Canadian Horror Marathon: The Burning (1981)



For this writeup, I’m going back to what I used to do.  I’m going to quickly summarize the movie, then I’ll pick a few points and ramble about them for a bit.  That’s about all that’s going to happen.  If you don’t want to read that, you can watch the movie.  It’s not bad.  The movie is The Burning, made in 1981.  If you do want to read it, read on.

A summary for The Burning is fairly easy.  Some kids try to get revenge on a camp maintenance guy and end up accidentally lighting him on fire.  After spending five years in the hospital, the man is released.  He goes to a camp near the one he worked at and begins a killing spree with garden shears.  That’s not the most complex movie idea ever, but boy, I found it fun.

The Burning was Jason Alexander’s film debut.  That means that George Costanza was in The Burning.  This was before he was George, and he still had a full head of hair.  I’d also dare say that Mr. Alexander was the best part of The Burning.  The way Jason Alexander talks feels right at home with the character he is playing.  It’s perfect.

One of the things I noticed as soon as I started the movie was that the Weinsteins were involved.  I was not expecting that, as I know the brothers mostly for their work in the 90s independent movie uprising, and the Oscar award nominated movies.  I never expected to see their names attached to an early eighties slasher movie.  One of them even helped to write it.  My jaw basically hit the floor when I saw their names appear.

There was quite a large amount of gore in the movie.  I don’t mean the modern torture gore that you see in so many horror movies now.  I mean lots of blood and cutting were included in The Burning.  From the first kill to the last, there was blood pouring all around.  It was refreshing to see gore that wasn’t there just for shock factor, but to add to the killing.  It’s something I never see anymore.  The horror wasn’t in the gore but there was gore to be had.

Watching The Burning was a fun experience.  Movies aren’t made like this anymore.  There was care for what was being done, from the writing to the direction to the acting.  The finished product gave loads of enjoyment.  If you’re into slasher movies and you haven’t seen The Burning, you should check it out.  It’s well worth the hour and a half (approximately) runtime.

That’s about all I have for The Burning.  Up next is a classic that most people know about in some way.  The Changeling, starring George C. Scott is taking the next spot in the marathon.  This should be a good one.  (I say that every time, don’t I?)  I like George C. Scott.  I’m hoping he’s great again. In order to be in line with someone else's October horror marathon, the next movie is actually Beyond the Black Rainbow.  Sorry for any inconvenience, though I'm sure that I am only inconveniencing myself. And that’s all I have to say about that.

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