Search - The Burning

Apart from early appearances by Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter, an interesting score by Rick Wakeman, and some typically effective work by effects icon Tom Savini, this slasher film is also among the more frightening of its kind. The plot concerns a summer-camp caretaker named Cropsy (Lou David) who is horribly burned by mischievous teen campers during a botched practical joke. Years later, he leaves the hospital as a disfigured gloppy mess with an axe (actually, hedgeclippers) to grind. After dispatching a local prostitute, Cropsy heads out to the wilderness to terrorize a group of campers. They're the usual bunch of horny, obnoxious teenagers, but there are some interesting performances by Larry Joshua as a mean-spirited bully and Brian Backer (of Fast Times at Ridgemont High) as a put-upon nerd. The campers visit an island and, in a scene heavily cut by the ratings board prior to release, several of them die in a horrifying mass slaughter aboard a boat. The remaining teens are brutally picked off one by one until Cropsy is finally defeated. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Brian Matthews - Todd
Leah Ayres - Michelle
Brian Backer - Alfred
Larry Joshua - Glazer
Jason Alexander - Dave

MGM has done well by horror fans with this unexpected but welcome release of The Burning. Fans will be happy with the transfer for two reasons. The first is that it is an excellent-looking anamorphic transfer that captures the film's rich, colorful cinematography in high style. The other reason is that despite the R-rating on the cover, this is the fully uncut version of the film with all of Tom Savini's controversial makeup effects intact. As for the audio, the disc sticks to the film's original mono mix. A stereo remix would have been nice but the mono mix is a fairly robust and well-defined one that gets a lot of mileage out of Rick Wakeman's electronic musical score. Also, the film offers a few nice extras despite its catalog-title status. The first is a commentary track with director Tony Maylam and journalist Alan Jones. It's a chatty, likeable affair, with Maylam offering plenty of informative and unpretentious reflections on his work and Jones doing a good job of priming him to offer up interesting anecdotes. Also included is a nice little featurette entitled "Blood 'N' Fire Memories" that allows Tom Savini to discuss his memories of the film and how he achieved the its gruesome special effects. Savini is an engaging interview subject as always and fans will be pleased to see a few snippets of his on-set home videos in this piece. All in all, this is an excellent disc and a must for any horror fan interested in the history of the slasher film subgenre. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

These movies have the touch and feel of The Burning...
7	Rabid (R)
S	Succubus (NR)
45	Kalifornia [Special Edition]
33	Mary Shelley's Frankenstein [Widescreen/Fullscreen] (R)
These movies have the subject or theme of The Burning...
26	Darkman (R)
38	The Godfather [Widescreen] (R)
1	The Diabolical Doctor Z (NR)
5	Of Unknown Origin (R)
S	The Late Show (PG)
10	High Noon
31	Hellraiser [Widescreen] (R)
42	The Evil Dead [Special Edition] (NR)
8	Phenomena [Uncut] (NR)
3	Tombs of the Blind Dead (NR)
12	The Wraith (PG-13)
7	The Women (NR)
2	Witchcraft Part II: The Temptress (R)
These movies share cast/crew with The Burning...
23	Jacob's Ladder (R)
15	Super Mario Brothers (PG)
4	Split Second (R)
4	Playing for Keeps (PG-13)
15	Sea of Love (R)
2	Dust Devil: The Final Cut [Limited Collector's Edition] [DVD/CD] (NR)
2	Moving Violations (PG-13)
4	Hardware (R)
23	Always (PG)
1	Svengali (G)
16	White Palace [Fullscreen] (R)
4	Reversal of Fortune (R)
105	Pretty Woman [Widescreen]
5	A Midnight Clear (R)
80	Fast Times at Ridgemont High (R)
70	Dances with Wolves [THX] (PG-13)
1	Baby It's You! (R)
10	The Paper (R)
These movies are similar to The Burning...
50	Friday the 13th (R)
30	Friday the 13th, Part 2 (R)
26	Friday the 13th, Part 3 (R)
23	Friday the 13th, Part 6: Jason Lives (R)
6	Hell Night (R)
9	My Bloody Valentine (R)
22	Prom Night (R)
49	I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (R)
1	The Bagman
3	Slaughter Studios (R)