Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare - A non-festive choice for the holidays

It's the Christmas season of feel-good movies. However, Netflix's Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare departs from the cheerful holiday atmosphere with its gravity. It is a Netflix documentary that delves into the harrowing story of the Challenger Foundation. This camp was intended to help the so-called "troubled teens" by using strict military rules.

However, the camp became infamous for its rigorous approach. The facility was exposed in 1990 when a young participant, Kristen Chase, died while in their care. The Netflix documentary explores this tragic event and the subsequent legal and societal fallout.

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What is Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare documentary about?

A still from the documentary Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare (Image via Netflix)

Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare is a documentary that delves into the practices of the Challenger Foundation, a wilderness therapy camp. The approach followed by the foundation reveals a pattern of systemic abuse and manipulation. It includes interviews with former camp attendees and insights into the experiences they endured.

Furthermore, the documentary centers around the tragic death of Kristen Chase. According to Desert News, Chase was a 16-year-old participant in the foundation who passed away, reportedly due to a heatstroke during a hike expedition. The documentary follows the subsequent legal and societal repercussions of this event. In addition, it also showcases the collapse of the organization.

The official synopsis, as per Netflix, reads as follows:

"Out-of-control teens across America were sent to a therapy camp in the harsh Utah desert. The conditions were brutal, but the staff were even worse."

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Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare: What happened to Steve Cartisano?

A still from the documentary Hellcamp: Teen Nightmare (Image via Netflix)

Steve Cartisano, the founder of the Challenger Foundation, faced a controversial and tumultuous career following the events at the camp. High Court News reported that following the death of Kristen Chase at the Challenger Foundation in 1990, Cartisano and the organization faced charges of negligent homicide and child abuse. Nevertheless, he was acquitted of these charges.

As per Desert News, the lawsuit against Cartisano and the Challenger Foundation stated:

“Kristen Chase was not an athletic child. She had lived essentially at sea level with her mother for years. Her medical history, forwarded to Challenger by her mother, indicated…that Kristen suffered from bouts of coughing up blood, stomach pain, urinary burning and frequency, difficulty running, menstrual difficulty, and a knee injury.”

It further stated:

Chase participated in the camp’s strenuous activities at the 6,000-foot elevation in extreme heat against her will. The suit mentioned that at the time, Chase was upset, frightened, and ill. However, she forcibly participated in “four-to five-mile hikes each day in temperatures exceeding 95 degrees.”

Despite his acquittal, the Challenger Foundation reportedly faced numerous civil lawsuits and eventually filed for bankruptcy. According to Radio Times, Cartisano was banned from operating child treatment centers in Utah and later in Hawaii. Despite these bans, he reportedly continued to open various illegal therapy camps across the United States.

Furthermore, Cartisano's career continued to be marked by controversy and legal troubles. He was reported to have worked as a supervisor of a dormitory for American Indian students on a reservation in Oklahoma but was fired from this position as well. Steve Cartisano passed away on May 4, 2019, in Durant, Oklahoma, at the age of 63.

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The intense documentary is a comprehensive examination of the malpractices of the Challenger Foundation.

Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare is now streaming on Netflix.