The
Burning is a 1981 film directed by Tony Maylam. Written by Harvey
Weinstein, Tony Maylam and others.
The
Burning has the great fortune of being a product of the early 80's
slasher fest that greeted audiences in the hundreds. Some genre
highlights were produced from 1980-1984, a time when these films took
themselves semi-seriously and were moderately successful at creating
creepy atmosphere, displaying gratuitous nudity and inventing some
spectacular death sequences. The late seventies laid the groundwork
for what was to become a stable formula for these movies and for a
minimum budget and isolated surroundings the films could provide some
solid shocks and gore that pleased audiences.
The Burning is nearly identical in plot and story line to Friday the 13th. Here the bad guy is a burn victim as a result of a prank gone awry and years later he takes vengeance on unsuspecting campers in gruesome fashion. While the movie is pretty slow and the gore fest doesn't really start until an hour in it's never boring. Here's where the film is different from Friday the 13th and many others: The teens aren't merely disposable pricks who you can't wait see get their grisly demise. They're actually a pretty likable bunch, well played by some future stars (Jason Alexander, particularly likable here, and Fisher Stevens among them) and when some get slashed you kinda feel bad for them.
Now for what really counts. Two things; gore and mood. The Tom Savini gore effects do not disappoint. Keep in mind that this is 1981 and digital effects have improved horror gore somewhat but this is pretty impressive stuff. The raft scene is a particular standout. As for mood, you can't beat these early 80's alone-in-the-woods scenarios and they're all well played out here. Although there are a lot of false scares here, they're buildups are great and the creepy surroundings go a long way. If films like Psycho made people afraid to take a shower and Jaws made people afraid of the water then films like The Burning and Friday the 13th must have made a few parents hesitant at sending their kids to summer camps.
Fans of slasher films will not want to miss The Burning. Although Friday the 13th is more suspenseful and The Burning feels a bit too stretched, it nevertheless has plenty of good moments and top notch kill scenes. What's not to like?
The Burning is nearly identical in plot and story line to Friday the 13th. Here the bad guy is a burn victim as a result of a prank gone awry and years later he takes vengeance on unsuspecting campers in gruesome fashion. While the movie is pretty slow and the gore fest doesn't really start until an hour in it's never boring. Here's where the film is different from Friday the 13th and many others: The teens aren't merely disposable pricks who you can't wait see get their grisly demise. They're actually a pretty likable bunch, well played by some future stars (Jason Alexander, particularly likable here, and Fisher Stevens among them) and when some get slashed you kinda feel bad for them.
Now for what really counts. Two things; gore and mood. The Tom Savini gore effects do not disappoint. Keep in mind that this is 1981 and digital effects have improved horror gore somewhat but this is pretty impressive stuff. The raft scene is a particular standout. As for mood, you can't beat these early 80's alone-in-the-woods scenarios and they're all well played out here. Although there are a lot of false scares here, they're buildups are great and the creepy surroundings go a long way. If films like Psycho made people afraid to take a shower and Jaws made people afraid of the water then films like The Burning and Friday the 13th must have made a few parents hesitant at sending their kids to summer camps.
Fans of slasher films will not want to miss The Burning. Although Friday the 13th is more suspenseful and The Burning feels a bit too stretched, it nevertheless has plenty of good moments and top notch kill scenes. What's not to like?
Cast-wise
the movie holds its own too. Brian Matthews makes for an OK leading
man, but it's really the supporting cast that highlights here. Young
Jason Alexander and Fisher Stevens both make their film debuts here
(along with a passing Holly Hunter) and prove to be likable goofs.
Also good is Larry Joshua as the beefy camp bully.
I
enjoyed this movie. Always had a love for the 80s slasher movies.
If you get a chance to watch this go for it. Its not the best but it
is still a great ride.
7.0/10
6.4/10 IMDB
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