The Burning (1981) is an instant classic slasher horror flick, puts most of horror movies today to shame. This movie come out the same year as did Friday the 13th Part 2 my favorite horror film. They are so many horror films in 1981 I haven't hear, see or they are forgotten. This movie however surprised me. "It ripped off Friday the 13th" no it didn't! This movie was different, it was a revenge film but it was different than Friday the 13th. It is an original story not a copycat of other slasher films. Honestly I think this movie is much way better horror movie than Friday the 13th Part 2. This movie has a different story, it is not that bad and it is a good slasher movie and it just become my favorite horror film.The story follows campers from summer camp goes with canoe trip to Devil's Creek once there they become targets, from a former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, with a pair of hedge clippers to take revenge on the campers. Once there they are trapped while assailant is stalking them and kills them one by one. I enjoy this film it is not a bad slasher horror film it is instant classic and really puts most of horror films to shame. It has a lot of nudity with girls been naked and sexy. This days I don't see any naked girls in any slasher horror films today. They don't make horror movies like this one in the woods today. Back in the 80's was more work than today. Tom Savini from Dawn of the Dead makes special effect for more gory blood and they work. Just like he did special effects for Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and Dawn of the Dead he makes effects for this movie and the gory kills really works. There is a lot of scares and twists in here that keeps getting you interested and intense. It doesn't allowed you to stop watching it. Friday the 13th part 2, My Bloody Valentine, The Burning, The Howling and American Werewolf in London are really in my top five favorite films from 1981 in horror genre. Why can't we get movies like this?Directed and original story by Tony Maylam who directed the film really good. I miss movies like this today and I think it is a really good movie. Brian Matthews, Brian Backer, Carrick Glenn and Carolyn Houlihan were believable at acting and they were really good. 8/10 this movie is an instant classic in the horror genre from the 80's for me.

Whenever someone asks me to recommend them a slasher film, The Burning is always at the top of the list. Not only does it feature a recognizable cast of up and coming soon-to-be-stars, but it has career-best work by makeup artist Tom Savini, a wicked score by Rick Wakeman, and an impressive series of set pieces.The plot is your usual summer camp slash 'n dash stuff - a camp caretaker is left horribly burned after a prank goes wrong and, years later, he returns to make sure all the kids at Camp Blackfoot have as bad a time as he did.Let's face it, that's not exactly reinventing the wheel, but there's a lot to recommend her. Almost all the death scenes pack a nasty punch, the characters are semi-interesting, and there's a good deal of atmosphere. The Burning is one to proudly put next to Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp in your "summer camp horror" collection.

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.

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!