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“A horror film’s job is to scare you, is to get your pulse going, is to make you scream and yell. It’s to make you be afraid. That’s its main purpose, and creeping you out. And that can be an enjoyable experience.” --- John Carpenter ::::::::::::: MY CRITERIA FOR DISCUSSION ENCOMPASSES THE HORROR GENRE AND BEYOND, SO I USE THE TERM "NIGHTMARE MOVIES". SPOILERS CAN OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT WARNING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The Burning

September 22nd 2008 01:16
The Burning movie poster
“… Don't look; he'll see you. Don't breathe; he'll hear you. Don't move; you're dead!”

One of the original video nasties banned in the UK between 1984-1992, The Burning (1981) was also one of the many slasher flicks that followed in the wake of Friday the 13th (1980), and along with The Prowler (1981) and My Bloody Valentine (1981) it's one of the better ones. Whereas Halloween (1978) was more of an atmospheric mood piece, a "character study" of the boogeyman, most of the movies that came out after Friday the 13th had a much higher body count, more elaborate deaths, and were generally a lot more violent. But they were had poorer production values for the most part, the acting was shoddier and the direction was uninspired.
The Burning Cropsy burns
Camp janitor Cropsy is accidentally set alight
The Burning, however, came out from under the plethora of stalk’n’slash pile relatively unscathed. It’s by no means a great movie, but it’s a shit load better than so many others. Plus it has a few bonus points going for it: it’s the screen debuts of Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens (the funny-looking guy who ended up dating Michelle Peiffer before she married David E. Kelley). Alexander and Stevens have support role (and has hair as well!) whereas Hunter barely speaks a line. The rest of the lead actors pretty much disappeared after this movie.
The Burning Brian Backer
Camp wimp Alfred (Brian Backer) is our final guy
The real star of The Burning though is Tom Savini’s special make-up effects. Savini even gets an additional end credit; “Horror sequences designed by Tom Savini”. And there’s a few doozies, all beautifully engineered prosthetics using fake scissors and fake garden shears. Plenty of pumped fake blood, and camp janitor Cropsy’s famous burned flesh full-head mask.
The Burning Carrick Glenn
Sally (Carrick Glenn) gets the proverbial shower fright early on
The Burning Carrick Glenn
... and then really gets it later on
The curiosity is that The Burning is the first movie produced by the Weinstein brothers’ Mirimax company. Bob Weinstein is the co-screenwriter and editorial consultant, while Harvey provided the story and gets the credit: “Created and produced by Harvey Weinstein”. So to think those eccentric Hollywood giants who command Tinsel Town started with a nasty little slasher flick. I’m impressed.
The Burning Brian Backer, Jason Alexander and Fisher Stevens
Boys about camp; Alfred, Dave (Jason Alexander) and Fisher Stevens as Woodstock
Former keyboard whiz from prog-rock band Yes Rick Wakeman provides the synth-heavy score, all very theatrical in that typical bombastic way of the period. I noticed the movie is edited by Jack Sholder who would go on to direct the mis-aligned A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) and the under-rated action-orientated sf-horror The Hidden (1987).
The Burning Lou David
Cropsy strikes an infamous pose
The Burning starts off at Camp Blackfoot where several mischievous young lads are planning a practical joke on camp janitor Cropsy (Lou David). Todd (Brian Matthews) is the ringleader, but the joke back-fires (literally), and Cropsy is set alight and horribly burned. But not before seeing the laughing faces of the lads at his cabin window.

The Burning Fisher Stevens
... and Woodstock loses his fingers over it
Five years later and Cropsy is released from the burns unit, but he’s a changed man, a man with severe and grotesque scars, and a man with revenge on his mind. Cropsy murders a prostitute straight up, just to get a taste for blood. Then it’s on to Camp Stonewater to where Todd is now a camp councilor. It is here that Cropsy will do his best work.
The Burning Ned Eisenberg
Eddy (Ned Eisenberg) gets it in the throat


The best work includes a stunning set-piece where camp bully Glazer (Larry Joshua) has finally managed to lay the camp cutie Sally (Carrick Glenn) on a bed of leaves. He sets off back to the main camp for supplies and returns to find Sally “asleep”. But before he discovers she’ll be sleeping forever Cropsy rams his shears through Glazer’s throat, lifts him off his feet and shunts him back a few metres, then impales him on a tree, whiles Glazer can only gurgle through dark arterial blood gushing out of his neck wound. Top stuff!
The Burning Lou David
Lou David as Cropsy
Then there’s the infamous broad daylight raft sequence, which despite director Tony Maylam’s shoddy work still packs a wee punch; as a raft of campers approaches one of their stolen canoes Cropsy jumps up from hiding, with shears at the ready, then snips off young Woodstock (Fisher Stevens)’s fingers, cleaves a groove in another girl’s forehead, and plunges the dual blades down through Eddy (Ned Eisenberg)’s Adam’s Apple. Savini gets to go to town here, and this is one of the scenes that resulted in The Burning being banned in some countries and getting reprimanded by the MPAA (thus it was severely trimmed for an R-rated release). I’m sure the full-frontal nudity of Carolyn Houlihan had something to do with that too.
The Burning Brian Matthews and Leah Ayres
Todd (Brian Matthews) is helped by girlfriend Michelle (Leah Ayres) after surviving the wrath of Cropsy
According to Tom Savini who hosts a neat little featurette, Blood ‘n’ Fire Memories, on the recent Region 1 DVD release The Burning was penned before Friday the 13th, but didn’t go into production until after. Whereas Jason Voorhees went on to become a modern horror icon, Cropsy came a cropper in his first and only movie. Amusingly Savini would go on to “kill” Jason Voorhees (in The Final Chapter, 1984).
The Burning Tom Savini
SFX legend Tom Savini applies his handiwork to a Cropsy stand-in
Despite the bad hair (early 80s horror movies sport some really bad cuts!) The Burning is easily digestible popcorn and beer fodder, especially with Jason Alexander's amusing performance; more cool, calm and collected than he ever was on television. Pity Holly Hunter wasn’t given more of a break in the movie, but I guess the Weinstein’s and director Maylam thought some of those other girls were the up'n'coming ones. Seems they were wrong …

Here's the original trailer:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews
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11 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Cibbuano

September 22nd 2008 02:22


Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Interesting find - one of the pleasures of watching B-movies is finding actors that were just trying to get by, before they were big.

I read that John Mayer, when he was dating Jennifer Aniston, would watch "Leprechaun" over and over, cackling wildly. I don't think Aniston appreciated it.

Jason Alexander - ha!

Comment by Bryn

September 22nd 2008 07:04


Horrorphile
Cibby, indeed, like Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th, or Crispin Glover in Friday the 13th Part IV: the Final Chapter, or Patricia Arquette in A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors ...

Comment by Damo

September 22nd 2008 08:33
Victim bingo
Rick Wakeman soundtrack

Where is the popcorn?

This should be good.

Comment by Bryn

September 22nd 2008 10:58


Horrorphile
(passing the popcorn), here you go Damo ... pass me one of them tinnies will ya?

Comment by Damo

September 22nd 2008 11:04
Bryn

Rick Wakeman soundtrack.
I am breaking out the Beck's stubbies.

Comment by Bryn

September 23rd 2008 00:50


Horrorphile
Speaking of Rick ... RIP Richard Wright

Comment by Damo

September 23rd 2008 01:29
Bryn

Too true. End of an era in my mind.

Comment by Bryn

September 23rd 2008 03:28


Horrorphile
Losing Isaac Hayes recently was a tough blow to my funkentelechy.

Comment by Damo

September 23rd 2008 03:53
You had better stop now Bryn I am getting misty.

Comment by JohnDoe

September 24th 2008 01:37


Film & TV on DVD
Another blast from the past Bryn,

Though I only ever saw a heavily edited VHS of it, I do remember some of the deaths were fun...yet another that may have to be viewed late on a saturday night with a few bourbons.

Comment by Bryn

September 24th 2008 03:27


Horrorphile
JD, yes indeed. Certainly before you fly the coop, we'll need to lock in an unbridled night of psychtronic-exploitation-horr or!

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