The Burning (1981)

Oh, those crazy days of slasher films, when every summer camp became a potential slaughterhouse. The Burning was one of the flood of movies that followed the success of Friday the 13th, and it's more notable today for an unexpected roster of talent than for its success as a horror movie. You will note that the opening titles feature the unusual credit of "Created and Produced by Harvey Weinstein," and sure enough, this is the first feature film bearing the name of the future Hollywood mogul. Let's acknowledge that Weinstein's instincts were shrewd, since this junky thing fit right into the kill-the-teenagers trend after Friday the 13th, and thus a safe way to get a return on investment. We're at Camp Blackstone, where a disfigured loony, still sizzling after getting burned by unhappy campers years earlier, exacts his revenge on the empty-headed current crop. Among the campers are future Seinfeld star Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and (in a smaller part) Holly Hunter. There's a vintage early-'80s synthesizer score by Rick Wakeman, but the real star of the movie is effects whiz Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead), who does his bloody best with the murders. We don't care much about the teenagers, but students of gore will savor the throat-cuttings and the finger-loppings. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

Good Classic Movie

Great Classic Movie, I never seen it at all in the 80's, the first time I saw is on cable and I decided to buy it! November 19, 2008

Hot! Hot! Hot!

If only for the "raft" scene and to see Jason Alexander "pre-Seinfeld", you must watch this 80's Horror Classic. This is not "Sophie's Choice" folks. The acting is cheesy, the camera work is cheesier, but the pure joy of 80's low budget Horror is worth the price of purchase/admission!! November 10, 2008

The definition of a good 80's slasher

The Burning is about as good as an 80's slasher film gets. The story is simple but hits the nail on the head, following in the footsteps of films like Black Christmas and Friday the 13th. The caretaker Cropsy is horribly burnt and disfigured in a camp prank gone wrong, and returns after several years and many failed skin grafts to take his burning revenge on the councellors inhabiting the camp.

The Burning is not only violent, it's also stylish. The synth-theme makes the film stand out, and it utilizes the camera and environments very well to tell a straightforward story about regular teenagers caught in the vendetta of a madman. It's rare that the teenagers aren't obnoxious or unlikable, and since there is some good time spent with the bunch before the real horror strikes, I came to somewhat like them when they are finally dispatched in the legendary raft massacre sequence.

The Burning is up there with Black Christmas, Halloween, Friday the 13th and similar slashers that need to be seen if you're a horror fan. It comes highly recommended, and this edition is a good one, with an absolutely great remastered picture quality, a surprisingly sturdy mono track, and at least decent extras including an audio commentary and a segment with the effects wizard responsible for the memorable gore, Tom Savini. November 5, 2008

This is a great slasher movie

Now this is a great slasher movie.They deffinatly dont make them like this anymore.the effects by tom savini are excellent.the pacing is wonderful and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.trust me you wont soon forget the burning,especially the raft scene..OMG.if your a horror fan you must own this dvd its incredible.if only they made todays slashers like this id go to the movies alot more often. November 3, 2008

Kind of like an evil "Meatballs"

Believe it or not this is my first slasher movie, so I don't have the knowledge to give you a doctoral thesis on the genesis of the faceless killer or anything. I never really liked slasher movies, at least what I saw in the trailers. They just seemed...tedious. I don't know why, I like all kinds of genre films, some of which my friends won't even watch. I just never got into them. But I saw that Jason Alexander, George Costanza himself, was in this film and I had to see it. How could anyone resist Costanza vs. a Slasher? I was hoping maybe he'd use the old "Jerk Store" routine on the slasher, even though that hadn't been written for years yet.

Well sir, I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think this movie speaks for the entire genre of slasher flicks, but this one accounted for itself pretty well. It moved along pretty briskly even though the killer doesn't do any serious damage until maybe 45 minutes into the movie. Until that point there is some decent suspense and plenty of nubile young hi-jinx. Larry Joshua plays the musclehead Glazer, sex hound and dead from the neck up, as the arrogant and bullying buffoon you want to see get his. Brian Backer, who also played Mark Ratner in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, plays the creepy loner Alfred, a symbol of teen angst and alienation. Fisher Stevens plays the dart gun toting Woodstock and Leah Ayres and Carrick Glenn provide some of the aforementioned nubile-osity. (???) Jason Alexander is pretty funny as Dave, the wisecracking camp porn connection.
He's more self-assured than Costanza, maybe because of that full head of hair, and I couldn't really imagine his character as a young George Costanza, but he's still funny.

We know just all we need to know about the killer and his back-story. He's given a quick and dirty motivation to wipe out sexy young campers (don't worry, Costanza isn't sexy) and then sent to work. He takes most of them out with some pruning shears and folks these are some very special pruning shears. They look and cut like they are made of adamantium or Excalibur reforged. I mean he slices through fingers, limbs, skulls and trees like they're lemon meringue pie. And he's pretty creative in the way he cuts them up. The gore is very effective thanks to Tom Savini and the raft scene is downright shocking and brutal.

The title refers to the way the killer was brutalized by some young campers years ago (in a prank gone wrong! How many great villains come about THAT way?) One of the campers that burned ol Cropsy grew up into one of the camps current counselors, and it is this person the killer, Cropsy, is primarily after. The entire story comes full circle when the killer uses one of those mini-flamethrowers that some gardeners use to burn weeds, to blow torch the counselor, giving him a taste of hot propane justice.

Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and the best complement I can pay it is that because I liked it I am now interested in checking out some more movies in this strange little genre.
October 3, 2008

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