Horror Review 2: The Burning (1981)

The Burning (1981) - 3.5/5

Of all the Friday the 13th ripoff movies that came out in the early 80s, this one seems to get a lot of recognition, being a similar camp story with boobs, blood and gore all around, and a deadly killer who you don't see until the end. The acting is pretty shitty, but some of the characters are enjoyable to watch while they're on screen. The movie starts off a bit shakily, with an extremely sloppy and amateurish scene where a prostitute is murdered, but after that it gets better. Also notable is the strange soundtrack, featuring a wide variety of different types of music that don't always work perfectly with the story, but they are pretty cool anyway.

The real star here is Tom Savini and his special effects and makeup work. Seriously, some of the gore here, on this uncut version, is just awesome, with the standout being the raft scene, in which the killer bloodily dismembers and disfigures about seven people in a span of a few seconds - and then the scene later on in which the others find the raft and are subsequently grossed out. Gross? Yes. Cool? Definitely yes.

Another interesting thing about The Burning is how Friday the 13th IV, a much more popular film, got so much influence from it. Just look at the ending, and you'll see what I mean. The Burning is a pretty bad movie, but I liked it, and so will you, if you're looking for B-grade slasher glory.

Next: The Wizard of Gore (1970)