The Burning (1981)

Rating: R

Country: Canada

Running Time: 91 minutes

Director: Tony Maylam

Starring: Brian Matthews, Jason Alexander, Leah Ayres, Brian Backers, Fisher Stevens, etc.

In the generation and popularization of the slasher genre, many similar films were simultaneously released to cinema to overwhelmingly astounding box-office returns for their often low-budgets. But beyond the legions of the pioneering slasher heavyweights, lied a batch of overlooked and hardly visited gems in the sub-genre. The Burning was one of these that consisted of and inhabited the long forgotten group. This rare little classic kickstarted the acclaimed producers the Weistein Brothers career. The gore FX and effects are superb, with the spetacular make-up artist himself Tom Savini dishing out his famous meal and appetizer of tricks. It also has a genuine and masculine old disfigured killer in the format of Jason Voorhees, although this guy is elderly and more serious. You start to chuckle after seeing him with just a pair of garden shears. But any trace of laughter escapes your body, stomach and brain with he starts hacking everybody up with it. He even kills a revolting and ugly hooker (Thank god he saved us out of ten minutes of even staring at her). Though the device and concept is obviously copied and slammed with the tired gimmick of "If you have sex you will die" approach, The Burning actually works. It carries all the thrills, chills and sheer campiness that I would expect in an 80s horror flick, but it offers even more. You could say it's a bit tactical and precise about its chosen path from beginning to end, and you have to admire that for once. But, beneath its hardened shell and core, The Burning is very weak and useless. As always, the pack of teens remain disregarded and despised. I wanted them all to get burned themselves after the opening. I also hated the electronic soundtrack, a portion of it compromised and recorded by Rick Wakeman, keyboardist and wizard of progressive rock band Yes (Whom I hate). The copy of the DVD I picked up (Manufactured by the company Vipco) is too dark, shady and difficult to view. I'm pretty sure others are having this problem as well. And to add on a fraction more of criticism, the killer's point of view is absurdly pulled off in such a manner I almost rated this a bad score just because of that. But, I restrained myself. Overall, The Burning is a gory, entertaining and superior video nasty slasher that will hold your attention and esteem until the end.

Pros: Nice gore FX, Scary and Cropsy is badass

Cons: Terrible disc I received, bad soundtrack, crazy, perplexing and nonsensical point of view and unlikeable teenagers

Recommended? Yup

6 out of 10