The Burning Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Gather Around the Campfire to Die!
It will take you further than fear.
A legend of terror isn't a campfire story anymore!
Don't look, he'll see you. Don't breathe, he'll hear you. Don't move... you're dead!
A brutal horrific act made him kill and kill and kill
Today is not Friday the 13th. But if you see this movie alone... you'll never be the same again!
Come Face To Face With The Creation of Evil!
The most frightening of all maniac films.
If you go down to the woods today... Watch out for Cropsy!
A caretaker at a summer camp is burned when a prank goes tragically wrong. After several years of intensive treatment at hospital, he is released back into society, albeit missing some social skills. What follows is a bloody killing spree with the caretaker making his way back to his old stomping ground to confront one of the youths that accidently burned him.
| Brian Matthews | Todd |
| Leah Ayres | Michelle |
| Brian Backer | Alfred |
| Larry Joshua | Glazer |
| Jason Alexander | Dave |
| Ned Eisenberg | Eddy |
| Carrick Glenn | Sally |
| Carolyn Houlihan | Karen |
| Fisher Stevens | Woodstock |
| Lou David | Cropsy |
| Shelley Bruce | Tiger |
| Sarah Chodoff | Barbara |
| Bonnie Deroski | Marnie |
| Holly Hunter | Sophie |
| Kevi Kendall | Diane |
| Tony Maylam |
6.00 out of 10 (2632 votes)
Visitor Reviews
It delivers on the gore and overall bad taste
posted on 02 Jul 2009Summer camp caretaker Cropsy is fire roasted when some pranksters try to scare him with a flaming skull. Five years later, after numerous failed skin grafts, Cropsy is released back into society with a horribly scarred face and even more scarred psychological make-up. Now he's got a bone to pick and returns to the same camp of his accident (after gutting a hooker in the stomach with a pair of scissors) to get revenge on the new campers populating the camp. Armed with a pair of hedge clippers he doesn't hesitate to hack into a dozen or so foul-mouthed, oversexed teens, setting aside special interest in counselor Todd (Brian Matthews), who was one of the kids responsible for his burning. Even though it's saddled with a tired, predictable plot, this is still one of the best of the Friday the 13th rip-offs, and that has a a lot to do with Tom Savini's gory special effects. The music score is also excellent and there are fun appearances by Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter, the guy who played Ratner in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and some other recognizable faces before they were famous. The original VHS of this film was heavily trimmed to remove the gore, but that footage has since been restored. I saw the uncut version on Showtime actually.
"The Burning" Hits the Hot Spots of Entertainment
posted on 29 Jun 2009Before they were huge producers, the Weinstein brothers released a little known slasher picture entitled "The Burning", which featured in small roles modern day stars Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Holly Hunter. While the stars and producers of the film went on to have their careers flourish with success, "The Burning" seemed to fade away into looking just like another pointless slasher from the early 80's. "The Burning" does not deserve to be disregarded in any way; it is without a doubt one of the, if not the, best slasher film from that era. "The Burning" certainly is better than hits like "Prom Night", "My Bloody Valentine", "Madman", "The Prowler", "Happy Birthday to Me", and the original "Friday the 13th", and its debatable as to whether it is better than the first three sequel to "Friday the 13th". The film features the right amount of suspense to keep you on the edge, a compelling story, likable and unique characters, and of course a pool full of blood."The Burning" is basically about a cruel camp caretaker named Cropsy who gets horribly burned in a prank-gone-wrong by some of the kids. Five years later Cropsy is released from the hospital where he goes out to get his revenge on those who burned him, and he is led to a new camp where one of the culprits is now the head camp councilor. The story is certainly nothing special, but it does more than most slasher films - it gives a clear motive, a nice bit of history, and it builds up a bond between the hero of the story and its monstrous villain.Brian Matthews stars as Todd, a character who could be one of the most likable heroes of any slasher film. Matthews has the looks, the charm, the charisma, the acting ability, and he is in no way a wimp. You truly root for Matthews when he's trying to save his friends from the evil Cropsy. Co-starring is Leah Ayres, who is definitely an attractive young woman with some good acting skills herself. Its a shame that Matthews and Ayres never really took off in their careers - they easily could have been stars. "The Burning" is most well known for its gore, especially the famous 'raft scene', done by no other than Tom Savini ("The Prowler", "Friday the 13th"). Why the gore isn't as extreme or nasty as "The Prowler", it does still pack a punch and is a little upsetting. Savini's best effects are on Cropsy himself, making those burns worse than even Freddy Krueger's.Prehaps the best part of "The Burning" is the musical score by Rick Wakeman. It is seems to have the perfect mix of synthesizer and suspense, and truly brings you back to the early 80's. It also fits in perfectly with the wooded setting. The entire movie just works perfectly together, and it is very entertaining and never really has a dull moment.However there's just one burning question... where's the DVD?
looking for schlock? look no further
posted on 30 May 2009having not seen A Night To Dismemeber I'd have to say this is the most exploitative film I've laid eyes upon. Lots of blood & gore, and some FULL FRONTAL NUDITY. THEY SHOW STUFF EVEN LATE CINEMAX MOVIES DON'T LET YOU SEE.One particular scene is very interesting though, and that is of course the raft massacre. What's so special about it? In slashers everybody is usually killed of one-by-one (or sometimes in pairs) but this movie is the only flick I've seen in which a dozen people get carved in just a few seconds.But with all these attributes the film itself is only mediocre
One Bloody Little Summer Camp Splatter Fest.
posted on 06 May 2009"The Burning" is one proudly gory splatter film that emerged right after "Friday the 13th". This film centers around a group of teenagers who are attending a summer camp that is located near a now-decrepit camp that burned to the ground years ago in a horrible incident, in which a janitor named Cropsy was accidentally lit on fire during a prank by some teenagers and burnt beyond recognition. He survived, and now, years later (after being nursed back to health in a hospital), he is let free back into the world, hell bent with rage over what those teenagers did to him. After butchering a prostitute, Cropsy heads back to the nearby isolated camp where a bunch of teenagers are enjoying themselves for the summer. Armed with a pair of garden shears, Cropsy begins to enact revenge on the campers, slaughtering each of them one by one in horrible ways.I know, I know - you're thinking "How much more of a rip-off of 'Friday the 13th' can this be?". Well, this film is undoubtedly a ripoff, and I can say that with confidence. But on another note, "The Burning" is also undoubtedly the best ripoff that I've ever seen. Produced and written by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who later went on to become major movie producers and the owners of the major company Miramax Films, this bloody little camp-set slasher film is sure to please nearly any horror fan. The plot is pretty straight forward - a man who was horribly disfigured years ago at a summer camp comes back to gain some vengeance for his wronging. It's your typical revenge horror flick, but there's something strangely charming about this movie that keeps your attention and is never boring.The gratuitous violence is one of the things this film is known for. I saw the uncut version of it, and it is one blood-soaked movie. The special effects (also helmed by infamous FX creator Tom Savini, who also worked on the "Friday the 13th" films) are surprisingly very good, especially considering the time the film was made. There is a smörgåsbord of bloody stabbings, slashings, and massacres (all with a pair of garden shears) that is enough to please any of those gore hounds. The acting was surprisingly good, and there are a couple of stars who went on to become major actors. Among them are a young Jason Alexander (of the TV series "Seinfeld") playing a goofy, sex-obsessed teenager, and Holly Hunter (of "The Piano" and "Thirteen") as one of the campers. There is actually some decent character development in the film as well, so you have a little sympathy when the campers become victims to the shears. There is a good handful of memorable scenes as well, among them being the classic raft massacre. You'll have to see it for yourself, but it was wonderfully executed (no pun intended).Now, let's get to the parallels between this film and "Friday the 13th". The striking similarities are impossible not to notice, and, since "The Burning" was made a year after "Friday the 13th", it is pretty obvious that this film was borrowing a heavy amount of ideas from "Friday the 13th". Both films contain a psycho-slasher who is targeting teens, and both take place at a summer camp. "Sleepaway Camp" also contains these same elements, but I think most people can agree that both "Friday the 13th" and "The Burning" are better films. Anyway, the main idea of the story is clearly borrowed from "Friday the 13th", but this film offers some things that "Friday the 13th" doesn't, and vice versa. It's hard for me to decide which of these films I prefer over the other. I think that I like them at just about the same level, but "The Burning" is close to rising above, which is something I thought I'd never say before seeing this film. Still, I have to give "Friday the 13th" a little more credit because it did come first.Overall, "The Burning" is a wonderful little summer camp slasher movie that will undoubtedly please any fan of splatter movies. It has some great kills, good character development, and a creepy villain wielding some garden clippers - what more can you ask for? If you enjoyed "Friday the 13th" or "Sleepaway Camp", I'd strongly recommend this film as well. You'd be surprised at how good it is, I know that I was. In terms of '80s slasher movies, this one is up there. 10/10.
Delivers.
posted on 12 Apr 2009Though it's been a long time since I saw 'The Burning' and my memory of the film could be just a little clouded by teenage nostalgia, I cannot deny it's partly successful attempts at creepiness and razor sharp shocks that were certainly head and shoulders above the deluge of other stalk and slash films of its day. Apart from a fairly typical but proven story line, the film is well paced, has it's fair share of scares and some gruesomely horrific make-up effects from Tom Savini the man responsible for some of the best in the business, with films such as 'Day of the Dead', 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2' and the original 'Friday the 13th' to his credit. Be warned though, 'The Burning' was originally taken off of the shelves in England by the BBFC during the 'video nasties' uproar, and has subsequently reappeared with scenes heavily (and amateurishly) cut, including the show stopping raft massacre scene which deserves a place in the Horror film history, and will never make you look at a pair of shears quite the same again.
Good American effort from that dark exploitation era.
posted on 22 Mar 2009I saw this movie when i was about twelve in its BBFC cut form and thought it was good then. I've just got my hands on the latest uncut DVD and am quite impressed. I watch a lot of this kind of rubbish, so am no stranger to having to sit through wooden actors with painfuly bad dialogue and awful dubbing to see some nice homely gore scenes. The Burning however, manages to entertain at a higher level than the usual fodder. The acting is pretty good, the characters are believable, the sound is good and the gore is spot on. Savini's efforts are far better than Dawn of the Dead. Also Rik Wakeman does the soundtrack, which is suitably atmospheric and manages to give me goosebumps. Of course it won't win any oscars, but then how many movies like this do? Great gore scenes are aplenty, and the infamous raft scene with half a dozen kids getting sliced up is quite disturbing, but technically impressive. It has many other quality moments too, but you'll just have to watch. To sum up, its easily up there in the slasher stakes and as said, works on far more levels than the average gore movie. Although low budget it has good people working on it, and it shows through on the final cut. Recommended.
Makes "Friday the 13th" look like Shakespeare!
posted on 05 Feb 2009One of the earliest rip-offs of "Friday the 13th" and easily one of the worst. It starts at a summer camp where a bunch of the kids pull a prank on a sadistic counselor. Something goes wrong and he's badly burnt. After spending five years (!!!) in a hospital where skin grafts didn't work he's released. He goes back to camp to settle a few scores...with hedge clippers in hand.Notorious (in its time) for being cut to ribbons by the MPAA to get an R rating. Virtually all the gore was gone--a full minute of footage was cut! Now its out on DVD in its full uncut glory with Tom Savini's graphic and realistic gore in full view. The infamous canoe sequence gives you a REAL jolt! It doesn't make a bit of sense but it works. The gore gives this a 2--but everything else about this movie sucks.The story is dull (even by 1981 standards); there are continuity lapses galore (the sequence between Glazer and Sally changes from day to night at a hilarious pace); the characters are all one-dimensional and with the sole exception of Brian Backer the acting sucks. Also there is the expected pointless nudity--but this goes too far, even for a slasher movie. We get countless full frontal shots of a woman who goes skinny-dipping and then is forced to stumble through the woods to find her clothes! It might be erotic at first but it gets very disturbing. Also the ending has two characters walking around the forest evading the killer--for 20 SOLID MINUTES!!! It gets boring real quick and it's obvious that the actors are continuously passing the same areas again and again. There is a nice score but it's repeated so often you're tired of it by the end end of the movie.This also has a young Jason Alexander (with hair!) and is the film debut of Holly Hunter (good luck trying to spot her). But, aside from seeing those two and the very realistic and disturbing gore, there's nothing here. I'm glad it's out in a beautiful wide screen print uncut for its admirers though. I can seriously only give this a 2.
My favorite teenage slasher!
posted on 04 Dec 2008Yep, this flick is really better than all "Friday the 13th"-films together, maybe even one of the best slash´n stalk movies on celluloid..! The teenage mass murder on the lake is a riot and the disfigured camp warden Crospy is a thousand times more scary than Jason, although you don´t see that much of this guy! Probably the film succeeded because it had a lot of competent persons behind the camera: Jack Sholder, who later shot the funny parasite-thriller "The Hidden", was the editor; F/X wizard Tom Savini is always a guarantee for excellent gore and the two Weinstein brothers wrote/produced this decent shocker. Unfortunately the Miramax studios later sickened the horror genre with the unbearable "Scream"-trilogy! So if you wanna see a real good teenage slasher watch this one and will never go on a camping tour again!!!
Very good and gory slasher flick.**Spoilers**
posted on 22 Nov 2008"The Burning"(1981,Tony Maylam)is a typical "Friday the 13th" knock-off.A camp gardener named Cropsy gets accidentally burned to a crisp by some pranksters,survives and comes for revenge on totally innocent teens with garden shears.The film features creepy keyboard music by Rick Wakeman(Yes)and gruesome gore effects made by maestro Tom Savini.The acting is rubbish,but overlook that and you have a scary,little chiller from the golden era of slasher movies.As for the killings,they're all brutal.The most unpleasant of all involves a young girl having her throat slashed with garden shears.Oh,and there is also the infamous raft massacre,when Cropsy slaughters five teenagers in a single sequence.The dialogue is completely ridiculous("This guy is burned so bad,he's cooked!A f***ing Big Mac-overdone!"),but the film is quite eerie at times.To sum up,"The Burning" is a fine example of just how good a low budget production can be and is by far the best movie that Tony Maylam has done to date.If you can get hold a copy of this film,I would recommend it wholeheartedly.It's not a classic by any means,just solid slasher flick.Watch it in the dark and enjoy the gore.
God bless her mom and dad.
posted on 04 Nov 2008This is one of the infamous video nasties that were banned in Britain. It was eventually released uncut.It is notable for several film debuts: Oscar Winner Holly Hunter (The Piano), Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld"), Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit), Brian Backer (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) in his first credited role, and Brian Matthews, who went on to star in several daytime soap operas, such as The Young and the Restless from 1983-1985.Cropsy (Lou David) gets burned in a camp prank. After five years in the hospital, he gets out and immediately goes for some nookie. Things don't work out too well for the prostitute in one of the nasty scenes. He then heads back to the camp for revenge.Karen (Carolyn Houlihan) goes skinny dipping and gets a warm blood bath when she gets out. Trying to get out on a raft doesn't come out any better in the other infamous scene. Poor Sally (Carrick Glenn) gets the short stick when Glazer (Larry Joshua) leaves her high and dry. Before he gets another chance, they both are dispatched. The killings are coming rapidly now. Will the rest survive, or will Cropsy get more revenge? A good slasher film by any standard.
Average Summer Camp Slasher Flick., But Very Violent
posted on 03 Aug 2008The Burning has a strong resemblance to the Friday the 13th movies with a better than average music score, which builds on suspense with memorable heart-beat type music as something sinister is about to happen. A few extremely bloody sequences, particularly the notorious raft-massacre scene, had to have most of the gory close-up shots removed in theatrical release to avoid a "Not Rated" rating at the time, which would have been the equivalent of an X-rating back in the film's original 1981 release, due to excessive violence. Uncut versions of the film are now available on DVD. Several premium movie channels, showing the uncut version, give the film a TV-MA rating for Mature Audiences Only.Even in censored prints, this film is NOT for the squeamish! Those with sensitive stomachs should avoid this picture. The story begins in a flashback sequence where a group of teen summer campers play a vicious prank on a mean caretaker named Cropsy by burning him alive. Cropsy survives the ordeal, leaving him horribly disfigured and hospitalized for five years. Cropsy is released from the hospital and hell-bent on murderous revenge.His weapon of choice is shears. First he kills a prostitute in a rather graphic sequence, than he goes back to the neighboring campground to kill as many kids and some of the former kids who are now counselors at the camp. What follows is basically Friday the 13th, without as many scares and twice the gore when killings actually happen.The problem with The Burning is that it takes a long, long, LONG, time for something to happen and in the interim, the viewer is left with the typical stereotyped teen-summer camp dialog that's been done hundreds of times before in previous "Teens go to summer camp" movies. The Burning could be a Friday the 13th clone, or the movie "Meatballs" with a vicious killer on the lose. There's nothing really original about the film.However, a host of "before they were stars" make up the young campers and they do well with the strained material. You'll probably recognize Jason Alexander from Seinfeld and Brian Backer from Fast Times at Ridgemount High. The bullies torment the social outcasts, the campers and consolers talk about drinking and sex, and killer Cropsy lurks in the shadows, waiting for his next unsuspecting victim.However, the gory raft scene is the only stand out sequence in this movie that is memorable. There is not enough originality in The Burning's plot development or characters to make the movie really good. In contrast, the movie still has some good chilling moments that prevent it from being bad.This is an average film worth a one-look as a late night popcorn horror flick as long as you can handle the violence. The Raft Massacre scene is especially frightening and graphic. Because of this, no children under 15 should see this picture and any any adults sensitive to violence should avoid this film all together, even in edited prints.
A criminally underrated horror classic of the 80's!
posted on 28 Jun 2008Five years at Camp Blackfoot, a much hated janitor named Cropsy (Lou David) has been burned severely due to a very cruel prank that backfired. It has left him scarred and badly burned permanently, Cropsy has vowed revenge as he heads back to camp with a huge pair of scissors to terminate campers.Outstanding and exciting slasher thriller inspired by a campfire legend and is one of the 80's most underrated horror treasures. The film contains early acting by Holly Hunter and Jason Alexander, there's a good storyline and nifty gore & make-up effects by Tom Savini which almost pushes the limits of violence in it's time. The acting is quite good and the music score by Rick Wakeman is fantastic! this is a true must see for fans of the genre but not for the weak-stomached.Also recommended: "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Candyman", "Friday The 13th Series", "Sleepaway Camp", "Maniac (1980)", "High Tension", "Black Christmas (1974)", "Re-Animator", "Ichi The Killer", "The Untold Story", "Tenebre", "Saw Quadrilogy", "Battle Royale", "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky", "Scream Trilogy", "Final Destination Trilogy", "Terror Train", "Prom Night", "Happy Birthday to Me", "The Hills Have Eyes (2006)", "April Fool's Day", "My Bloody Valentine", "Nightmare (1981)", "Psycho (1960)", "Psycho II", "Psycho III", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre series plus 2003 remake and The Beginning", "Bride of Chucky", "Urban Legend", "The Devil's Rejects", "American Psycho", "Jeepers Creepers", "Hostel 1 & 2", "Phenomena (a.k.a. Creepers)", "Deep Red", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", "Perfect Blue" and "Tourist Trap".
Less than smokin'
posted on 25 Jun 2008The one reason to see this movie would be the special make-up effects by Tom Savini, but they were pretty much edited out of the flick. So now there's no reason to see it. It starts with a pretty good burning man, but after a stupid bit in a hospital and an out-of-place city scene featuring an ugly hooker, we're left with an outstandingly average summer camp killer movie in the "Friday the 13th"/"Sleepaway Camp" vein. It's poorly written and acted and, for the most part, really bad, with long sequences of lame fake scares and scenes that make no sense. It's also kind of hard to tell which characters are campers and which ones are counslers. Some look young enough to be real campers (like a pre-"Short Circuit" Fisher Stevens) but most look a little too old to be scared by camp-fire stories (like a pre-"Dunston Checks In" Jason Alexander). In one scene we're forced to stare at Alexander's lumpy thighs, in another Stevens' testicles seem to be hanging out of his shorts. A pre-"Once Around" Holly Hunter is in it too, apparently. I don't even remember seeing her, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't reveal any body parts. However, some other unknowns take part in some acceptable gratuitous nudity (the best kind of nudity).It may seem strange that this piece of tripe was an early effort by Miramax (both Weinstien brothers were involved, including writing the story), but wasn't there also a horribly deformed killer armed with garden shears in the first act of "Shakespeare in Love"? Not to mention the premature ejaculation sleeping bag sex scene in "The English Patient". And in "Clerks", remember the scene where Jay and Silent Bob's balls were showing?
Very entertaining Slasher horror from 1981
posted on 07 Jun 2008The Burning (1981) is a highly entertaining outing!! The movie is about a bunch of kids at a camp who play a trick on the evil Janitor who is cruel to all the kids, anyway the prank goes horribly wrong and the janitor gets terribly burnt, but vows to come back for revenge! We don't see a lot of gore in the 1st half of the movie apart from when the evil janitor kills a prostitute (multiple stab wounds to the stomach) So the 1st half of the movie, we are introduced to a load of new characters at a summer camp, we have a nerdy weird boy, a muscular jock and various girls....... some look pretty hot and show plenty of boobs, there's even afew fur burgers to behold, lovely!!! It all builds up nicely and there's loads of impressive gore scenes in the 2nd half of the movie when Corpsy returns with his big garden shears to kill various kids from the camp and get revenge for his burning. The raft scene is very good and there's some other shocking killing too, very impressive for 1981, you can always relie on Tom Savani to product some impressive special effects and he sure does do that here.It all builds up to a creepy and haunting climax at some derelict old building where Corpsy and 2 male characters battle to the finish, who will win, good or evil?? All in all this is impressive for it's time and i would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good horror film, especially a stalk and slash movie like Friday the 13th....... The Burning is even better than Friday the 13th, it's more entertaining with loads more gore, so it gets a well deserved 8/10 from me.
Entertaining but an near impressive slasher horror movie that could have been an Masterpiece.
posted on 04 Jun 2008A group of teenagers accidentally nearly killed a mean-spirited caretaker by the name of Cropsy (Lou David) in his sleep by playing an stupid practical joke that nearly burned Cropsy to death. A few years has passed, now Crospy out of the hospital. Now the former creepy caretaker decides to stalk a group of summer camp pranksters for one bloody unforgettable revenge, they won't forgot.Directed by Tony Maylam (Split Second) made an effective, brutal, slasher film in the wake of "Friday the 13th". Although Bob and Harvey Weinstein claimed the script was written before "Friday the 13th". Unlike most slasher movies of the 1980's. This one has an good cast like Brian Backer, Larry Joshua, Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens and Ned Eisenberg in supporting roles. This is extremely well photographed by Harvey Harrison (The Witches). Which the cinematographer made this... the best looking Slasher picture of the 1980's.DVD has an strong anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an good Dolby 2.0 Mono Sound. DVD has an interesting commentary track by director and film journalist Alan Jones, an featurette titled "Blood N' Fire" memories with Special Make-Up Effects Artist:Tom Savini, Photo Gallery and the original theatrical trailer. "The Burning" went on to have an massive cult following for nearly three decades. This has an bizarre music score by Rick Waveman (From the Rock Group "Yes" as well. Harvey Weinstein, Tom Maylam and Brad Gray came up with the premise. But what does "Created" means by Harvey Weinstein? Was it based on his idea? If "The Burning" has an flaw, which is the last act could have been much better (especially the conclusion). Still, Die-Hard slasher fans will love this. There's some memorable special effects gory moments by Savini. Watch for Oscar-Winner:Holly Hunter in a few scenes. (****/*****).
Miramax?
posted on 20 May 2008I remember when I was younger, about 8 years old, I spotted the extremely gory cover of this film at a video store. It gave me nightmares for weeks. Now, being older, I hired it and watched it. I was drawn to it, remembering my nightmares just from the cover. There was a warning on it that read "WARNING: THIS MOVIE MAY OFFEND...". Offend is not the right word, "horrify" sounds more fitting. If you're reading this, you must know what it's about so I won't waste time going through it. In the middle of the movie I thought, "Wow, for a movie with a warning, it isn't all that gory." That was only a few moments before the "raft" scene. The make-up effects were very impressive, I feel very sorry for the people living in England who have to miss out on 19 seconds of fantastic gore effects. I saw an uncut version because I live in Australia, where most gory movies remain uncut. We have a good bunch of film censors, (although the recent "Lolita" debate may prove otherwise). This was a movie that deserved more recognition. By the way, I was surprised to find that this movie was "a miramax production". The Weinsteins are probably trying to forget....
Fine showcase for Tom Savini's makeup effects
posted on 17 Apr 2008THE BURNING Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: MonoAn abusive caretaker at a lonely summer camp is disfigured by fire during a prank which goes horribly wrong. Five years later, he returns to the area to take revenge against one of his former persecutors (now a camp counsellor) and the kids in his charge.Makeup artist Tom Savini rejected an opportunity to work on "Friday the 13th Part 2" (1981) in order to create effects for Tony Maylam's THE BURNING, yet another in the assembly line of low-budget horror movies which emerged in the wake of HALLOWEEN (1978). Savini warned the film's producers - including a fledgling Harvey Weinstein! - that the script for THE BURNING shared uncomfortable similarities with the "Friday" sequel, though fans may have been too dazzled by the gruesome set-pieces to either notice or care. In truth, THE BURNING shares only a handful of superficial details with "Friday 2", including a late night campfire episode in which the villain is dismissed as an urban legend, culminating in a false 'scare' which today's audiences will probably see coming a mile off. Despite a couple of groan-inducing incidentals ("Oh, I forgot my vitamins - I'll have to go back to my cabin through the dark, creepy woods!"), the narrative develops organically from one scene to the next, and characters react believably to the escalating situation. Unfortunately, the climax - set mostly within an abandoned mineshaft - is staged and executed with little flair or suspense, and amounts to something of a major disappointment.Of course, the main point of interest - besides seeing some familiar faces in early roles, including Jason Alexander (TV's "Seinfeld"), Fisher Stevens (SHORT CIRCUIT) and an unrecognisable Holly Hunter - is Savini's horrific makeup effects: Victims are slashed, stabbed, punctured and poked in graphic detail, and blood flows copiously from some horribly convincing wounds. Indeed, the film reaches a crescendo of horror during a notorious sequence involving an 'abandoned' canoe (I'll say no more), one of the most vicious set-pieces of the 1980's 'slasher' cycle. Briskly paced, and scored with a series of electronic doodles by no less than Rick Wakeman (!), THE BURNING may seem awfully simplistic to modern viewers, but it delivers the gory goods in no uncertain terms. The movie was censored for an R-rating, but the uncut version has since been released on home video.
The Burning
posted on 02 Apr 2008Prototypical slasher flick carries all the traits desired by your average fan..graphic bloodletting, unabashed nudity, and a killer hidden away until his turn to kill an isolated teen on cue. This film, although claimed to have been written before "Friday the 13th" has many similarities with that box-office-hit. This film is set at..and around..a camp and has a disfigured killer as the man hunting his prey using sharp weaponry(..in this film, preferably garden shears). To Tom Savini's credit, he again unloads the violence as he would do for "The Prowler" & "Maniac." Most notable is the raft slaughter sequence as it features an explosion of violence that hits you and ends. Fingers are chopped off, necks are stabbed, and forehead sliced open.The plot removes any doubt as to who is killing these poor teens..Camp Blackfoot's caretaker, Cropsy is burned badly thanks to a prank that goes terribly wrong thanks to several teenagers who had put up with enough of this man's antics. He spends some time in a hospital, but his mental state has long gone and Cropsy seeks revenge. Cropsy sets his sights on a group of teens, and their counselors, as they canoe to Devil's Creek for a little fun. Cropsy spends his time in the woods as a voyeur waiting for the right time to strike various teens who are left alone. Cropsy has a pair of garden years he like to plunge into throats and does so quite forcefully. Todd(Brian Matthews)and Michelle(Leah Ayres)are the male and female head counselors who must find a way to seek assistance from camp away when Cropsy releases their canoes. That's when we witness the raft massacre as the selected teens to travel back to camp find a lone canoe with a certain passenger awaiting them. The film's climax has poor nerd Alfred(Brian Backer), who sees the bully, Glazer(Larry Joshua)who often picked on him, hoisted in the air and stuck to a tree, running for his life as Cropsy gives chase, while Todd tries to find them carrying an ax.The film is quite known for the raft sequence, but I thought the chase at the end as Alfred struggling through the forest of Devil's Creek and the ruins of old buildings, trying to flee his pursuer, was quite harrowing. That scene is good, I think, because we know that despite how much he run and hid Cropsy was right above watching his every move. That feeling of hopelessness is there because we wish to see Alfred make it through this difficult situation. If you are wondering why Cropsy is killing these specific kids, you'll get your answer in the climax as Todd faces off with Cropsy.You know I thought this slasher flick was surprisingly effective, building some suspense and the jarring violence is potent enough..quite more potent that it's "Friday the 13th" counterpart. These teens, including some familiar faces such as Jason Alexander(with hair), Fisher Stevens, & Ned Eisenberg, are quite likable and fun so when their being disposed of you're not as glad to see them annihilated as the countless annoyances in later, multiple slasher flicks. Holly Hunter does have a cameo, but I can't recall one moment of dialogue..she's merely an extra. I suggest checking out, on the DVD special features after watching the flick, Tom Savini's "Blood'n'Fire Memories" document on the making of violent effects.
Good,bloody slasher flick...
posted on 26 Jul 2009This film is actually quite good.It's typical wood slasher full of suspense and gore.All actors are pretty lousy but I don't want to see any well-known stars in this kind of picture.Music by Rick Wakeman from band Yes is more atmospheric than famous theme from "Friday 13th" series.Photography is decent and the gore effects made by Tom Savini are truly impressive(for example nasty throat-slashing etc.)I love outstanding sequence on the raft-this bloody carnage is really graphic.The mad killer-Cropsy-is creepy with his huge clippers.I'd recommend this stuff for all slasher fans.All in all check this one out in pair with "Prowler" or "Just Before Dawn".P.S This is my first new millennium review.