Years after burning and disfiguring a camp groundskeeper, someone is terrorizing a summer camp of teenagers who look like they're in their mid-to-late twenties. Is it the same man? Is he getting his revenge? Why now?
"The Burning" is notable in horror and movie history for a variety of reasons. First, it helped launch Harvey Weinstein, who wrote the picture, and his company, Miramax. Second, it was a career starter for Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld"), Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens ("Short Circuit"). No doubt, this is probably also director Tony Maylam's highest profile work, having otherwise worked on videos of cars and concerts.
Tom Savini is on board for special effects, which you know means quality. Any of the early 1980s slashers had to have Savini to be memorable. "Maniac" and "The Prowler", of course, and "Friday the 13th". Besides working with George A. Romero, the man is a living legend.
Can you get this film uncut? I'm not sure. I have heard rumor of an extra three minutes that I'm fairly sure I didn't see in my version. While the gore was decent, it was not on par with Savini's best work, and the notorious "raft scene" was much more tame than I expected.
The debate can go on whether or not this is a ripoff of "Friday the 13th". Some say it obviously is, others insist the script was written before the bigger film came out. I say that either way, this is the better of the two films, and the only connection is a killer stalking a camp. It's not like that idea hasn't been used plenty of times since then...
Pick up this film if you can find a copy. It's not well-known for some reason, but well worth tracking down and keeping in a serious horror collection.
"The Burning" is notable in horror and movie history for a variety of reasons. First, it helped launch Harvey Weinstein, who wrote the picture, and his company, Miramax. Second, it was a career starter for Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld"), Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens ("Short Circuit"). No doubt, this is probably also director Tony Maylam's highest profile work, having otherwise worked on videos of cars and concerts.
Tom Savini is on board for special effects, which you know means quality. Any of the early 1980s slashers had to have Savini to be memorable. "Maniac" and "The Prowler", of course, and "Friday the 13th". Besides working with George A. Romero, the man is a living legend.
Can you get this film uncut? I'm not sure. I have heard rumor of an extra three minutes that I'm fairly sure I didn't see in my version. While the gore was decent, it was not on par with Savini's best work, and the notorious "raft scene" was much more tame than I expected.
The debate can go on whether or not this is a ripoff of "Friday the 13th". Some say it obviously is, others insist the script was written before the bigger film came out. I say that either way, this is the better of the two films, and the only connection is a killer stalking a camp. It's not like that idea hasn't been used plenty of times since then...
Pick up this film if you can find a copy. It's not well-known for some reason, but well worth tracking down and keeping in a serious horror collection.