THE BURNING (1981)

[The Burgomaster]

This is a recent DVD release that I bought a few weeks ago and watched last night.  I hadn't seen it in many years and was surprised at how exceptionally bad it is, even for a "slasher at a summer camp" flick.  Even the gore effects by Tom Savini aren't up to his usual standards.

If you are looking for any reason at all to watch this, it's fun to see a very young Jason "George Costanza" Alexander and a very young Holly Hunter.  Both of them must look back on this movie with great shame.

Anyway, it's a typical FRIDAY THE 13TH rip-off about a burn victim named "Cropsy" who stabs, chops, and slashes teenagers with his hedge clippers.  The movie is full of cliche characters (the a***ole tough-guy, the lonely introvert, the understanding camp counselor . . . you know what I'm talking about).  In fact, they could easily have changed the Cropsy character's name to Jason and this could have been FRIDAY THE 13TH PART ????

Unless you're desperate for a mindless slasher flick, you should avoid this one.

[Mr_Vindictive]

See, I had the opposite reaction to The Burning.  I picked up a bootleg DVD of it last summer and ended up buying the newest release a few weeks back.

I feel it's a fun camp slasher film.  I like that it takes a while before Cropsy shows up at the camp and that we get to know the characters, such as they are, before the mayhem begins.  The film is also surprisingly well acted for a slasher film of this type. 

Another good point about the film is that Cropsy is not supernatural.  He's just a p**sed off guy who has a taste for revenge.  He is someone who has been in a burn ward for years and has no way to reconnect with society as he is so deformed from the titular Burning.  He figures he has nothing left to lose and decides to go back to the camp where it took place and cause carnage.

I love the raft scene, which is really the reason to see this film.  It's brutal, and the first time you watch the film, you don't expect it.  Sure, Savini's effects here weren't up to par with his other films but this one also seemed like it had a much lower budget.

Also of note, is the fact that Harvey Weinstein was a co-writer of it's script. 

I recommend the film to anyone who is a fan of 80s slashers.  It's not one of the best but it's still well worth a viewing.

[lester1/2jr]

hahaha "cropsy"

[Evan]

I got sthe soundtrack long before I ever saw it. Rick Wakeman definently knows what hes doing seeing he was in the band Yes. I honestly cant wait to see it. My friend bought me a copy for my birthday and were saving it for Halloween. From the trailer (which ive seen tons), It looks like a great movie.