History Main / CAMP

See also CampGay, MachoCamp, CampStraight, CampyCombat, and SummerCampy. Compare SoBadItsGood, StylisticSuck and NarmCharm. Related to LargeHam and WorldOfHam. Not to be confused with the movie ''Film/Camp2003'', nor has anything to do with a CampingEpisode.

* ''Film/ThreeHundred'': Low Camp writ large and expensive -- not only unaware of its own bombastic absurdity, but unaware of (indeed, vociferously deflective of) being gay as a tree full of monkeys in Aunt Fanny's Christmas hat.

* [[UsefulNotes/TheEighties Eighties]] [[ActionGenre Action Movies]] are legendarily Camp. The genre had a massive boom in popularity at this time, and so there was a churn of mid-budget works, often incorporating plenty of the cheesy ScienceFiction elements and PracticalEffects that ''Franchise/StarWars'' had made popular, or exploiting other silly '80s fads like [[EverybodyWasKungFuFighting kicking]], [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld ninjas]], [[PacManFever video games]], or [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar borderline fascist Vietnam revisionism]]. The amount of [[ArtisticStimulation cocaine abuse]] in '80s Hollywood encouraged a level of sincerity and enthusiasm to even the most cynical ClicheStorm premises, PatrioticFervor was constant, and many of the biggest ActionHero stars of the decade were cast for muscle size and athletic ability over ability to ''talk'', let alone act. Add to this proto-UsefulNotes/{{Synthwave}} soundtracks (a side effect of the limited budget for these movies) and the ''unbelievable'' HoYay that results from having an aspirational variant of the MaleGaze pointed at the gigantic rippling muscles of a HollywoodActionHero, and you have a genre that is loved by both the most reactionary of men, and by an LGBTFanbase, not to mention a large proportion of GuiltyPleasure-seekers and [[NarmCharm ironylords]].

* Kevin Ayers features in possibly the gayest, most outrageously camp, music videos ever committed to tape. His 1973 hit [[http://youtu.be/m-C2Ar4gpi8 Carribean Moon]] has all the gayness buttons deliberately racked up way past eleven. Julian clary would look like a macho straight. The video is also hilarious.

* The ''VideoGame/JamesPond'' video games parody ''Franchise/JamesBond'', or rather, the first game and the title character parody that, and the next two games parody other film franchises and set them up in absolutely ridiculous setting. The second game, ''James Pond II: Codename'' '''[[Film/RoboCop [=RoboCod=]]]''' has a '''SavingChristmas''' plot, [[MisplacedWildlife with Penguins at the North Pole]]! ''James Pond 3: Operation [=StarFI5H=]'' has a moon ''not'' [[CheesyMoon made of cheese]], but all kinds of dairy products. The working name for it was "'''[[Franchise/FlashGordon Splash]]''' Gordon". The bosses of the games include, but aren't limited to: a [[FluffyTheTerrible giant Teddy Bear]] with ''spikes on its butt'', an ''evil snowman mech'', a large yellow frog that eats you (And this somehow ''doesn't'' [[OneHitKill kill you instantly]].), and a ''chicken that turns into a '''Phoenix!''''' SoBadItsGood doesn't begin to describe the games.

See also CampGay, MachoCamp, CampStraight, and CampyCombat. Compare SoBadItsGood, StylisticSuck and NarmCharm. Related to LargeHam and WorldOfHam. Not to be confused with the movie ''Film/Camp2003'', nor has anything to do with a CampingEpisode.

* Pretty much every version of ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' runs on camp to some degree, with ludicrous premises played entirely straight, flamboyant character designs, outlandish plot twists that veer between absurdity and pitch-black darkness, DuelsDecideEverything and NewRulesAsThePlotDemands being laws of the universe, HoYay thicker than molasses, and heavily-censored hammy English dubs. Much of what gives the franchise an enduring reputation is the fact that it handles itself with almost complete sincerity despite being perceived as a [[MerchandiseDriven card game commercial]].

* James Whale famously employed this in his 1930s horror films, particularly ''Film/TheOldDarkHouse1932'' and ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein''.

* ''Film/MommieDearest'' has Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford gravely overacting while everyone else seems to be sedated. The editing only adds to the strangeness. For example, in one scene, Joan has been fired from her job and the scene ends with her boss turning around to the camera. Then there is an immediate cut to a screaming Joan, decked in an expensive evening dress, cutting apart her rose garden with a pair of hedge clippers and then ordering her daughter to "bring [her] the axe" so she can chop down a tree.
* ''Film/MoulinRouge''. [[ClicheStorm Derivative, archetypal plot]]? Check. LargeHam [[EvilIsHammy villains]]? Check. LargeHam non-villains in a WorldOfHam where everyone breaks out into song at regular intervals? Check. HamToHamCombat? Check. Soundtrack predominantly composed of pop music given a SofterAndSlowerCover? Check. Costuming? Lavish. Aesthetics? Fantastic. Music? Amazing. DisneyAcidSequence? Definitely. Also, the director of the film (Baz Luhrmann) is CampStraight.

* WebAnimation/{{Animutation}} tends to be a surreal take on this.

* Probably no TV show had as much intentional camp as its central focus than did the live-action ''Series/Batman1966'' from the 1960s. Notorious for [[ToTheBatNoun putting the prefix "bat-"]] in front of everything Batman did or used, and for Adam West's portrayal of Batman as a constantly emoting expositionist who had but one tone of voice no matter the situation. However, many of the people involved with the production debate the label as needlessly denigrating to the hard work they put into the show's elements of farce.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheZow'' is the modern equivalent to ''Series/Batman1966''. [[ToTheBatNoun Using "she" as a prefix for everything]], [[PoliceAreUseless comically useless police]], [[CrazyPrepared gadgets for every situation]], [[BewareTheSillyOnes oddball villains]], and a costume that looks like it came straight from [[TheSixties the 60s]].

* ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'' is an {{affectionate parody}} of old superhero shows, so it falls into this category. The titular heroine has a stereotypical [[AlliterativeName alliterative comic book name]] and a pet monkey as a sidekick. Her RoguesGallery includes a butcher who can telekinetically control meat, a part-mouse, part-human mad scientist who loves cheese, and a guy with a sandwich for a head.

* ''Plan 7 of 9 from Outer Space''. There's a RunningGag about the Space Rangers being MistakenForGay because of their campy uniforms.

* ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' features a group of TotallyEighteen [[TeenIdol Teen Idols]] gifted with the power to fight demons from the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' franchise harnessing the power of creative talent, singing and dancing to save the day from the creatures - and yes, you defeat the final boss with a sing-along. The concept and execution is so over-the-top and ridiculous, that it's Camp enough to rival [[Series/Batman1966 60's Batman]].

* [[UsefulNotes/TheEighties Eighties]] [[ActionGenre Action Movies]] are legendarily {{Camp}}. The genre had a massive boom in popularity at this time, and so there was a churn of mid-budget works, often incorporating plenty of the cheesy ScienceFiction elements and PracticalEffects that ''Franchise/StarWars'' had made popular, or exploiting other silly '80s fads like [[EverybodyWasKungFuFighting kicking]], [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld ninjas]], [[PacManFever video games]], or [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar borderline fascist Vietnam revisionism]]. The amount of [[ArtisticStimulation cocaine abuse]] in '80s Hollywood encouraged a level of sincerity and enthusiasm to even the most cynical ClicheStorm premises, PatrioticFervor was constant, and many of the biggest ActionHero stars of the decade were cast for muscle size and athletic ability over ability to ''talk'', let alone act. Add to this proto-UsefulNotes/{{Synthwave}} soundtracks (a side effect of the limited budget for these movies) and the ''unbelievable'' HoYay that results from having an aspirational variant of the MaleGaze pointed at the gigantic rippling muscles of a HollywoodActionHero, and you have a genre that is loved by both the most reactionary of men, and by an LGBTFanbase, not to mention a large proportion of GuiltyPleasure-seekers and [[NarmCharm ironylords]].

* ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' features a group of TotallyEighteen [[TeenIdol Teen Idols]] gifted with the power to fight demons from the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' franchise harnessing the power of creative talent, singing and dancing to save the day from the creatures - and yes, you defeat the final boss with a sing-along. The concept and execution is so over-the-top and ridiculous, that it's {{Camp}} enough to rival [[Series/Batman1966 60's Batman]].

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' actually brings a rather large component of camp to everything from its voice acting (Lelouch, Lloyd and the Emperor are the most obvious examples), elaborate outfits and posing (see almost every time Zero gives a public speech), over-the-top events, crazy robot power-ups and many other elements. Not much of a surprise if you realize the director previously made ''{{Scryed}}'' and ''Anime/GunXSword'', plus was also part of the staff who worked on ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam''.
* ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': The anime's 2nd OP is a good demonstration of the glam {{Bishonen}} action, but you can't realize how Campy it is until you perform or see the poses in real life, which [[MemeticMutation caught on first with fans]] and spread to other anime and Japanese idols and celebrities.

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainFlamingo'' takes this up to eleven due its weird and wacky shout-outs to classic superhero and anime shows. All of the jokes were extremely corny.

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainFlamingo'' is takes this up to eleven due its weird and wacky shout-outs to classic superhero and anime shows.

* ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'' is an {{affectionate parody}} of old superhero shows, so it falls into this category. The titular heroine has a stereotypical [[AlliterativeName alliterative comic book name]] and a pet monkey as a sidekick. [[ClarkKenting She doesn't even try to hide her secret identity]], and yet the citizens are still fooled. The villains (with the exception of [[KnightOfCerebus Miss Power]]) are all [[BewareTheSillyOnes wacky]]--one of them has a sandwich for a head, while another has power over meat.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': In the second game the developers forgot this, but the third game made up for it in spades. For reference, at different points in time, the main protagonist has used a [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 motorbike chainsaw]], [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening a scythe that's also a guitar]] made out of a HornyDevil, and [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 a "demon backpack"]]. He also repeatedly gets impailed as a RunningGag to the point where in 5 it's [[spoiler:actually a game mechanic.]]

* ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'' (aka ''Glitter Force'' in America) is full of this. It's a Sailor Moon-like series complete with candy-colored superheroes, fairy tale villains, ridiculous monsters, cheesy dialog, and they beat the baddies with ThePowerOfFriendship and [[ThePowerOfLove Love]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour'' in its first season. However, during [[TheNineties the 90s]], when superhero shows were expected to be [[DarkerAndEdgier more dramatic]] and complex like ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' and WesternAnimation/SpidermanTheAnimatedSeries, people weren't interested in its [[LighterAndSofter sillier and simpler]] setup and it got a complete [[{{Retool}} retooling]] in the [[DarkerAndEdgier second season.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour'' in its first season. However, during [[TheNineties the 90s]], when superhero shows were expected to be [[DarkerAndEdgier more dramatic]] and complex like WesternAnimation/XMen and WesternAnimation/SpidermanTheAnimatedSeries, people weren't interested in its [[LighterAndSofter sillier and simpler]] setup and it got a complete [[{{Retool}} retooling]] in the [[DarkerAndEdgier second season.]]

* If Creator/YoshiyukiTomino is in a good mood while directing a HumongousMecha show, chances are good that it'll fall into this. If not, [[KillEmAll well...]]

** This is not to say Who doesn't indulge in {{deconstruction}} now and again. The aforementioned ''New Adventures'' novels turned the Terrence Dicks interpretation of the Doctor ("Neither cruel nor cowardly") on its head: In ''Love and War'', the Doctor still behaves like the children's hero we all know and adore - even parroting the same Dicks catchphrases - while simultaneously doing thoroughly fiendish things. This contradiction later surfaced on the Doctor Who spinoff ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', most notably with the flamboyant pansexual immortal child killer Captain Jack -- about as schizo a character as you can come up with.
** The new series, faced with the terrifying prospect of a reasonable budget and cheap and high-quality special effects being widely available by that point, perhaps overcompensated for this by having a DarkerAndEdgier Doctor - one who was now the LastOfHisKind, wore [[PuttingOnTheReich a black leather jacket that, in WWII London, has a fellow time traveller compare him to a U-Boat Captain]] and a [[ImportantHaircut shaved head]] and had committed double genocide as BackStory - fighting mostly extremely goofy comedy monsters over his short run, with the notable exceptions being the Daleks, a "serious" but legendarily campy [[TheFifties 50s]] BMovie-like monster [[{{Reconstruction}} played painfully straight here]] and the Empty Child (whose double parter is considered to be one of the best and creepiest stories in the show's history). The worry was that, with good special effects, the NarmCharm responsible for a lot of the campy appeal would be lost, and so it had to be added by replacing "low camp" with "high camp" - not least to avoid traumatising children (which [[NightmareFuel the original series cared about much less]], being by far the goriest show on Creator/TheBBC at the time). By the second series, the Doctor got more mellow and the monsters got (mostly) spookier, finding what is generally agreed to be a good middle ground - and it's still camp as hell. Since then, it's yo-yo'd between gleefully embracing the camp and playing up the drama (the Creator/JohnSimm incarnation of the Master epitomising this by starting his takeover by bellowing "HERE! COME! THE DRUMS!" and bopping along to Music/RogueTraders' "Voodoo Child", then casually ordering the deaths of 600 million people because he thinks the word 'decimate' sounds nice).
** Even some of the Nu-Who music comes under this - composer Music/MurrayGold, when creating a {{Leitmotif}} for the Doctor's alien-ness, was deliberately asked to do it as a ClicheStorm, so he went with an operatic OneWomanWail. This was nicknamed by him "Flavia's Theme", after an extremely campy OneSceneWonder Time Lady in "[[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors The Five Doctors]]", who he could imagine singing it. It's deliberately overly dramatic, but at the same time hits exactly the emotional button it's supposed to push - both {{Angst}} and the promise of adventure.
** The costume designs under Creator/JohnNathanTurner's tenure as producer were done this way for [[MerchandiseDriven merchandising reasons]], probably inspired by the IconicOutfit appeal of the Fourth Doctor's scarf - the Doctors went from dressing in a somewhat [[RummageSaleReject bohemian]], [[AwesomeAnachronisticApparel anachronistic]] approach to [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece whatever is mainstream fashion of the day]], into dressing in blatant costume, with red question-mark motifs and occasionally really hideous colour schemes. Many fans agree this crossed over into WhatTheHellCostumingDepartment, especially with the Sixth and Seventh Doctors, though the JN-T Fourth Doctor outfit is generally agreed to be flattering and quite good. In retrospect, it helps that the Doctor has notoriously fashion sense, so the clothing choices could be dismissed in that light.

** Lampshaded in Creator/DavidTennant and Creator/CatherineTate's "Let's Do It" video in which Tate's Julie Gardner asked Tennant's Creator/RussellTDavies, "let's revamp - make more camp - a sci-fi show from yesteryear".

** 2006 winners Music/{{Lordi}} - a Finnish heavy metal group, adorned in full-body monster costumes, which sings about the "Day of Rockening". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Uc8F8_c1M&feature=related Combine for maximum powah!]]

** Both before and after this, Eminem always had a taste for using kitschy pop samples in his production, sampling people like Martika and Music/EltonJohn for SincerityMode ballads.

* ''Film/ForbiddenZone'': Evil big haired queens, a giant headed frog butler, a dimension accessed by traveling down a small intestine, [[BigBand music from the 30s and 40s]], guys in drag and guys wearing next to nothing, and [[Music/DannyElfman Danny Elfman]] as The Devil. This movie is camp weirdness taken to its [[UpToEleven Nth Degree]].

** 2004's ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'' was a deliberate callback to this era, taking the plot of ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'' and turning all the zany aspects UpToEleven.

* ''Film/VampiresKiss'' has [[Creator/NicolasCage Nick Cage]] taking [[Main/LargeHam hammy acting]] and [[Main/ChewingTheScenery scenary chewing]] [[Main/BeyondTheImpossible well past]] the point of [[Main/UpToEleven eleven]]. The two prime examples of campiness are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lct6x-XqWrw here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqt2MT9TofI here]].

* The ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' is mildly campy. ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlertSeries Red Alert]]'' pushes it UpToEleven.

* The first ''VideoGame/DeadToRights'' fits the category. While the intent ([[https://player.fm/series/1181239/156230437 based on the creators themselves]]) was to make a game in the vein of works by Frank Miller and John Woo with utmost sincerity and seriousness, the game's got a lot more [[SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty color]] and theatricality for it: [[SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness the story and dialogue, especially from Jack, slides wildly in tone]] (at times being completely straightforward, other times containing utterly bonkers set pieces and [[OneLiner quippy one-liners]]), several of the villains are so [[EvilIsHammy full of ham]] that they’re practically walking delis, and many instances of {{GunFu}} and HeroicBloodshed action are [[UpToEleven over-the-top]] and [[ArtisticLicensePhysics physics-defying]] even for the genre. Top it off with [[HeroesLoveDogs an attack dog]] [[CanineCompanion sidekick]] and [[RatedMForManly raw manliness all around]], and you have a game of true camp appeal.
* ''VideoGame/DeepFear'': Although the game itself is hardly camp (instead falling under SoBadItsGood), the campiness cranks UpToEleven whenever the sub designer, Dubois Amalric, opens his mouth to deliver his ridiculously accented lines at a volume as loud as his purple turtleneck sweater.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': All three tribes that run the casinos in New Vegas are camp to some degree (The Omertas representing the [[TheMafia seamy underbelly]] and the White Glove Society representing the elegance [[spoiler:[[ImAHumanitarian well, on the surface, anyway]]]] of the old Las Vegas, respectively), but the Chairmen crank it UpToEleven. All of them dress like Creator/RatPack rejects and say things like "Ring-a-ding, baby" and "What can I do to make your stay the tops?" with completely straight faces. And it's hilarious.
* The ''VideoGame/JamesPond'' video games parody ''Franchise/JamesBond'', or rather, the first game and the title character parody that, and the next two games parody other film franchises and set them up in absolutely ridiculous setting. The second game, ''James Pond II: Codename'' '''[[Film/RoboCop [=RoboCod=]]]''' has a '''SavingChristmas''' plot, [[MisplacedWildlife with Penguins at the North Pole]]! ''James Pond 3: Operation [=StarFI5H=]'' has a moon ''not'' [[CheesyMoon made of cheese]], but [[UpToEleven all kinds of dairy products]]. The working name for it was "'''[[Franchise/FlashGordon Splash]]''' Gordon". The bosses of the games include, but aren't limited to: a [[FluffyTheTerrible giant Teddy Bear]] with ''spikes on its butt'', an ''evil snowman mech'', a large yellow frog that eats you (And this somehow ''doesn't'' [[OneHitKill kill you instantly]].), and a ''chicken that turns into a '''Phoenix!''''' SoBadItsGood doesn't begin to describe the games.

* The VideoGame/LEGOAdaptationGame series ''loves'' this trope. It knows exactly what it is and isn't afraid to be as outlandish and silly as humanly possible. It even makes a level out of the [[Series/Batman1966 60's Batman]] in LEGO Batman 3 and [[UpToEleven takes it up to eleven.]]

* ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'' is about ''''AMERICA!!'''' It takes the {{Eagleland}} trope UpToEleven. Let's just say its campiness rivals Batman.

** Then there was ''[[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM SatAM]]''. Despite DarkerAndEdgier setting, it kept Sonic's over the top personality from ''[=AoStH=]'' --even [[UpToEleven taking it further]]--, as well as the occasional silly moment. Then the second season ramped up the campiness in general, with the previously serious Robotnik becoming one of the goofiest incarnations of the character.

** [[http://www.venetianmacao.com/en/ Macau's own Fake Venice]] which is not only three times the size of its Vegas counterpart, [[UpToEleven but even campier]]. Picture sitting in a Japanese restaurant, overlooking a fake indoor replica of the Grand Canal, with the gondolier rowing past and singing a (very good) rendition of Sarah Brightman's part in "Time To Say Goodbye". Oh, and the Brazillian steakhouse on the fake St Mark's Square, with street entertainers suddenly bursting out of doors to do rousing renditions of "Feniculi Fenicula". Oh yeah, it's more camp than Rufus Wainwright.

* ''VideoGame/BarkleyShutUpAndJamGaiden''. Its premise is that of a post-cyberpocalyptic world where basketball is outlawed (and its former players hunted down and murdered) because one Charles Barkley performed a [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Chaos Dunk]] and accidentally killed thousands in the ensuing blast. The {{bathos}} is palpable, and it never ceases (including such things as Michael Jordan [[spoiler:infecting Barkley's son Hoopz with ''type 2 diabetes'' through a ''needle'', and Barkley reacting by calling Jordan a "motherfucking goddamn UsefulNotes/{{baka}}".]]

* ''Anime/PowerpuffGirlsZ''. More so than the [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls original American show.]] Being a MagicalGirl show, it's to be expected.

** Then there was ''[[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM SatAM]]''. Despite DarkerAndEdgier setting, it kept Sonic's over the top personality from ''[=AoStH=]'', as well as the occasional silly moment. Then the second season ramped up the campiness in general, with the previously serious Robotnik becoming one of the goofiest incarnations of the character.