 Thanks for checking out this movie review video. So this is for the 1981 film the burning It is a slasher. It's a film that doesn't get talked about a whole lot, but over the past Mmm, I don't know like six years or so I've heard it come up quite a few times and from people who are kind of more in the know with horror films And have said you know what lesser known slasher film You should definitely check out the burning and so over that time. It's kind of gained more and more Notoriety in a sense. So it's become kind of one of those cult classic films This is a slasher that originally when it came out. It really did get panned It didn't do very well monetarily and therefore there weren't any sequels to it There's another partial reason that there wasn't there weren't any sequels to it but I'll talk a little bit about that later when I'm Recording this review it is available for streaming on shutter the burning And I would say that before I get into any of the spoilers because there will be spoilers since this movie is quite old Before I get into that I would say if you're trying to decide whether you want to watch it or not I would say if you're into slasher's if you're into 80s, especially if you're into 80 slasher's at camps staged in camps Definitely give it a shot. Definitely watch it. I found it enjoyable I think it's Rated from what I've heard from people and there are some other problematic things with it And I do have a theory as to probably why it didn't do all that well when it came out And is you know doing much better now, but I'll talk about that later But I would say definitely watch it. It is fun enough a good enough time to watch it once for sure So anyway, this was directed by Tony Malam Who's he did a bunch of documentaries he did the riddle of the sands Split-second Phoenix blue and journal of a contract killer. I haven't seen any of those So I don't really know his work One of the things is after Malam had done this film So in addition to what I was saying before of the film not doing all that well Monetarily and then Malam also said hey I don't want to get pigeonholed as a horror director So he said he would not do a sequel so between that and the poor monetary performance That is why or that's why it's cited on the internet. There wasn't a sequel or anything I'd say it's probably more of the didn't make enough money than anything Because yeah, they didn't make as much money as they spent on the film, which is bad especially back then for This was this was a mirror basically Wanted to become the beginning of Miramax in a sense So you'll kind of know where I'm going there with the next portion. It was written by Malam Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein There's a name and knowing this information. You can't unknow it to Associate it with this movie so it it does some things of this film to me personally and I'll talk about that later But Peter Lawrence also worked on it who actually interestingly enough Peter Lawrence wrote scripts for a bunch of TV shows Mainly kids animated ones including Silver Hawks and Thundercats, which I loved Thundercats even in the high school I love Thundercats and Brad Gray was also involved now Brad Gray is the real Writing talent involved with the script. He wrote scripts for such films as the cable guy Wedding singer happy Gilmore scary movie and also wrote a bunch of episodes of the Sopranos So that's the real writing talent involved here, although I would argue there's really not that much writing talent involved in this script The directing though Malam I think did a pretty good job. There are actually some pretty good cinematography moments in the film, which I'll talk about as I go through it, but It's some good technical things and and one of the other aspects, which I'll talk about in a minute This has Brian backer in it So he's one of the people I really latched on to at first and I was just like, oh my gosh, Brian backer He plays Rat or Ratner in Fast Times of Ridgemont High that was after this film And I love that movie Fast Times of Ridgemont High is amazing so great It's one of the quintessential coming-of-age high school movies Jason Alexander is in this most people will probably freak out most about that if they haven't seen this film before You know Jason Alexander best known for being on the show Seinfeld as George Costanza and then another one that occurred to me probably most people Didn't really freak out about it like I did but when I figured it out Fisher Stevens is in this as Woodstock and Fisher Stevens I love because He's in a movie. I love and that movie is hackers. It's one of my guilty pleasure films He plays the plague in hackers. So one about halfway into the film I was like this Woodstock dude looks familiar and I was like, I gotta look him up on IMDb So I'm looking him up on my phone. I'm like, oh my gosh. It's Fisher Stevens The plague so I set up freak out moment with that This was written to be based on the urban legend of Cropsey, which is something that originated in New York I think Staten Island specifically There's a documentary out there actually about the origin of the urban legend of Cropsey I forget. I think it's just called Cropsey the documentary Which by the way the people who made that documentary went on to do a documentary series on the A&E channel Called the killing season about the Long Island serial killer, which is back in the news again Recently because they identified one of the bodies Um, but that's a whole nother thing for a whole nother day But the killing season is really well done and that documentary on Cropsey is really well done Is my point here. So check those out if you have interest Rick Wakeman from the band. Yes did the score for this film and I think the score is very strong Especially if you just consider the time frame of this for being an 80 slasher score I think it was really well done. So I quite liked it I think they that Wakeman did a really good job matching it with the moods and everything that was going on There were only a few moments where I felt like the music was a little bit off from what was happening But not a big deal for the most part. I enjoyed the score So this was this film was Harvey Weinstein's attempt to break into the movie business He looked to movies like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween to kind of draw inspiration when they were working on this film Now for me personally, I'll just go ahead and talk about it now since I brought Weinstein up again Watching this movie and having that bit of knowledge, which like I said is not knowledge You're going to unlearn about this film. It puts some of this stuff in different contexts. There are a lot of sexual jokes on this There's a lot of sexuality in the film specifically the character of Glazer who's Potentially my favorite character because of how poorly he's acted and I think that's funny But the actual character and how that character is written Is very much Harvey Weinstein a sexual predator who won't sit who won't listen to the words no, it's For me and maybe this doesn't happen to other people I really hope this doesn't happen to other people because it messes with your enjoyment of the film A lot of the sexuality to it a lot of this not taking no for an answer There's tons of sexual pressure on women in this film. There's a lot of dialogue based around that It feels gross It it wouldn't if it wasn't a Harvey Weinstein film But knowing that he was involved in writing the script and who he became as a person It's gross to watch now and it has a totally different context in my opinion now Like I said, hopefully that it doesn't play that way for other people But for me it does so it's kind of hard for me to say I really love this film. I do like it You know if I detach my brain from the Harvey Weinstein portion of it. I do like it I think it's worth seeing at least once. It's not one that I'm You know super huge on I would much rather watch a A another film another slasher film from that time period that is very underrated as well And that's my bloody Valentine when I saw that one for the first time I fell in love with that film that may be my favorite slasher film. It's really good Work on this film actually started. This is what is reported work on this film actually started before the first Friday The 13th film came out Now I kind of have a little bit of a hard time believing that because there's a lot that feels Friday the 13th in this film So I don't know, you know, maybe all these things are coincidence, but it feels a little weird to me A little too coincidental They tried to move this film as fast as possible because apparently they said that they knew this slasher craze would not last forever So they wanted to capitalize it Capitalize on it as fast as they could Which you know for trying to make some bucks. That's what you got to do. You got to play to the audience as fast as you can So Tom Savini actually did the effects on this and that's why the good effect Moments the good kill moments that you get are really good because it's Tom Savini and as we all know Tom Savini is the man when it comes to gore effects He only had three or four days though to actually come up with the cropsy look the cropsy makeup Which for being that fast it looked really good. I mean obviously at the very beginning That's kind of like one of the big payoffs of the film as you eventually see the burnt face of cropsy And it looks really good. It looks gross. It looks scary. It looks disturbing. I mean, it's it's good It's great and and for that to be that payoff Is good work and you know, we expect nothing else from Tom Savini because I mean for that stuff use perfection There was talk of a sequel already talked about that they passed on the sequel not going to rehash it So the start of it's actually uh, this is pretty normal like what's going on in the storyline as far as camps go This is normal stuff kids playing pranks on people I went summer camp a lot when I was a kid and that's I mean that happened that happened a lot People play, you know playing around with each other playing jokes on them pranks all that and sometimes, you know Things go a little bit wrong. That's totally true But to the degree that it goes wrong here Is, you know, obviously super tragic that creates much like in friday the 13th. It creates a very vengeful Person who was wronged obviously not in the first friday the 13th, but after that it's Jason Voorhees So it kind of sticks with Friday the 13th to and on so they're very similar in that sense that, you know negligence basically led to someone being killed or greatly disfigured which leads to rage which leads to vengeance And a super strong killer who's just going to dispatch people in the worst ways possible So it overlaps quite a bit like that But I did think it was kind of important in this That when the prank went wrong that you could see as an audience member that they didn't intend for that to happen That they didn't that they weren't really bad kids like they did something, you know, kind of bad But it wasn't really that bad. It's just things got out of hand and you know It was unfortunate and even when Cropsey's leaving the hospital after he gets treated for his burns unsuccessfully Saying the skin grafts didn't take the you hear the doctor's voice saying that, you know, it's nobody's fault This was just something that happened. It was unfortunate But Cropsey can't accept that obviously But the way they set it up. It's good because then the audience feels that when You know, he's going out and he's exacting revenge He's actually more of a monster than anything Cropsey because It was a mistake. It was a misunderstanding. It wasn't intentional, you know And and to be seeking vengeance because of that and to just lose it because of that means Cropsey is pure evil at that point and it's more of the actual Conscious choice that Cropsey has made to be that way as opposed to being forgiving or understanding the actual situation The rhythmic tapping in this when when the kids are like tapping on the window of Cropsey's bunk That was awesome It they made it like this rhythmic tapping which actually became the music for that scene and it worked really well it was really good at ratcheting up the tension and it sounded cool and it was really rhythmic and It was that was one of those really inspired kind of brilliant moments in the film. I really really like what they did with that The burnt arm that grabs the attendant is actually pretty gross when the guy kind of brought the other dude And he's like you got to see this man Um The burnt arm just coming out and grabbing him. It looked burnt. It looked nasty But it also was done with such force that you understand as soon as he gets out of here He is pissed. He is strong and people are gonna get it So they with that one little moment. They actually Signaled a lot which which was very very effective The first first kill scene is actually really plagued with kind of corniness in my opinion And that's kind of one of the issues I have with this film is that the acting was so bad that prostitute When she gets stabbed The stabbing actually looked pretty solid But her acting was so so terrible and then add on top of that the lightning that starts going off and the thunder During that it's like, okay, we're going way over the top at this point. That is way too much Tone it down just the stabbing and focusing on that. That's enough Even with the bad acting that lightning and thunder then just Oh Made it tough to watch And then I put down oh, wow Glazers acting is so bad So that dude is larry joshua and he actually went on to do a bunch of small parts and films and also did a lot of tv episodes of various shows So, I mean he had a career after that even though his acting was awful But I love it because it was so awful like I laughed quite a few times You know, you weren't supposed to but you know It feels like it goes way too long between the first and second kill Um, that's kind of not cool in my opinion because it's like what's the killer doing at this point between that time frame Like I understand you have to set up who the characters are what they're up to but they showed Too much of just the campers before going back and checking in with what the killer was doing What is Cropsy up to what's cross Cropsy been doing, you know Um, and you have all these kind of moments of where you think maybe it's the killer It's like that pov shot, but it ends up being someone else And it just feels like such a horrible tease Much like in this movie where like glazers talk and all these guys are talking about these women being teases The movie the way they're setting up is being a tease because it's not giving us the kills And I understand that you need to do that or that's kind of the formula to some degree with the slasher films But they took it way over the top and like I said, there was way too much time between the first kill and the second kill And that's one of my big issues with this film is kind of pacing gets messed up because of that The emphasis on the canoe trip to devil's creek and how far away it is is actually a really good setup for the kill spree You are you know going into it based off what the you know head counselor is saying is you know, you're going to be going really far It's good. You know, you're gonna be far away from home. It's very excluded all this stuff So then you know when the canoes go missing It's very very dire situation and you know that that's where crops he is and he's going to show up So really those kids then have no way of getting anywhere. It it ratchet. It moves up the stakes. It makes everything Way more intense. So that's good. They did a good job with that the amount of sex and masturbation jokes Is actually super super high in this and kind of more than I remember in any 80s horror film I'm not complaining about that aspect of it. I actually think that those jokes are still funny even though I'm you know, almost 40 years old. I still think those things are funny, but um Yeah, it just struck me. It's like there's so much in this And then the the sexual aspect getting lumped in with harby Weinstein was the stuff that was like Um, the camp lore like this that they have with crops. He is an actual thing at camps I don't know if people have actually been to camps. Well, like I said earlier I did a bunch of camps when I was a kid and yeah, that's a thing You always hear these these urban legends this lore around the campfire About um, this person who died accidentally and they're gonna come back because they're mad and they need their revenge I heard a few of those when I was a kid. So it's very You know nostalgic when you watch it So when we finally get that second kill going back to this issue It has been on it's almost 50 minutes into the film which is way too long And then it's too dark. You can't even see it that well Whatever good practical effects thoms vini did are kind of for nothing because you can barely see it So not only has it been forever since we got the kill. I mean, there's really about 45 minutes um 40 to 45 minutes between the first and second kill which is Not okay in my opinion that goes back to what I was saying about the pacing issue with it And it's like at that point you're just like is there even a killer in this movie anymore? Like are we ever gonna get back there? I like the move of the canoes being let go. Yeah, it just kind of gives you the idea that these kids are trapped The multiple killings on the raft those were really good and in quick succession That's a really nice payoff moment after being kind of let down after that second kill You kind of get just like this release of oh my gosh death death death death death and they look good. They look really good but How is it the crops? He doesn't fall into the water Because crops he was going from being inside of a canoe To on that raft and that stuff moves on water and crops he's large And there were a bunch of kids on the raft that thing would have tipped He would have fallen off and what he when he stood up in the canoe. He probably would have fallen in the first place so big old plot hole on that one that just seemed kind of Dumb, but you know we can look past that because we got a good multiple kill scene out of that thing With as much of a jerk as glazer is it's actually is even more funny when he has his premature situation Happened and then his death is even is made even better by the fact that we all hate him In the film The the the gardening shears through the neck and then he gets walked over the tree and stuck in the tree That's a really good kill scene very inventive very well done and speaking of that the garden shears as the killing instrument Is a good choice. It works really well in this film So, um, I like that being unique I do need to point out that this this kid Alfie Is not actually that much of an innocent kid. He's supposed to be seen as kind of like the good guy the innocent kid He's a habitual peeping tom throughout this entire film like even when he's what he's He ends up seeing like, um, glazer get killed. What was he doing though? Like he was stalking and he was like following him and like trying to watch him have sex How many times in this film at least three that I can remember off the top of my head right now How many times is Alfie sneaking around spying on people? He's a peeping tom. He's not a fine kid. He's not okay For all we know he went on after this to just keep doing that and he became the gold someone like the golden state killer I'm just saying He's not an innocent kid. He's supposed to be in this be the hero hero, but he's not It doesn't make sense that Todd would survive this. Let's be honest It also doesn't make sense that Alfie would survive this either Because Cropsy up until he comes comes up against Todd and Alfie separately Um, he kills everyone that he comes in contact with and he doesn't you know hit him with something and then back off He makes sure he does the job. He's very brutal about it. He wants to kill He's filled with anger and rage and so when he just like nicks Todd and then just leaves him. That's not believable Then when he just uh pins Alfie up by his arm with the chair, that's also not believable because He he's he's been he's been killing people. Why all of a sudden does he just let up on Todd and Alfie? Especially because he tries to kill Todd later Plot holes that stuff doesn't make sense either just doesn't make sense Alfie running in the woods goes on way too long And then we redo the same thing with Todd as he's retracing the same steps that Alfie took This speaks to another one of these problems with the pacing in this It's an hour and a half and it seems longer than an hour and a half when you have scenes like this That stuff needed to get cut down These are these reasons i'm bringing up these issues with this film are reasons why it didn't do well in the box office Especially because people have already seen Friday the 13th and that's a better film That is definitely a better film because the pacing the script writing is way more tight It's way better executed just saying Um, oh really quick uh going backwards because I forgot to say something Uh the multiple kills on the raft that scene when you then they focus that camera shot on the blood running down the girl's arm That looked really good. That was a really good cinema cinematography moment It was a very inspired shot and it looked cool. It almost looked kind of artistic and another really good shot like that was when um We finally when Todd is you know going in Alfie's footsteps, which I just complained about But he gets into that area where it's all dark except there's like some rays of light coming through and he's holding the axe And it's it's like dark except you see like this ray of light on the head of the axe That was another scene that looked really good. That shot looked real cool and artistic um and then in the end of this um It's interesting because you kind of become of become aware of the fact that the burning the title of this film The burning is how everything happens all these bad things go down That's how everything gets started and then the burning is how everything ends because Alfie sets crops you on fire and dead supposedly although they were thinking about doing the sequel so Ended up being dead, but was potentially not going to end up being dead. So just saying Especially with the story being told around the campfire at the end when they kind of insinuate to you looking straight at the camera That watch out because he's out there um I definitely feel a lot like or this this film feels a lot like um Friday the 13th like i've already said It's weird considering the timing that they wouldn't have been Inspired by it in any way It has all the trappings of it the accident like i already talked about between You know accident with jason accident with cropsy the horny teens and them all getting it the camp setting all that stuff It's very very similar also Excuse me also Alfie actually almost becomes jason at that part where someone Puts him in the water and he can't swim and he's like drowning that kind of seemed to me like it was a little bit of a Um nod or jab at the friday the 13th because of when jason drowns Am i right? Am i right? Um Yeah, and then like I said all the sexual pressuring in this film feels very different When you know harvey Weinstein was involved with the script. I cannot stress that enough Yeah The film the film feels very uneven which is probably why it didn't do as well when it came out and Friday the 13th is way better structured as a film the problem is This film came out a year after the first friday the 13th people had seen friday the 13th They probably saw a trailer for the burning and thought oh wow this might be like friday the 13th because it's very similar setting It's a very similar concept And then they go to it and the pacing is all messed up That huge gap of about 40 to 45 minutes of no Propsy is a big big problem in this film. Yes, you get some really good stuff at the end But a lot of people have already been turned off by that point and it's hard to change opinions by then Now all that said I actually enjoyed the film I know I dogged on some stuff about this, but I enjoyed the film I didn't think it was the best I didn't think it's as great as everyone says a lot of people I found it on lists of being like required viewing as far as like cult classic horror films go I don't know if I would go that far, but I would recommend it to some people just to check it out And like I said, I might watch it again. I don't know, but I don't feel super compelled to I think the friday the 13th series is way better Just about I think I would prefer maybe every single film in friday the 13th except jason x Over this just saying Now that might not be accurate there might be a few others I might not prefer over this, but you know what I'm saying the better friday the 13th films are definitely better than the burning Uh, the other thing to point out is that the the artwork the poster art for the burning promises a lot And when it takes forever to get to that type of action People get impatient and get pissed. So I'm just saying Anyway, thanks everyone for checking this out. Now. I'm gonna give it the star rating. I almost forgot So out of five stars with half stars in play. I'm gonna give it a very solid three star rating I do still recommend it and yeah, but I know people will have opinions So go ahead and put all your opinions down in the comments and we will talk about it Did you love this film? Tell me why I want to know. Did you hate this film? Tell me why I also want to know But do me a quick favor hit that subscribe button because that's your best way to repay me If you like any video I do this one or other ones Um, and I really do appreciate it literally takes you a second So it's very painless, but it can mean a lot for my channel and I appreciate that But if you're gonna do that or if you already have make sure you also hit The notification bell because that way you know when I'm putting out new videos Or when I'm doing live streaming because I'm doing that as well But thank you regardless and uh, I do appreciate you just checking this video out and until next time keep it brutal