In the early 1980s, Harvey Weinstein was having trouble breaking into the film industry, and he needed a hit. Recognizing the success of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween, he and producing partner Michael Cohl started sharing ideas. While exchanging ideas, they remembered hearing about the Cropsy stories told at camp, so they decided to work with that. Harvey, his brother Bob, and Peter Lawrence worked on the screenplay, and Tony Maylam was hired to direct. This would be the first film produced under Miramax, which was named after Harvey and Bob’s parents, Miriam and Max. Tom Savini, who worked on the effects for Friday the 13th, was hired to design some equally gruesome kills. With a relatively-unknown cast and a $1.5 million budget, the film was shot in North Tonawanda in late summer 1980. After being sold to Filmways, The Burning was released in May of 1981.
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Synopsis
At Camp Blackfoot, a group of campers pulls a prank on the groundskeeper Cropsy (Lou David), but it goes wrong. He ends up getting set ablaze and taken to the hospital while the campers swear to keep this a secret. Five years later, Cropsy is released from the hospital after several failed skin grafts and he seeks revenge. At the nearby Camp Stonewater, one of the original campers, Todd (Brian Matthews), is now a counselor. He has a budding romance with fellow counselor Michelle (Leah Ayres) while dealing with the socially awkward Alfred (Brian Backer). Todd and Michelle take a group of campers on a canoe trip, but unfortunately, the canoes go missing. To make matters worse, Cropsy shows up and starts killing off several of the campers as they try escaping. Will Crospy’s murderous spree end, and who will die by his gardening shears next?
Review
Compared to most other slashers of the time, The Burning somewhat blends into the crowd and isn’t particularly unique. It pretty much lifts most everything from Friday the 13th, with the only main difference being the killer. Instead of avenging someone else’s death, the killer is getting revenge for almost being killed by someone else. What also helps Cropsy stand out is his design, with its warped features, imposing frame, and a black trenchcoat. Tom Savini did an incredible job on the design and created some elaborately gruesome death scenes to satiate any gorehound. The highlight is a scene where he jumps out of a canoe and kills several campers in a grisly fashion. It’s worth noting that this scene alone got the film put on the UK’s Video Nasties list. This list also included The Last House on the Left, Antropophagus, and The Evil Dead.
The cast features some fairly notable actors, namely Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Holly Hunter. While Hunter only has a few scenes, Alexander and Stevens have a fairly prominent role as comedic relief characters. It’s easy to see how Alexander would transition from appearing in this to playing George Costanza on Seinfeld. Brian Matthews and Leah Ayres make for a decent leading couple, and Lou David makes for an imposing killer. The story is fairly basic, but it gets the job done for an early 80s slasher film. At roughly 90 minutes, it moves at a fairly decent pace, though once they get stranded, it starts dragging. It doesn’t help that, while not necessarily insufferable, none of the characters are really that interesting or compelling. Still, this is worth a look for fans of slasher films, especially if you love Savini’s effects work. Overall, The Burning is enjoyable but forgettable.
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