is a 1998 American teen slasher anthology film directed by Quentin Tarantino and written by Tarantino and Kevin Williamson.
The film is produced by Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellan.
The film deals with seven college students taking a camping trip up to the mountains for spring break where they tell seven horror stories similar to classic 80's slasher films.
The has an ensemble cast that includes Alicia Silverstone, Rose McGowan, Josh Brolin, Jerry O'Connell, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Ritter, Katie Holmes, Claire Danes, Eric Mabius, Melinda Clarke, Danielle Harris, Joshua Jackson, Ryan Phillippe, Ethan Embry, Demi Moore, Sally Field, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jeremy Sisto, Luke Wilson, Anne Heche, Sara Gilbert, Micheal Fishman, Brandy Norwood, Freddie Prinze Jr., Kathleen Turner, Peter Gallagher, Skeet Ulrich, Luke Perry, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Drew Barrymore and Salma Hayek.
The film was distributed by Dimension Films and was released on October 30th, 1998 to a very positive reaction from critics and audiences for it's nostalgic elements, homages other 80's slasher films, the all star cast, and the screenplay. The film grossed $125 million globally, thus becoming a huge box office success.
Plot
TBA
Cast
AROUND THE FIRE:
- Alicia Silverstone as Kelly Turner
- Claire Danes as Jillian Byers
- Ryan Phillippe as Derrick Barrett
- Ethan Embry as Steve Harrison
- Sara Gilbert as Nancy McCarthy
- Freddie Prinze Jr. as Jeremy Vaughn
- Joshua Jackson as Gavin Pearson
INFIDELITY BLUES:
- Anne Heche as Linda Armitage
- Peter Gallagher as William Armitage
- Luke Perry as Brody
- Salma Hayek as Rosalita
- Bryan Cranston as Officer Boris McClure
BAD LOVE....DUH:
- Josh Brolin as Paul
- Demi Moore as Astrid
- Skeet Ulrich as Dylan
- Natasha Gregson Wagner as Heather
BABYSITTING REGRETS:
- Danielle Harris as Sherry Woods
- Jerry O'Connell as Dex Walker
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Martha Applebee
- John Ritter as Herbert Applebee
- Roger L. Jackson as The Caller
- Jacob Smith as Tommy Applebee
- Mika Boorem as Celia Applebee
BAD NIGHT AT LOVERS LANE:
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Gwendy
- Eric Mabius as Jason
- Kane Hodder as The Meathook
THE KILLING FARM:
- Jennifer Love Hewitt as Brooke Walsh
- Kathleen Turner as Mabel Hale
- Sally Field as Frannie Hale
- Brandy Norwood as Marrie Sherwood
- Seth Green as Dirk Witwicky
CAMP DEAD:
- Jeremy Sisto as Luke
- Luke Wilson as Mike Kostic
- Lecy Goranson as Peyton
- Micheal Fishman as Louie
- Joseph Cross as Benjamin
- Johnathan Taylor Thomas as Rod
- Hayden Panettiere as Lucy
OPENING ACT:
- Drew Barrymore as Amy Bloodstone
- Christine Taylor as Helen
- Tatyana Ali as Anaya
- Scott Speedman as Jake
- Melinda Clarke as Priscilla Bloodstone
- Rose McGowan as Belle
- Barry Watson as Daniel
- Micheal Pare as Richard Harrington/The Opera Killer
- Matthew Lillard as Denny
Trivia
- Shortly after the release of Scream 2 (1997), Kevin Williamson expressed his interest of making an anthology slasher film and when Quentin Tarantino noticed that the slasher genre was revived due to the success of Scream (1996), he teamed up with Williamson to develop the script.
- The film was originally titled By The Fire, Scary Stories To Tell In The Woods and Tales From The Campfire.
- Jerry O'Connell and Sarah Michelle Gellar had recently co-starred in Scream 2 together before production on this film began.
- Jamie Lee Curtis signed onto the project after reading the script labeling it, "A UNIQUE SLASHER FILM THROWBACK." Curtis had to balance her schedule with this film due to working on Halloween H20: 20 Years Later which later came out in the summer of 1998.
- John Ritter also had to balance his schedule for this film due to working on the fourth Child's Play film, Bride Of Chucky which came out in the same month as this film.
- The MPAA took issue at the graphic violence and sexuality calling it too graphic for mainstream audiences and gave the film an NC-17 rating. Several cuts we're made and the film received it's R rating with the director's cut getting a DVD and Blu-ray release 10 years later. Campfire Stories is rated R for sequences of strong gruesome bloody violence and gore throughout, some crude sexual content, graphic nudity, grisly images, pervasive language and some drug use.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar admitted in an interview that the "Bad Night At Lovers Lane" reminded her of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre mixed in with the urban legend "The Hook". She also admitted that her hectic schedule also gave her panic attacks on set due to being on the show "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".
- Danielle Harris was thrilled with the script after signing onto the project and called it a savvy but new slasher film that pays respect to the slasher films from the 80's. She also admitted that working with Jamie Lee Curtis was a dream come true.
- Campfire Stories premiered at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival for the Midnight Madness line up on September 15th, 1998 before receiving a wide theatrical release on October 30, 1998 to a majority of positive reviews from critics and audiences alike for it's homages to other 80's slasher films, all-star cast and the screenplay. The film holds a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus stating, "With Quentin Tarantino's signature graphic violence, a smart script and an all out ensemble cast, Campfire Stories is an inventive slasher anthology loaded with insane deaths, clever nods to slasher classics and acts like a love letter to the horror genre that manages to satisfy horror fans in the best way possible."
- Years after it's release, Campfire Stories became a midnight movie classic and cult favorite.