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The Burning (1981)
* Blood * Violent * Strong Language * Nudity *
* Sexual Situations * Gory *
1980/Color/90 Minutes/Thorn EMI Video & Miramax Productions & Cropsy Venture/Rated R
Director.............Tony Maylam (The Sins of Dorian Gray, Split Second)
Screenplay.......Peter Lawrence & Bob Weinstein
Music.................Rick Wakeman & Alan Brawer
Producer...........Harvey Weinstein (Playing for Keeps)
Executive Producer.....
Special Make-up Effects by Tom Savini(Dawn of theDead, Friday The 13th)
Original Story by Harvey Weinstein & Tony Maylam & Brad Grey
Dramatis Personae
Todd.......Brian Matthews (Red Nights)
Michelle...Leah Ayres (Bloodsport, Eddie Macon's Run)
Alfred.....Brian Backer (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Steel and Lace)
Glazer.....Larry Joshua (Svengali)
Dave.......Jason Alexander (Jacob's Ladder, Seinfeld, White Palace)
Eddy.......Ned Eisenberg (Hiding Out)
Sally......Carrick Glen
Kaeren.....Carolyn Houlihan
Woodstock..Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit, The Super Mario Brothers)
Cropsy.....Lou David
Camper?....Holly Hunter (The Piano)
Critique: The monster is pretty scary and the pace is snappy in this decent slasher. The acting is above average for what the film is, particularly the teenage Jason Alexander shows the smart-alecky potential that raised him to "Seinfeld" fame. Less prominent in the film is harried camper Holly Hunter, who reteamed with producer Harvey Weinstein for oscars in "The Piano". The sexual advances of some of the boys are a bit strong, but unfortunately realistic, and it's satisfying to see Cropsy chastise them for their behavior. The prolonged isolation from the home base and the splitting of the group in the penultimate escape attempt are the stupid ans fatal moves that make woods/campground movies so much fun.
Plot Summary: At Camp Blackfoot, five boy campers are plotting on getting back at the unpopular camp caretaker, crazy old Cropsy. Tonight they'll scare the crap out of Cropsy. The joke is not so funny when Cropsy is burned beyond recognition. The scene changes to St. Catherine's hospital. An orderly wants to show a really bad burn victim where we get the first indication that Cropsy hasn't lost his taste for violent behavior. Cropsy is told he may have trouble fitting back into society. In fact, he is a homicidal maniac seeking revenge blindly for what it's done to him. Five years later, the skin grafts simply hadn't taken. A prostitute is killed. The scene is Camp Stonewater, and a girl is in the shower--do we have the makings of a slash scene? The outcast Alfred saw a face in a window, but the others just think it's more attention getting on his part. On the canoe trip, the story of Cropsy is told, complete with the claim, plausible to the viewer, that he is just beyond the campfire. Eddie is too aggressive with Karen, and she leaves the skinny dipping. Karen finds her clothes in a trail, and sheared. Soon the campers are being picked off one by one. To make matters worse, canoes are missing. A raft is patched together, and some of the campers start the trek. It looks as they're in luck as one of the canoes drifts in front of them. Or is it luck? At the climax, Alfred is trapped in the den of the monster. Tod, who hears Alfred's screams, heads to the rescue in Cropsy's abandoned mineshaft. But Cropsy may be ready for him. Cropsy has an old axe to grind with Todd and wimpy creepy Alfred is in for a trial by fire.
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