What is camp? The word first originated in England back in the 1800’s and it was typically associated with the behavior of gay men. The term ‘campers’ was popular during this time and it referred to the exaggerated movements/poses of gay men.
Camp is a term that’s always been linked to queer culture, but it’s also heavily associated with old Hollywood: the over-acting, dramatic close-ups and outrageous plots. In retrospect, many classic movies are now viewed as camp although not intended at the time.
In essence, camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that admires bad taste and ironic value. Camp questions art and beauty; it’s theatrical, effeminate, witty and knowing. It’s a smile, a nudge and a wink. It borders satire but it’s about being in on the joke. It’s a postmodern viewpoint.
The notions of camp have transferred onto objects and decoration. Shocking excess is viewed as camp, as is anything over the top. Camp, as an aesthetic, has been popular since the 1960s.
The term became mainstream with the arrival of the acclaimed essay Notes on Camp. As its author (Susan Sontag) wrote, ‘My adoration of camp is not something that I have learned, but something that I have refined. It is a means of fetishizing the delivery of a line, or emulating a staunch performance by an actress. I consume these moments in films, and engrain them into my own pop culture’.
Scroll down to see 10 camp classics.
Showgirls (1995)
This 90’s psycho-sexual noir was the follow-up film to Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct. It was expected to be another huge hit but failed to impress at the box office and severely damaged the lead’s (Elizabeth Berkley) career. Berkley was dropped by her agent and struggled to find work. The movie gained a cult following (partly because of its camp nature) and went on to generate over $100 million from video rentals.
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Romy and Michele is one of the defining teen movies of the 1990’s. Bff’s Romy and Michele invent new personas to impress old classmates at their high school reunion. The movie is filled with great looks and endless quotes.
Death Becomes Her (1992)
This camp classic is about lifelong frenemies Helen and Madison who want to be young and beautiful forever regardless of the cost. It features Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Isabella Rossellini.
Hairspray (1988)
The original 1988 Hairspray movie stars Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono and drag legend Divine. It’s a love letter to writer/director and producer John Waters’ youth. This film spawned the Hairspray musical and the 2007 remake that starred Zac Efron and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Supergirl (1984)
This 1984 movie focuses on Clark Kent’s cousin (Supergirl) as she vacays on earth. Supergirls nemesis is Selena, a power hunger witch played by Faye Dunaway who’s also jealous of her beauty.
Barbarella (1968)
This camp masterpiece stars Jane Fonda, is set in space and is based on a comic book. It launched Jane’s image as a sex symbol of the 1960s.
Grease (1978)
This movie musical stars Olivia Newton-John as Sandy, the original Good Girl Gone Bad. John Travolta plays Danny, John’s love interest and the film is set in the 1950s. It features great vintage fashion.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Someone thought it would be a good idea to put three of Hollywood’s butchest men in drag… and they were right! The queens travel across country to compete in a drag pageant and along the way make new friends and change lives. It features cameos from drag royalty RuPaul and Julie Newmar, aka Catwoman (“Miss Julie, you are statuesque and you were the only Catwoman”).
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)
Cable TV horror show host Elvira travels to a small town to hear the reading of her great-aunt Morgana’s will, but gets more than she bargains for when she discovers her true identity. Elvira overcomes obstacles and the movie ends with her dream come true, a headline act in Las Vegas.
Spice World (1997)
This campy movie see the Spice Girls poke fun of themselves as they navigate friends, fame, bootcamp, and headline shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Spice World is packed with cameos from Elton John, Richard O’Brien (Rocky Horror Picture Show creator), and Alan Cumming, to name just a few.
FAQs
Use the adjective campy to describe something that has a ridiculous, wacky appeal. Some movies are so exaggeratedly bad that they've got a campy kind of charm. Anything you describe as "so bad it's good" is probably campy.
What is the difference between camp and campy? ›
Camp is “something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusem*nt, as by virtue of it being artlessly mannered or stylized, self-consciously artificial and extravagant, or teasingly ingenuous and sentimental.” Its adjective form is campy.
What camp movie was in the 90s? ›
Camp Nowhere is a 1994 American adventure comedy film directed by Jonathan Prince, written by Andrew Kurtzman and Eliot Wald, and stars Christopher Lloyd, Jonathan Jackson and Jessica Alba in her film debut.
What is camp style in movies? ›
In her 1964 essay 'Notes on “Camp"', Susan Sontag listed the attributes of the camp aesthetic, defining camp in simple and enduring terms: "love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration", "the spirit of extravagance", and "too much".
Is Scream a campy movie? ›
For the most part, horror fans take Scream seriously as a great and disturbing plot that surpassed most of its predecessors in portrayal, storyline, and fright. However, the meta quality and how it emphasizes the most reused tropes of slasher movies make Scream one of the most campy movies of the '90s.
What is the difference between camp and kitsch? ›
As opposed to kitsch, camp reappropriates culture in an ironic fashion, whereas kitsch is indelibly sincere. Additionally, kitsch may be seen as a quality of an object, while camp "tends to refer to a subjective process".
What is camp in Gen Z? ›
In Gen Z slang, camp is something ironically trendy, like a fashion statement that seems odd but is trending all over the world. Origin The term “camp” was derived from the French word “se camper” which means to pose exaggeratedly.
What is an example of campy? ›
Example Sentences
It seems impossible that the movies would return to the light, campy tone of the past — particularly given how divided the world feels these days. “The Magician” is brimming with entertaining soap opera, campy bons mots and riveting history.
Why do people like campy? ›
Campy movies are like comfort food for a lot of people, camp is a taste of love, love for human nature, love for the unnatural and theatrical, as it doesn't judge, but rather relishes the little triumphs and awkward intensities of life and art, and in that way, it's also a form of pure enjoyment.
What was the first Sleepaway camp movie? ›
Sleepaway Camp is a 1983 American slasher film written and directed by Robert Hiltzik, and starring Felissa Rose, Katherine Kamhi, Paul DeAngelo, Mike Kellin (in his last screen appearance), and Christopher Collet (in his first).
1. Friday the 13th (1980)
A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
What 80s movie is the camp counselor in? ›
Set on the last day of camp, in the hot summer of 1981, "Wet Hot American Summer" follows a group of counselors who are each trying to complete their unfinished business before the day ends.
What defines a camp classic? ›
The Green Hornet is mostly forgotten, while Batman '66 is still regarded as a camp classic. Camp is a joke that doesn. Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. A common example of “Camp” is 1966's Batman television series.
What is a camp classic? ›
In retrospect, many classic movies are now viewed as camp although not intended at the time. In essence, camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that admires bad taste and ironic value. Camp questions art and beauty; it's theatrical, effeminate, witty and knowing. It's a smile, a nudge and a wink.
What horror movie is based on a camp? ›
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
This '80s cult classic follows a shy and awkward girl named Angela who is sent to summer camp with her cousin.
What is the difference between camp and parody? ›
Camp sets up new meanings by synthesizing an original text or cultural artifact and its recontextualized version. In other words, it works parodically. Camp is more complex than simple parody, however. The following textual comparison will demonstrate that Camp extends beyond parody's intellectual synthesis of texts.
Is Twin Peaks campy? ›
The show's narrative draws on elements of detective fiction, but its uncanny tone, supernatural elements, and campy, melodramatic portrayal of eccentric characters also draws from American soap opera and horror tropes.
What does camp mean in LGBT? ›
The first English definition of the term, which appeared in a 1909 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, conformed to popular, contemporary notions of camp: “ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical; effeminate or hom*osexual; pertaining to, characteristic of, hom*osexuals…” If not synonymous with ...
