The Burning (1981)
The filmmakers clearly knew the assignment and adapted to screen the the old campfire story about a camp caretaker named Cropsy getting revenge on kids who played a prank that went really wrong. The movie does a good job of taking away any sympathy we have for Cropsey by having him kill as his first victim a woman who had nothing to do with the prank. Then he shows he's not too choosy about the people he takes out by murdering more people at a different camp who weren't responsible for the joke gone bad.
The Burning certainly feels like someone watched Friday the 13th and decided to make a carbon copy. Except the parts where people aren't getting killed are like a low-rent summer hangout movie with camp counsellors pulling pranks on each other, trying to score, and just keeping themselves amused when there's not a whole lot of entertainment around. To its credit, the movie has a big cast (including Jason Alexander with a full head of hair(!)) and it's not obvious who's going to survive (again, Cropsy doesn't specifically target the people who pranked him). The rules about the Final Girl and promiscuous teens don't necessarily apply.
The thing is, you go into a movie like this for the kills, and The Burning certainly has a standout moment when Cropsy murders a bunch of people in a matter of seconds. The rest of the takedowns are passable, but a lot of them show the limits of the movie's budget. Practical effects guru Tom Savini worked on this movie, but he isn't able to come up with anything that approaches the classic moments he had in Maniac (the shotgun blast) or The Prowler (a bayonet through a skull). Also, the way a lot of the kill scenes are edited doesn't do Savini's work a lot of favours.
The Burning isn't the worst slasher ever to come out of the '80s, but I wouldn't call it upper tier, either. It's middle of the pack and reasonably fun, especially if you're having a few brewskis while watching it. If you're trying out slashers for the first time, this isn't the best movie to start with.
For those who don't want to go anywhere near anything that Harvey Weinstein has touched, be warned. He and brother Bob were all over this movie and are listed in the writing team.
The transfer might be nice, but this movie is for people who really love '80s era cheese. I'll concede that it's probably no worse than a lot of the shoestring budget Halloween/Friday the 13th knock-offs from that era, but I wouldn't consider it a classic slasher as some fans insist that it is.nowhere2010 wrote: ↑ Really really liked it
Easily one of the best 4K transfers & cool flick if you like typical slasher/horrorScreenshot 2024-03-01 094149.jpg
The filmmakers clearly knew the assignment and adapted to screen the the old campfire story about a camp caretaker named Cropsy getting revenge on kids who played a prank that went really wrong. The movie does a good job of taking away any sympathy we have for Cropsey by having him kill as his first victim a woman who had nothing to do with the prank. Then he shows he's not too choosy about the people he takes out by murdering more people at a different camp who weren't responsible for the joke gone bad.
The Burning certainly feels like someone watched Friday the 13th and decided to make a carbon copy. Except the parts where people aren't getting killed are like a low-rent summer hangout movie with camp counsellors pulling pranks on each other, trying to score, and just keeping themselves amused when there's not a whole lot of entertainment around. To its credit, the movie has a big cast (including Jason Alexander with a full head of hair(!)) and it's not obvious who's going to survive (again, Cropsy doesn't specifically target the people who pranked him). The rules about the Final Girl and promiscuous teens don't necessarily apply.
The thing is, you go into a movie like this for the kills, and The Burning certainly has a standout moment when Cropsy murders a bunch of people in a matter of seconds. The rest of the takedowns are passable, but a lot of them show the limits of the movie's budget. Practical effects guru Tom Savini worked on this movie, but he isn't able to come up with anything that approaches the classic moments he had in Maniac (the shotgun blast) or The Prowler (a bayonet through a skull). Also, the way a lot of the kill scenes are edited doesn't do Savini's work a lot of favours.
The Burning isn't the worst slasher ever to come out of the '80s, but I wouldn't call it upper tier, either. It's middle of the pack and reasonably fun, especially if you're having a few brewskis while watching it. If you're trying out slashers for the first time, this isn't the best movie to start with.
For those who don't want to go anywhere near anything that Harvey Weinstein has touched, be warned. He and brother Bob were all over this movie and are listed in the writing team.
If you're delivering a pizza to a guy, and he comes to the door naked, don't ask for a tip.