History Main / Camp

* JohnWaters (whose guest appearance on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' provides one of the quotes above) has made a career out of it.

** 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 gay immortal child killer Captain Jack -- about as schizo a character as you can come up with.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* The newest incarnation of the ''CuteyHoney'' anime, ''Re Cutey Honey'', is deliberately rendered in a psychedelic, humorous 1970s-style exaggeration of the franchise's infamous violence and {{Fanservice}}. The live action movie is similar.
* ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'' arguably falls under this trope. Giant robots that look like cossacks. Giant robots that look like Sailor Moon. Giant robots that look like ''windmills.'' Giant robots that run entirely on the power of burning red willpower and defeat the BigBad through ThePowerOfLove manifesting a giant pissed-off [[spoiler:''King of Hearts.'']] Some say [[SoBadItsGood it's good precisely because of all that]], others say it's just good.
* ''StarDriver'', as one might expect from a SuperRobot show produced by the ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' team, is absolutely ''dripping'' in camp. The ''male'' lead is the only one with a [[MagicalGirl Magical Girl]]-worthy TransformationSequence, for example. It's just pure [[MemeticMutation FABLUOUSness]]. But watch it for the gorgeous animation.
* If YoshiyukiTomino is in a good mood while directing a HumongousMecha show, chances are good that it'll fall into this. If not [[KillEmAll well...]]
* ''[[Anime.KakumeikiValvrave Valvrave the Liberator]]'' seems to run purely on camp. One of the enemy factions is literally [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Space Nazis]] complete with GratuitousGerman, and every episode seems to strive to add some twist even more insane than the one before.

[[folder: Film ]]

* Tommy Wisseau's ''Film/TheRoom'' is one of the more popular examples of low camp. Althought Wisseau made the smart marketing decision to now push it as an ironic comedy, it's clear to everyone that he originally meant it to be completely serious.
* The infamous ''The Wild Wild World Of Batwoman'' may well qualify as one of the worst movies ever, owing to its having been a ''failed'' attempt at camp. It is a rip-off of the Adam West TV series, right down to the ludicrous villains and the 60s go-go dancing. The producers of ''Batman'' took Jerry Warren to court, which is why he threw in that tacked-on opening about the "synthetic vampire" Batgirls.
* ''TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''.

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

* ''Film/{{Xanadu}}''
* The film version of ''TheWiz''.
* The Disney flick ''Film/{{Condorman}}'' falls squarely into this category. It's pretty entertaining if you don't mind suspending your disbelief a bit (and remember that it was intended for kids).
* ''Film/SnakesOnAPlane''. Notably, the film started out as low camp and morphed into high camp over the course of its production process, thanks to [[MemeticMutation its internet popularity]] and the noble efforts of Mr. Samuel L. Jackson to preserve the film's working title.
* ''Film/{{Troll 2}}'' is loved because it is so delightfully camp and not scary ''at all''.

* ''The Entire Burton/Schumacher Batman film franchise to varying extents. The first film less so than the succeeding three.

* ''The5000FingersOfDrT'', especially [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8TQOzyCu8Q this number]]. The movie was written by Creator/DrSeuss, and it's exactly what you'd expect from him.
* ''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 Luhrman) is a CampStraight.
* ''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.
* The 2000 film ''Film/PsychoBeachParty'' is an AffectionateParody of old camp films and is truely extremely camp itself.
* How could ''[[{{Film/TemptationIsland}} Temptation Island]]'' not be this? Consider this line by [[RichBitch Suzanne/Serafina]] to [[ConMan Azenith/Cristina]]: "Good morning. What did you have for breakfast, Eggs Benedict? Did [[ServiceSectorStereotypes Umberto]] serve you?"
* Pretty much every film made by cult B-movie producers Creator/{{Troma}} Film has loads of camp value.

[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]
* Probably no TV show had as much intentional camp as its central focus than did the live-action ''{{Series/Batman}}'' 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.

** 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 ''{{Torchwood}}'', most notably with the flamboyant gay immortal child killer Captain Jack -- about as schizo a character as you can come up with.
* Both ''HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''XenaWarriorPrincess'' delved into this with gusto. The latter is a heavily self-aware and unapologetic cult show about scantily-clad sapphic warriors fighting crime. Next item.
* The video for Sweden's 2007 [[EurovisionSongContest Eurovision]] entry, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urCLhm_VBsk "The Worrying Kind"]] by The Ark, is three minutes of pure, distilled camp. And who could forget 2006 winners {{Lordi}} - a Finnish heavy metal group, adorned in full-body monster costumes, which sings about the "Day of Rockening"? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Uc8F8_c1M&feature=related Combine for maximum powah!]]

* The original ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Classic}}'' series.
* ''TalesOfTheGoldMonkey'' had more than its share.

* ''Giant Robo''. Look at the costumes!!
* PowerRangers and it's parent series SuperSentai. It's a series of people in color coded spandex fighting RubberSuitedMonsters what did you expect?
* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. Especially the villains.
* ''[[Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse Pee Wee's Playhouse]]''
* ''Series/BurkesLaw''. A MillionairePlayboy who also happens to be a police captain rides to crime scenes in a chauffeured Rolls Royce. The murders he investigates are almost always rather baroque and sometimes even [[RasputinianDeath excessively complex]] and the suspects are usually members of TheBeautifulElite of Los Angeles.
* MontyPythonsFlyingCircus featured an exhibition of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25Qhbdijv5Y Close-Order Swanning About]].
--> Drill Sergeant: ''Squad!'' Camp it... ''UP!''

[[folder: Music ]]

* Music/DavidBowie, especially his stage persona of Ziggy Stardust in TheSeventies.
* Everything DoctorSteel - or his fans - do is done consciously and conspicuously over the top.
* KlausNomi, the 80s version of Lady Gaga, with his "postmodern theatricality". Which brings us to...
* Music/LadyGaga, who claims inspiration from the above two. "He ate my heart, and then he ate my brain!"
* {{Steps}}, even by TheNineties pop standard. The three mains traits of the band were exaggerated dance moves, cheesey, happy music and bright colours and costume worn by the members. Like the Batman television series, it was intentionally camp.
* Music/MichaelJackson sometimes was intentionally campy, most famously with the song and video for "Thriller". His adult career is otherwise rife with unintentional camp; he and his handlers really thought people would take him seriously as a tough guy/ladykiller with stuff like "Bad", "Smooth Criminal", "Dangerous", and "You Rock My World", for instance.
* Music/KylieMinogue's career is practically built on this trope. See "Your Disco Needs You" and her ''Light Years'' album.

[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]

* Wrestling/{{GLOW}} mixed Camp with NarmCharm[=/=]SoBadItsGood.

[[folder: Theatre ]]

* The entire output of Creator/GilbertAndSullivan is high camp. As ridiculously uppercrust as Sullivan was Gilbert made his living as a parodist. Their operetta ''Patience'' is particularly worth noting as being a camp parody of the, also very camp, aestheic movement.
* Most Broadway musicals, especially those adapted from movies.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''DevilMayCry''. In the second game the developers forgot this, but the third game made up for it in spades.

* ''SpaceChannel5''. The setting is '60s style psychedelic future. You play as a swingin' news reporter. Colorful aliens start to invade. How do you defeat them? By the power of dancing and copying the moves of the enemies. It also has "space-" inserted to almost every occupation.
* The ''Tiberium'' series of ''CommandAndConquer'' games is mildly campy. ''RedAlert'' pushes it UpToEleven.

* ''{{Contra}}:Rebirth'' Seems to be this with the hero dropped into space station from helicopter, robotic llamas, upside-down midboss, a pyramid of running enemies, over-the-top ExcusePlot and generally lighthearted presentation.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. The characters have exaggerated Rockwell-esque designs, each of them have a different, very much played up accent and traits stereotypically associated with each's respective nationality. Furthermore, it's filled with LudicrousGibs (after you get killed, during a freezecam of your murderer the game will gleefully point out where "your pancreas!", "your foot!", "your kidney!" etc. lies, if the body parts appear on the shot). It is largely thanks to that factor that the game was received so well.
* ''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 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.
* MetalWolfChaos is about ''''AMERICA!!'''' It takes the {{Eagleland}} trope UpToEleven. Let's just say its campiness rivals Batman.
* {{Deep Fear}}: 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.

* [[http://www.eviltrailmix.com/animutation/ Animutations.]]

* [[WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries "Pegasus is ruthless. Camp, yet ruthless"]]. ''Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series'' '''lives''' off this.
* ''RobotUnicornAttack''. Beloved for its campiness and extremely gay synthpop theme song (''Always'' by Erasure). When they tried to make a Halloween version with a Music/{{Slayer}} soundtrack, it wasn't received well.

* Most of the comics commented upon by ''TheComicsCurmudgeon'' are delightfully campy. ''Apartment 3 G'' stands out as one that Josh loves for the camp.

* ''SchoolhouseRock'' is so camp that it often gets in the way of being educational.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'': "Where there's a whip *whipcrack!* there's a way!"
* M. Bison, in the animated WesternAnimation/StreetFighter series. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0j0lO7uQBo This is delicious!]]
* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse''. So much so, that even in the 80s, many were suspicious that it was actually gay propaganda. (Especially with names like Ram-Man, Man-at-Arms, Extendar, and last but not least, Fisto. Yes, these were real).
** ''SheRa'' sometimes contains just as much if not more HoYay, and is similarly remembered.

* ''KaBlam''

[[folder: RealLife]]
* JohnWaters (whose guest appearance on ''TheSimpsons'' provides one of the quotes above) has made a career out of it.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'' series, especially ''[[VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein 3D}} Wolfenstein 3-D]]''. It's hard to get much campier than [[StupidJetpackHitler Mecha Hitler]] with quadruple GatlingGood yelling in [[GratuitousGerman bastardized German/English]] and exploding into LudicrousGibs.

* ''SnakesOnAPlane''. Notably, the film started out as low camp and morphed into high camp over the course of its production process, thanks to [[MemeticMutation its internet popularity]] and the noble efforts of Mr. Samuel L. Jackson to preserve the film's working title.

* ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' is a presentation of campy movies lampooned for your enjoyment. The sketches between movie segments tended toward the delightfully campy as well.

* Most Richard Strauss {{opera}}s -- especially ''Salome''.
* The musical of ''LittleWomen'' takes the short and melodramatic play that Jo and her sisters stage in the early chapters, and turns it into a musical number spanning the entire cast (all... six of them), stuffed chock-full of wholesome, affectionate camp.
* The entire output of GilbertAndSullivan is high camp. As ridiculously uppercrust as Sullivan was Gilbert made his living as a parodist. Their operetta ''Patience'' is particularly worth noting as being a camp parody of the, also very camp, aestheic movement.

* ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', full-stop. Its predecessor, ''Film/BatmanForever'', also had plenty of campiness, but not to the extent of its sequel, and it still took itself fairly seriously.

* Rita Repulsa from ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''. [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick Some]] might say that's her main redeeming value.
** Heck, ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' as a whole. "To pose in an exaggerated fashion" [[SuperSentaiStance describes the franchise perfectly]].

* Pretty much every film made by cult B-movie producers Troma Film has loads of camp value.

See also CampGay, MachoCamp and CampStraight. Compare SoBadItsGood and NarmCharm. Not to be confused with the movie ''Film/{{Camp}}''

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%%[[caption-width-right:350:[-Holy camp shenanigans Batman!-] ]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Series/{{Batman}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batman60s.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[-Holy camp shenanigans Batman!-] ]]

See also CampGay, MachoCamp and CampStraight. Compare SoBadItsGood and NarmCharm. Not to be confused with the movie ''{{Film/Camp}}''

* Music/{{Queen}}. Their sound was essentially this combined with the EpicRiff and/or EpicRocking. "We Will Rock You" cranks it up to eleven, naturally. Lead singer Freddie Mercury was CampGay[=/=]ManlyGay [[hottip:*: [[BiTheWay actually bisexual]]. This should come as no surprise that his songs and videos were extremely camp as well. He loved to dress in fur and leather. Later in his career, he had a [[BadassMustache moustache]].

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has flirted with camp on-and-off throughout its various incarnations. This was partly out of necessity, due to the [[NoBudget low budget]]. However, camp is, in some ways, inherent in its premise: It's a world where the hero triumphs (usually deflating any attempts at seriousness in the process) by virtue of being gallant, romantic, and stoic in the British tradition.In Whovian circles, this push-pull dynamic between camp and drama is known as "Guns and Frocks", a term taken from one of the ''New Adventures'' novels. The Sixth Doctor, when confronted with a choice between fending off the villains with rifles or frocks, sides with frocks. The Doctor will always win in the most outlandish, silly way possible, because the alternative would be to resort to violence, which is against the franchise's philosophy.

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', the superhero Mouse Protector made this part of her shtick so that being defeated by her would be more embarrassing.

* ''Film/TankGirl''. More regarding the film version, which featured all staples of camp seen above. Bad jokes, bizarre plot, unexplained animation segments, MalcolmMcDowell playing late-career Malcolm [=McDowell=], and--of course--a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment random musical segment]].

* Tommy Wisseau's ''TheRoom'' is one of the more popular examples of low camp. Althought Wisseau made the smart marketing decision to now push it as an ironic comedy, it's clear to everyone that he originally meant it to be completely serious.

** And let's not forget [[http://www.venetianmacao.com/en/ Macau's own Fake Venice]] which is not only three times the size of it's 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 Wainright.

** The bulk of Las Vegas shows qualified as mostly unintentional camp for decades. But then CirqueDuSoleil arrived in TheNineties and presented high theatricality and fun ''alongside'' elegance, subtlety, and artistic ambition. Audiences found it refreshing, and this triggered a sea change in Vegas entertainment. Nowadays, when you see a campy Vegas show, it's either partially intentional or an older show. For the latter, see this review of the last of the Vegas showgirl shows, ''[[http://www.lvrj.com/neon/-jubilee---100103454.html Jubilee!]]''

* Probably no TV show had as much intentional camp as its central focus than did the live-action ''{{Series/Batman}}'' 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.\\
\\
In his essay [[http://media.opencultures.net/queer/data/international/batman-medhurst.pdf Batman, Deviancy and Camp]], Andy Medhurst goes so far as to say the best definition of camp could be "sort of like the Batman TV show." Adam West has apparently [[AdamWesting made a career]] out of playing campy superheroes. Occasionally he even plays himself ''as if he thought he was a superhero''.\\
\\
West mentioned during interviews that he deliberately played up some 'campy' aspects of the show -- it was, apparently, a necessity, as only part of his face was visible, and he had to find another way to express emotion.\\
\\
Nowadays, the animated ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' series and its video game adoption has picked up the camp role. Besides its surprising emphasis on more obscure, cheesier villains, the show also gave us the Music Meister, a villain who controls the will of others by singing like Creator/NeilPatrickHarris.

* Rita Repulsa from ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers''. [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick Some]] might say that's her main redeeming value.
** Heck, ''PowerRangers'' as a whole. "To pose in an exaggerated fashion" [[SuperSentaiStance describes the franchise perfectly]].

* {{Queen}}. Their sound was essentially this combined with the EpicRiff and/or EpicRocking. ''WeWillRockYou'' cranks it up to eleven, naturally. Lead singer Freddie Mercury was CampGay / ManlyGay [[hottip:*: [[BiTheWay actually bisexual]]. This should come as no surprise that his songs and videos were extremely camp as well. He loved to dress in fur and leather. Later in his career, he had a [[BadassMustache moustache]].
* RobZombie. His stage act self-consciously uses every bad cliche ripped from BMovie Slasher Flicks, and yet he obviously has an [[SoBadItsGood affectionate attitude towards the source material]] and puts genuine effort into using it. For more evidence, see [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqQuihD0hoI the ''Dragula'' video]].

* ''{{Bayonetta}}'', spiritual successor to ''Devil May Cry'', begins with the main character, disguised as a nun, presiding over a funeral that is subsequently visited by heavenly beings who rip off her clothes, allowing her to use her suit of magical hair and the handguns (which she wields four at a time, one to each limb) that were hidden in a coffin to beat, shoot, and rip the angels apart gruesomely, all to a cover of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon." It's as over the top as it sounds.

* DavidBowie, especially Ziggy Stardust.

* ''[[Anime.KakumeikiValvrave Valvrave the Liberator]]'' seems to run purely on camp. One of the enemy factions is literally [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Space Nazis]] complete with [[GratuitousEnglish Gratuitous German]], and every episode seems to strive to add some twist even more insane than the one before.

* ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', full-stop. It's predecessor, ''Film/BatmanForever'', also had plenty of campiness, but not to the extent of it's sequel and it still took itself fairly seriously.

* If YoshiyukiTomino is in a good mood while directing a HumongousMecha show, chances are good that it'll fall into this.