The Burning
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Movie Reviews of The Burning
Movie Review: Strong Slasher Shocker, Very Much In The Friday The 13th Vein
Summary: 4 Stars
The Burning comes from the early days of the big boom in horror slashers that sprung up in the wake of the first Halloween and the first Friday the 13th. Looking back it's amazing at the onslaught of thematically similar movies - many of them not even available on DVD - that hit in the early 80s. Many of the lesser known entries didn't come close to the more famous Halloween and F13, although there were a number of exceptions. The Funhouse was good. Tourist Trap (although arguably not a slasher movie, but in a similar vein; also, it actually Preceded Friday The 13th) was Really good. Another one you can add to the list of high quality slash shockers from the era is this one, The Burning.
It starts off in a summer camp flashback (yes, it's Very similar to the Friday The 13th series, especially the early ones) with a prank orchestrated by several young campers on the camp's cranky, foul-tempered groundskeeper, who goes by the nickname 'Cropsy'. It's not an elaborate prank, just a simple get-back at the guy who's disliked and feared by all the campers for an apparantly violent temper (we never see what happened before the night of the prank, but are given the impression that he was quite the unpleasant, intimidating fellow). It goes wrong, terribly wrong, setting the guy's cabin on fire. The young pranksters are genuinely horrified as the small building - with a couple cans of flamable gasoline inside - goes up in seconds. Cropsy survives, but is horribly burned and disfigured.
Flash forward - I believe it's five years they flash forward, although it looks like the movie's other main character has aged more than five years - and we're at another summer camp not far from the first one. Todd, one of the original group of pranksters, is head counsellor. It appears he's trying to atone for what happened that night years before by running a different kind of camp than the old one (just what all else went on back there?) It's at this camp that Cropsy makes his return. Probably mentally unbalanced to begin with, it appears he's gone insane after the accident and the years of unsuccessful attempts to repair the damage done by the fire. Filled with hate and armed with a pair of very sharp hedge shears, Cropsy begins taking revenge on anyone in sight (a trait we saw begin before he returned to the woods, with his vicious murder of a prostitute in New York), targetting and killing anyone he can catch alone in the woods. It isn't long before people realize there's a psychpath on the loose and attempt to evacuate the camp, but Cropsy's killing spree has been well planned and a mass exodus of his potential victims wasn't included in those plans.
As horror killers go, Cropsy is more menacing than many of his contemporaries, but admittedly he's not on par with Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. The movie didn't really call for that kind of iconic, virtually unstoppable figure. The characterization and the acting are both well done, and uncommon attention is given to factors such as the cinematography, with unique camera angles helping to create atmosphere and suspense.
It's impossible to discuss this movie without referencing Friday The 13th. There are a LOT of similarities between The Burning and the first two F13s. The first F13 was released in 1980; The Burning and Friday the 13th, Part 2 (Deluxe Edition) were both released in 1981 (I don't know which came first). I notice Tom Savini worked on both movies, and it wouldn't surprise me if a few other people were in on both. I envision a group of the moviemakers were discussing scenes for their films, and some ideas were so nice they ended up using them twice, perhaps not even fully concscious of just How similar certain things were going to look once they were onscreen. However, even if it's just a case of movies 'borrowing' from one another, it doesn't hurt any of the end products. The Burning is almost on par with the original Friday the 13th, although it can't quite compete with F13 2 (in my opinion, one of the very best in its series) . As I mentioned Tom Savini worked on both this and the early F13s, I should mention the special effects. They're very good here, although again not quite on par with Friday. The Burning may have had a smaller budget or tighter shooting schedule.
It may sound like I'm slamming The Burning in comparison to Friday The 13th; that isn't my intention. I'm a huge F13 fan, and in my opinion noting that The Burning comes close to the original, and that it in fact surpasses several of the other F13 entries (a couple of them by wide margins) is strong praise. The Burning has become a bit obscure over the years, partly because it never spawned any sequels, although who knows: if "House Of The Wolf-Man" (no relation to the recent big budget Wolf Man remake) is on its way more than Sixty Years after "House Of Frankenstein" and "House Of Dracula", perhaps Cropsy too will rise again.
A strong 8/10. Fans of Friday The 13th and similar horror, give this one a try - I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Movie Review: Kind of like an evil "Meatballs"
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
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.
Movie Review: Arts, crafts, rafting and gardening with Cropsy
Summary: 4 Stars
Though the economy has since tanked, throwing us into a global recession, in 2007 the prayers of the crazed and few Burning fans were finally answered, when this thing finally got a US DVD release after being released everywhere except its country of origin (naturally).
The Burning is a 1980 slasher, part of the crop of 'classics' now being remade (and this will will be remade). It's not dissimilar to Friday the 13th, mega-hit of the same year. Seems that some dastardly kids want to play a prank on nasty old coot Cropsy, the alcoholic caretaker of a summer camp. The prank ends up with Cropsy doing the walk of fire, toasted and left for dead.
Five years later, Cropsy unofficially takes up his old job of camp caretaker and begins bumping off a new crew of camp counselors, including Holly Hunter, Jason 'Costanza' Alexander, and Fisher Stevens. It's an oddly semi-celebrity early reunion going on here in between Tom Savini's very bloody work. And that work is left intact in this version, including the infamous raft massacre where Cropsy works those trademark hedge clippers with fury.
Some good effects, one or two creepy uses of the woods, but overall...for all of its 1980-ness and 'classic' slasher elements, this actually could have been much, much better. They don't really show much of Cropsy, and not that they should...but still, they really don't do anything with him. Not enough to warrant a sequel then, either. And the fiery ending, there's something strange about it, like the director forgot to tell them he was actually filming that scene---it's a muted slasher climax. And isn't 'Cropsy' an old legend told at every summer camp? They don't play that angle up, either...there's nothing supernatural going on here, just Cropsy, really irate, with a pretty nasty face (how can he see to wield those blades?) knocking off fools. I can definitely see a remake...in 3D, maybe depending on the success of My Bloody Valentine 3D.
But for this price, and the fact that they finally, finally released the damn thing in the US, it's certainly recommended to genre fans. And Costanza is still Costanza, thought he is spared Cropsy's shears.
ALSO of note---in a sure sign that the world may soon end, not only did they finally release this on DVD, but around the same time, the Rick Wakeman soundtrack finally appeared on CD (which is probably still available). Sought by fanatics and hedge clipper fans, it was out of print since the original vinyl. Eventually, someone listens in the Burning archives. If Anchor Bay is not preparing a box set, complete with mini hedge clippers for the 30th anniversary release, they're crazy.
Movie Review: I Needed That..
Summary: 4 Stars
One of the most gratifying sights of cinema is when a batch of teen rotten acting is righteously punished by ferocious, bloody death ~ and that's basically 'the Burning.'
It's pointless being abstract - or even to get the brain out - for 'the Burning.' It is what it is: a great, stupid thriller set away at 'summercamp' (I've been to one of these: Glan Llyn, close to Bala Lake in North Wales. Run by an organisation called The Urdd ~ brutal fascists to a man. I was nearly killed when the canoe I was expertly and courageously manouevering over some 'Deliverance'- style rapids, suddenly tipped over...), with a maniac in the woods hacking at the kiddies with a garden-shears. Good.
It flies, has reasonable nudity, great gore-effects, a fab Rick Wakeman score ~ and vile, smug, bullying boys and vile, smug unsexy girls get diced and sliced by rote. Undemanding. A massive clunking film for idiots. The most sympathetic characters in the film are a guy who's unwittingly to blame for all the carnage.....and a sex pest.
'Cropsy' (chokes laughing), the burnt killer, is so subversive that he doesn't slaughter the sex pest when he has him at his mercy. Instead, he simply ties him up and starts playing with a welding torch until help arrives. Dumb pancake face.
'the Burning' boasts an air of slimy perniciousness which I adored. Cropsy has a vague vengeange vibe going on, but thankfully it's not explored in any depth - director Tony Maylem choosing to focus on big chunky violence and spurting cables. Stereotypical weedy smart-mouth loses his fingers 6 inches from the camera; stereotypical anorexic popsy has her forehead split open because she doesn't run away when she sees a disfigured, shears-weilding loonie staggering towards her; and a stereotypical meat-head gets (awesomely !) stabbed in the throat, carried through the air by dripping hedge-cutters before getting fixed - with an orgasmic, splashy thud - to a tree.
Come the dawn, one nuisance-slum family is one half-witted dependent down and Cropsy's earned his corn (groan).
'the Burning' is classic lowest-common-denominator trash. A senseless, witless abomination ~ and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Movie Review: Children Shouldn't Play With Matches ("The Burning" Is A Classic Revenge Slasher)
Summary: 4 Stars
Welcome to the great outdoors and gather around the campfire. Roast marshmallows and listen to the counselor tell the story of Cropsy, alcoholic caretaker at Camp Blackfoot; because of a prank that went wrong, he was set afire and horribly burned. Now he prowls the woods in search of victims to slash with his hedge clippers. Unfortunately, this campfire tale is horribly true.
"The Burning" is a classic revenge slasher from the eighties. It is in the same mold as "Friday 13th" and "Sleepaway Camp." Though not a mystery, because we know who is doing the killing, it does offer a tremendous amount of suspense and gore, thanks to make up artist Tom Savini ("Friday 13th" and "Dawn of the Dead"). In a brief documentary, "Blood 'n' Fire Memories," Savini demonstrates how many of the gorier scenes were created, including the notorious raft massacre.
"The Burning" is a body count slasher; however, I wish the count had been higher and the deaths more evenly spaced throughout the film. Most of the murders take place during the raft massacre. There is a long dry spell between the prostitute who is stabbed near the beginning of the film and the first victim on the canoe trip. Soon afterwards, there is the raft massacre. Another dry spell follows and then two lovers are killed - a scene that was copied in "Friday 13th Part V - A New Beginning."
Look for a pudgy teenage Jason Alexander ("Steinfield" and "Shallow Hal") who provides a lot of comic relief as David, an adorable prankster. Also, a young, cute Holly Hunter ("The Firm" and "Copy Cat") has a small role as mischievous Sophie.
Add "The Burning" to your collection of serial killer flicks from the slasher frenzy area. MGM has done a wonder job of restoring and presenting the film in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Commentary, a trailer, and English subtitles have been provided. This is a great package and highly recommended for classic horror fans.