The Burning(1981).A janitor at a summer camp is accidently burned severely from a prank. Years later, he is released from an institute, and returns to the camp with a pair of hedge clippers to take revenge on the campers. Written byHumberto Amador... Synopsis The Burning(1981)
Movie Title: The Burning(1981)
Run Time: 91 min
Rating: 6.2 / 10
Genres: Horror
Release Date: 8 May 1981 (USA)
Director: Tony Maylam
Writer: Harvey Weinstein (original story),Tony Maylam (original story), ... and other credits
Actor: Brian Matthews,Leah Ayres,Brian Backer
I saw THE BURNING when it was released on the big screen and I have to say that decades later, I couldn't remember much of it except for the raft scene. So, I watched it again, just to see how it compares to other slashers and I have to say that it's pretty forgettable except for that infamous raft scene, which is rather violent and bloody but doesn't make much sense (how does the huge Cropsy stand up in a canoe without tipping it over?). The rest of the movie is played out like one of them MEATBALLS movies, where kids do kooky things (that usually involve sex) at a campground. That part, which is the bulk of the movie, is dull and totally useless. During this very long part of THE BURNING, the only thing which reminds us that we're watching a horror movie are Cropsy's weird Point-Of-View shots, which reminded me a lot to the famous POV shots in the Italian sci-fi flick, EYES BEHIND THE STARS. So even the POV scenes are derivative.
In fact, the whole movie is extremely derivative. It's made of a huge part Friday THE 13TH, a good part MEATBALLS, small parts of EYES BEHIND THE STARS, etc. Aside from the fact that the ones battling Cropsy at the end are men and not the usual "last surviving female", there's nothing very original in THE BURNING. The story is really too simple as well. After a lot of time spent showing the campground's high jinks, the story suddenly follows a group that go on a canoe expedition and after they lose their canoes, the stranded teens and young adults are killed one by one. That's it. The whole thing is not helped by the fact that the forest looks like a forest one finds at the outskirts of a city. There's nothing remotely "remote" about the woodsy locales. And the ending, which occurs at some sort of abandoned building, made me completely forget that this is supposed to be a woodsy slasher.
So, in closing, aside from the raft scene, THE BURNING is merely passable. Nothing less, nothing more. And it's not the "great slasher" a lot of people have made it out to be.
