‘There was a deep concern that the youth of America had taken a wrong turn…’
The true crime documentary has long since become passe. What used to be Netflix’s water cooler shows have now become so derivative that there have been various true crime parodies released over the last few years that have rendered much of the genre moribund. As they are often cheap to make, Netflix and other production companies can churn them out at a rate of knots leading to diminishing returns for viewers. Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare is one of the few modern true crime documentaries that is worth your time…
Charting the rise and fall of Steve Cartisano, the man credited with popularising teen ‘therapy camps’ that are closer to military training but with less safeguarding, Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare features interviews with survivors of the camps, camp counsellors and Cartisano’s family, and the resulting 90-minute documentary is a wild ride.
From British director Liza Williams, also responsible for The Yorkshire Ripper, an incredible documentary about… well… the Yorkshire Ripper, this latest documentary takes a holistic approach to a complicated and complex individual. Interviews and archive footage of life at the camps are gruelling with tales of 50-mile hikes without access to running water or toilets, all culminating in violence, abuse and in one tragic case, death. For the sake of balance, we also hear from Cartisano’s family, and it’s interesting to note how much his actions also affected his loved ones.
Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare tells a story that hasn’t been told before in a stylish and gripping way. While I didn’t come out of it any wiser as to why Cartisano did what he did, there is no denying that this is a captivating and compelling documentary. One of the few true crime documentaries of recent years worth seeking out.