The Burning

1981 "A legend of terror isn't a campfire story anymore!"
6.3| 1h31m| R| en| More Info
Released: 08 May 1981 Released
Producted By: Miramax
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

A caretaker at a summer camp is burned when a prank goes tragically wrong. After several years of intensive treatment at hospital, he is released back into society, albeit missing some social skills. What follows is a bloody killing spree with the caretaker making his way back to his old stomping ground to confront one of the youths that accidentally burned him.

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Reviews

UnowPriceless hyped garbage
ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Wuchak This came out a week after "Friday the 13th Part 2" in 1981 and contains all the staples of that blossoming franchise: disfigured killer, iconic weapon (in this case, garden shears), summer camp, camp counselors, a prank gone wrong, swimming antics, deep woods sexual frolics, death during (or after) sex, a secret hideout for the killer, semi-nekkid or fully nekkid teen girls, etc."The Burning" is held in high esteem mostly for its infamous raft sequence, but that only involves about 30 seconds and it's not THAT phenomenal. At best, the movie might be as good as some of the "Friday" sequels, although the girls are subpar by comparison, albeit okay. Nonetheless, "Burning" has its points of interest, like Brian Backer from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and, especially, a young Jason Alexander from Seinfeld with a full-head of hair. Production-wise, it's low-budget but superior to, say, "Sleepaway Camp."The film was shot in and around existing summer camps outside Buffalo in Western New York, as well as North Tonawanda.GRADE: B-/C+
yawael Because i'm kind of 80s horror slasher films i couldn't wait till watching this one, and that's because it was praised by horror fans and critics. but i must say that i didn't know what was all the fuss about ! The Beginning of the film was kind of promising we see a prank played by group of teenagers which goes wrong and burns a guy then after five years he gets out of the hospital and starts to kill teenagers at the camp ( in a way of revenge).The first murder he committed was to a prostitute which i found kind of bizarre, why he did that to her! (he must kills the boys who were responsible of his accident) , even when he goes to kill boys and girls at the camp you just keep asking yourself the same question ( why he's killing them although they are not the same dudes who made the prank!)Another thing was that the director killed this character right away from the start by showing his face through the window (they should kept his face kind of a mystify till the end of the film) and the second crime he commits goes around half an hour from the first one which makes you bored.One of the biggest mistakes was the killing and the slaughtering scenes (they really were terrible) ,because you just couldn't see it clearly even the last fight with the two heroes was also unclear ( although now we know how the guy looks like, but they just kept the fight vague and blurry ) . As for the characters , honestly i only liked Todd character which was played by Brian Matthews, as for the rest of the cast they were okay and Jason Alexander presence was so enjoyable . The only one i couldn't stand was Brian Backer, i didn't know whether he was a victim,lunatic or a complicated guy. he just tries the whole time to make feels sorry for him in the wrong direction ( he just kept showing us a silly performance with terrible body langue : honestly when he was running away from the burned guy i couldn't tell whether he was scared or having something else !!!.
hellholehorror This definitely is not original. The story has been seen many times. On the plus side the cast is great, the effects gory and the atmosphere quite good. It is very predictable from beginning to end but this makes it better somehow. The scares are silly but they do make you jump and that is all that you want from this type of film. Overall it is an unoriginal classic slasher before the swish Scream (1996) ages.
Leofwine_draca A copycat outing, one of hundreds made in the wake of Friday THE 13TH, which uses the old plot of "horny teenagers get bumped off one by one at a summer camp" as its basis. However, THE BURNING is not bad like you might at first think. Firstly, the movie is exceptionally atmospheric, using a picturesque setting as its background and enhanced by a fine electronic score by Rick Wakeman. Secondly, there are a fair amount of suspenseful stalk-and-slash sequences - especially the drawn-out finale - which are done well, often with clichéd but effective POV shots. Thirdly, the special effects - by genre maestro Tom Savini - are plentiful, top-notch and painfully realistic, especially if the film is seen uncut. They're something to remember.I won't bother going into the plot, other than that it's a clichéd, cardboard cut-out outing which is basically an excuse for the camera to ogle half-naked and totally naked girls bathing and showering, and for the male cast members to engage in plentiful sub-PORKY'S style antics. Sex is on every teenager's mind, whether it's the lust-mad jock or the creepy antics of Alfred, who enjoys spying on girls making out or in the shower, and is a major part of the film. Indeed Cropsy's first outing on his release after 5 years in hospital after the terrible prank that left him horrifically scarred is to try and make out with a prostitute.The acting skills from the fresh-faced cast aren't really up to scratch, although some of them do have fun. However, I did like Brian Matthews' performance as the square-jawed hero who wields a mean axe, and Brian Backer's memorable turn as the slightly pervy Alfred, the object of much ridicule and hate. It's certainly fun to play spot the famous face, with first-time appearances from Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and later Oscar-winner Holly Hunter adding to the fun. But in the end it's the murders - and the villain - that stand-out in this slasher yarn.Tom Savini - the FX maestro - gives us all manner of gory effects work in this movie, whether it be blood literally spraying in arterial fountains from chest wounds, or numerous shots of a snipped throats and flesh! Despite the obvious faults, THE BURNING is a more than efficient slasher film that more than delivers the goods, and is one of the few films made good by the gore effects alone (Peter Jackson's BRAINDEAD is the best example of this). Or maybe I just saw it at an impressionable age...