A Friday the 13th clone to be sure, The Burning still has its innovations, but also, some historical value. It's the first Miramax film (and if you're worried that "Story by Howard Weinstein" means the sexual politics of this thing are a little revealing, you would totally be justified - nothing too bad, fortunately, but still revealing), and among its stars, we find young Jason Alexander and even young Fisher Stevens in their first movie roles. Alexander in particular seems to be having a lot of fun playing a "teenager" and it sounds like he's ad libbing most of the way. If you want to think of this as George Constanza's origin story, I think you totally can. It is also Holly Hunter's first movie, but it's such a small role, I didn't even notice. Throw in some prime Tom Savini make-up effects, usually more gory on the male characters than the female ones (as well as an unusually large survival rate) and you've got a watchable summer camp anxiety movie, with a fun use of the camp fire tale, good woodland locations, and an atypical weapon.
There's a lot to like about this lil slasher, I wish I liked it more
Pros:
-Amazing practical effects by Savini, Cropsy looks great
-The actors actually do a great job especially compared to other slashers. Everyone hears about Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter, but Fisher Stevens is also a wonderful surprise
-The plot is a little by the numbers, but executed well
Cons:
-The middle 45 minutes with no Cropsy and just horny teenagers lags so much. idgaf about how much these kids prank eachother and want to fuck
- The editing is subpar, feels really clunky with the flashbacks at the end
-Pretty blatant Friday the 13th ripoff with not enough that sets it apart besides the effects
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Comments 1 - 5 of 5
Oaktown
A great find from the 500 Horror list. I have seen some dudes trying to complete that list, but this film really worked for me.evildeadthing
Drags and drags from the moment it starts.maarow
Dull. Ugly to look at. Poorly written. Can't imagine why this is a cult classic.Siskoid
A Friday the 13th clone to be sure, The Burning still has its innovations, but also, some historical value. It's the first Miramax film (and if you're worried that "Story by Howard Weinstein" means the sexual politics of this thing are a little revealing, you would totally be justified - nothing too bad, fortunately, but still revealing), and among its stars, we find young Jason Alexander and even young Fisher Stevens in their first movie roles. Alexander in particular seems to be having a lot of fun playing a "teenager" and it sounds like he's ad libbing most of the way. If you want to think of this as George Constanza's origin story, I think you totally can. It is also Holly Hunter's first movie, but it's such a small role, I didn't even notice. Throw in some prime Tom Savini make-up effects, usually more gory on the male characters than the female ones (as well as an unusually large survival rate) and you've got a watchable summer camp anxiety movie, with a fun use of the camp fire tale, good woodland locations, and an atypical weapon.mcmakattack
There's a lot to like about this lil slasher, I wish I liked it morePros:
-Amazing practical effects by Savini, Cropsy looks great
-The actors actually do a great job especially compared to other slashers. Everyone hears about Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter, but Fisher Stevens is also a wonderful surprise
-The plot is a little by the numbers, but executed well
Cons:
-The middle 45 minutes with no Cropsy and just horny teenagers lags so much. idgaf about how much these kids prank eachother and want to fuck
- The editing is subpar, feels really clunky with the flashbacks at the end
-Pretty blatant Friday the 13th ripoff with not enough that sets it apart besides the effects