Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Bodo Although Friday THE 13TH has more fame, THE BURNING — with an almost identical premise — is just as much a classic movie of the slasher genre. It has hypnotic 80's synth tunes combined with a gruesome killer and an iconic weapon: The massive garden scissors that we also see on the movie's beautiful poster art.The story, although predictable, isn't all that bad, and the characters, although somewhat stereotypical, are interesting enough to keep you going. Most importantly, some of the scenes involving the killer are genuinely frightening, with some pretty effective jump scares. Add to this make-up effects by Tom Savini and you have a round package of gore and horror that has aged well. I think THE BURNING is as suspenseful today as it was in the 80's.

tomgillespie2002 Tony Waylam's The Burning, the first film to be produced by Bob and Harvey Weinstein's Miramax Films, is but one in what seems like an endless churn of stalk-and-slash movies inspired by the low-budget success of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980). It performed moderately at the box-office and was panned by the critics, and did little to disguise its desire to replicate the success of Cunningham's newly- established franchise, merely re-hashing the plot in the process. So why now, 35 years after its release, is The Burning so beloved amongst genre fans?It's difficult to really pinpoint the reason why Waylam's film isn't as insufferable or outright boring as many others from the 'slasher' genre generally are. But for me, I found that the characters, who are little more than your usual horror archetypes, rather enjoyable to be around when they weren't busy getting carved up in the woods. The likes of Jason Alexander, Brian Backer, Fisher Stevens and Holly Hunter appear before they were famous, and are given the job of fleeing from the deformed killer stalking them - here a psychopathic victim of a prank-gone-wrong named Cropsy (Lou David). They are in the woods as part of a canoe trip arranged by Camp Blackfoot leader Todd (Brian Matthews), who is unaware that the camp-fire spook tale he frequently tells is about to become reality.With a rather likable bunch at its core, The Burning doesn't really drag when it isn't dishing out scenes of gore, and the performances feel naturalistic. When the gore does come, special effects maestro Tom Savini, having turned down Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), delivers some of his finest work, naturally landing the film in trouble with the censors. As one of the first films slapped with the 'video nasty' tag, it was always destined to achieve legendary status amongst fans, and the infamous scene of mass murder on a raft, which really had the right-winger media up-in-arms, is extremely well-executed. I doubt I'll ever take to the slasher genre - I find them generally dull, dated, formulaic and misogynistic - and while The Burning certainly contains those elements, it isn't difficult to see why it is still so popular with fans of the genre.

Mark Habeeb The Burning is one the most well made and scariest slasher film to be made. This is a pure classic gem that stands out from the countless other 80's slasher movies. And I would even say it can compete with Friday the 13th. Now I know F13 became more popular, but I think if this movie came out before, it probably would of been just as popular. Unfortunately it came out in the middle of the slasher boom, and didn't get recognized at first, although that is changing now a days. What made the movie stand out from so many other slasher films of the time was a few things. First the mood of the movie was very scary, and always made you feel unsafe. Second was the pace of the movie. The movie is very well paced, unlike many other slasher films of the time that are either rushed into or dreadfully slow. The acting was also very good for a horror movie. You actually get attached to these characters, their not just a bunch of dumb teens. Then there's the very good gore effects, which really gives this movie its flavor. Tom Savini did a fantastic job in this movie with the make up. And then of coarse is the score, which is super creepy and makes your heart race. Overall, this is a very suspenseful and awesome movie. It has a realistic feel to it, and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I would recommend to any horror fan!

Uriah43 This movie begins at a place in upstate New York called "Camp Blackfoot" where a few teenagers are about to play a prank on the camp caretaker who goes by the name of "Cropsy" (Lou David). Unfortunately, something goes dreadfully wrong and Cropsy is engulfed in flames and barely manages to make it to a nearby lake in time to save himself. He then spends years in a hospital and eventually comes out horribly disfigured and consumed with hate. To that end, his first act upon being released is to kill a prostitute who expresses shock at his appearance. He then travels to a place called "Camp Stonewater" which is near the place where he was set on fire five years earlier. As it so happens, Camp Stonewater has a number of young teenagers in attendance with one of the camp counselors named "Todd" (Brian Matthews) being present during the prank on Cropsy years earlier. Whether Cropsy is aware of this or not is unknown but regardless of that fact he is determined to kill as many people as he can one way or another. Now as far as this movie is concerned I must admit that it has quite a few similarities to "Friday the 13th" and as such suffers to a certain degree by comparison. One thing in particular I didn't care for was the age of some of the victims who were a bit too young in my opinion. I mean, it's okay to kill off the camp counselors because that's what they are there for. But not teenage kids. Hmmm. On the other hand, I must also admit that some of them were quite annoying so perhaps it wasn't necessarily that bad after all. In any case, this movie had its moments here and there and the presence of some attractive young ladies like former Miss Ohio beauty queen Carolyn Houlihan (as "Karen"), Carrick Glenn ("Sally") and Leah Ayres ("Michelle") certainly didn't hurt either. All things considered then I suppose this wasn't a bad "80's slasher film" overall and I have rated it accordingly. Average.