Any true horror fan especially those that enjoy the beloved slasher subgenre, can name quite a few films that fall into this grouping, however one of the notorious few that didn’t become a franchise or even box office one-time hit is Tony Maylam’s The Burning, that’s even before its production garnished much attention in the summer of 1980, only to have it all fizzle away. It was initially titled The Cropsy Maniac and would contain many gratifying kill scenes for the fans, however it struggled at the box office, it wasn’t that movie emerged at the slasher craze, its release was spot on during the height and gory galore of this new subgenre capturing many eyes. Sean S. Cunningham’s movie Friday the 13th [1980] smashed open doors for a lot of aspiring slasher franchises killers, filled with rage and no remorse, using all types of weapons, herein for Maylam garden shears. While not a commercial success he did gain attention, likely in an unwanted manner, his problems were with censors in both United States and UK, landing his film on the ‘video nasties list’ with the latter country. Nevertheless, that placement would earn the movie an instant cult status, especially for such a vicious killer stomping across the screen. However it didn’t stop Tony as he went on to make other entries into the horror genre including a tv-movie The Sins of Dorian Gray [1983] and then in 1992 Split Second; accompanying Tony on this journey as originators of the story was Brad Grey (Taste of Flesh [2008]) and another individual that shall remain nameless, though the screenwriter was Peter Lawrence (Terminal Choice [1985]). The concept of the film is based on a campfire story which are often referred to as urban legends nowadays, mostly told in both New Jersey and upstate New York; in lead to a documentary Cropsey [2009], though strangely this film is not referenced in the documentary.

The central location for the film starts and at a summer camp (like, Friday the 13th) with a of group boys playing an ill-thought of prank on the maintenance man Cropsy, who of course was a sadistic alcoholic, inside of his cabin/ shack. This joke involves a fake human head covered in worms and with plenty of lit candles adorning it, they put it on a table facing him while passed out on his bunk; scaring him awake and accidentally sets himself ablaze (i.e., The Burning). The rest of the film occurs after 5-years of a hospital stay and one death of a sleazy prostitute who found him a ghastly sight, it’s onto a revenge spree at that same summer camp. Ideally the first hour plays-out like one would figure, setting-up the characters, location, etc., all of it very standardized. Maylam does it all very well taking the time to set up the large cast, allowing each of them to develop their own traits, definitely some truly look their age, thankfully; although it also serves as a double-edge sword, as it seems to bog down part of the first act. During this roundabout manner of introducing the primary characters we find the feature debut of Jason Alexander, who steals a lot of screen time with his sure-fired lines and the solid performances of both Fisher Stevens and Holly Hunter. Nevertheless, in this mix is Glazer (Larry Joshua) who portrays the stereotypical bully; lover Eddie (Ned Eisenberg); supposedly pervert Alfred (Brian Backer) and counselors Todd and Michelle (Brian Matthews and Leah Ayres); oh, almost forgot the customary characters Karen and Sally (Carolyn Houlihan and Carrick Glenn) often found in these romps. Once that second act hits, so does the horror, however, don’t expect wall-to-wall shocks starting with a canoe trip which appears to take to normal route of pairing off and venturing to a more remote location. The best scene is the infamous gruesome ‘Raft Blitz Attack’ which uses Rick Wakeman’s score to set the tone for the impending doom, and sheer brutality displayed on screen thanks to special effects master Tom Savini who passed on Friday the 13th Part II [1981] to do this movie instead, even the editing ruins some the suspense and horror. It is from here the blood flows often and the terror attempts to strike fear in the viewers, when it is possible, but the director deploys more of a suspense quality in the latter half of third act, and those left with the face-off with the rampaging lunatic slightly different than most slasher creations of time.

Maylam obviously took a lesson from John Carpenter’s Halloween, of developing a slow brooding killer along with carefree teens; while using the scenes and locations for tension filled moments of maniac to exploit at the expense of the audience. Sadly, it misses the mark a tad too often, however a significant plus does work the from wilderness, campers and day-trippers should know that mutant killers always know the woods better than you’ll ever discover. They fill them with tip wires and traps, for all types of prey animals and human, thereby generating their own creepiness without any enhancements from the crew. Aiding the movie is the score from Wakeman, the keyboardist, from the band Yes, a unique experimental effect to add to common doom laden music.

Strangely this movie still has an air of bizarreness surrounding, as it tests audiences enjoyed thoroughly, and yet it bombed horrendous at the box office when slashers were all the rage, some believe studios meddling cause the downfall, though evidence doesn’t clearly support that thought process; others lead credence to the editing and perhaps screenplay process. Then again, sometimes the stars don’t align for success, and left with confusion. This film still ranks high with the slasher movies fanbase and for those that nowadays follow these once young stars its always interesting how one begins their careers, and that the horror genre plays in launching those dreams.

TAGLINES:

• Gather Around the Campfire to Die!
• It will take you further than fear.
• A legend of terror is no campfire story anymore!
• Don’t look he’ll see you. Don’t breathe he’ll hear you. Don’t move you’re dead.
• The most frightening of all maniac films!
• What happened one summer 5 years ago is about to happen again!
• What happened one summer 5 years ago is about to happen again! And again!! And again!!!
• This summer if you’re planning to go camping – DON’T. If you’re looking forward to midnight swims – DON’T. And if you’re thinking about being with someone where no one else can see you – DON’T. What happened one summer 5 years ago is about to happen again! And again!! And again!!!
• A legend of terror isn’t a campfire story anymore!
• Don’t look, he’ll see you. Don’t breathe, he’ll hear you. Don’t move… you’re dead!
• A brutal horrific act made him kill and kill and kill
• Today is not Friday the 13th. But if you see this movie alone… you’ll never be the same again!
• Come Face To Face With The Creation of Evil!
• The most frightening of all maniac films.
• If you go down to the woods today… Watch out for Cropsy!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082118/

IMDb Rating: 6.4/10

Baron’s Rating: 6.0/10