The Burning

For a long time I thought this was a Friday the 13th rip-off But then I discovered it was written before Friday and Harvey Weinstein was one of the script writers (a real monster, creating a movie monster) Which is really disturbing when viewing the scenes of teen boys pressuring girls to have sex As for the movie itself actually not that bad it's a bit corny but stuff kids would really do and actually feel like kids not 20 somethings and Tom Savini effects did not disappoint

Decent entry in the slasher canon, perhaps notable as so much of it takes place in broad daylight. Some decent effects and performances elevate it a bit, although the script isn't great, and I didn't care for the music. Quite cool to see a young, non-bald Jason Alexander in an early role. Fun, but hardly original. I still don't understand what is meant to go on at these summer camps...

Harvey's original story pitch was just about women being pressured into unwanted sex and the other Weinstein decided to just drizzle a slasher on it. The Savini work in this is great, you'll see shears shear like never before. Jason Alexander either has the hairiest back ever or has some Yakuza tattoo going on

Unfortunately, this classic early 80's carpetbagger cash-in slasher never quite won me over. While the movie is notable for some gnarly gore, thanks to the sfx work done by the legendary Tom Savini, as well as a young Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter, not to mention a script co-written by Harvey Weinstein, which makes the character "Eddy" almost as creepy as the psychopathic murderer, some combination of parts of the score, script, and cinematography really hold the whole thing back for me.

The perfect slasher movie trifecta: Corn syrup blood, uncomfortable nudity, and Jason Alexander.

Are there any horror movies that take place in or around a cabin?

A fine example of the 80's summer camp slasher flick about a horribly burned killer named Cropsy who butchers kids with hedge clippers. It's got boobs, good suspense, cute girls and bloody kills with excellent gore effects. Plus a young Jason Alexander as the annoying loudmouth fat kid.

This little slasher was a lot of fun. It drags at the beginning but get pretty fast paced during the second half. The cast/characters were mostly likable and it was fun to see all the character actors when they were young. I liked that this one really had a good camp vibe and the effects, even when a bit goofy works well and were a lot of fun.

The Burning is a lazy Friday The 13th clone that fails to even reproduce the simple atmospheric pleasures of that much imitated but ultimately ordinary film. It breaks from convention in one simple way: the kills generally happen in broad daylight. But they are so poorly staged that it hardly matters, and there is zero suspense. The POV shots are overused, and the acting is rather typical of a cheap knock off slasher (i.e bad). Recommended for diehard slasher nuts exclusively.

Not particularly memorable, but still fun. It obviously owes a lot to Friday the 13th, with its camp setting, mystery killer, and gore (handled by the always fantastic Tom Savini). It's worth watching, but don't expect anything special.

If Friday the 13th didn't suck and featured Jason Alexander.

Aaah yes, this one plays right into my wheelhouse. Early '80s slasher...summer camp setting...copious, inconsequential bloodletting...it's all here! Only the horrible (and redundant) synthesizer soundtrack keep this from getting a better grade, because the rest of this film delivers on all that it promises (admittedly, not much) as a Friday the 13th knockoff. Seeing a 22-year-old Jason Alexander (with hair!) is worth the price of admission alone. If it wasn't, the surprise canoe massacre is.

Hopelessly standard-issue. There's the summer camp setting, the murderous fiend wielding sharp implements to exact revenge for a cruel prank gone wrong years earlier, and the usual collection of misbehaving teens prone to conspicuous nookie and sultry showering. It probably goes without typing that it isn't very good, although there are characteristically gory Tom Savini makeup effects for those who are into that sort of thing.

if it werent for my bloody valentine this would be the best slasher of 1981, IT HAS GEORGE FROM SEINFELD IN IT. AND HE HAS HAIR. HAIR.

Weird to see some recognizable actors in their younger days, especially Jason Alexander. I think it's better than the average 80's slasher flick, though I don't consider that bar set very high. The killer has the trademark super-stealth and super strength abilities apparently and the kills do seem pretty cheesy in retrospect. However the movie has really good pacing which I think helps it a lot. Plus (some) of the scenes with the teenagers seems genuine.

Teenagers, summer camp, psycho killer; this slasher sure doesn't win any prizes for originality. But it passes the time okay thanks to a likeable cast, including a young Jason Alexander and some entertaining kills.

A basic slasher that's elevated by a solid cast & enjoyable performances from the likes of pre-Seinfeld Jason Alexander, it's also unfortunately muddied by being a Weinstein production. That said, it's a surprisingly tame entry into early-80's horror, with virtually no super-graphic deaths & a slow-burn pace that takes its time building to the eventual massacre. Though not really anything special, it's fun enough for what it is- the ending is pretty meh, though. Worth a watch for horror heads.

A Friday the 13th knockoff that is actually more enjoyable than several of the proper series Ft13 films. Big thumbs up for the scene where the killer mass-slaughters five victims all in a matter of seconds; more slasher flicks should be so bloodthirsty!

Was it good? No, not really. Did I like it? Yeah, sort of. I definitely enjoyed some of the slasher elements, and Savini's gore effects were excellent. And the summer camp setting is classic for a reason. There are exactly zero likable characters. There were a lot of parts that didn't make sense, and there was some pretty poor direction and audio mixing, but I enjoyed the parts that worked. Oh, and Jason Alexander was in it. That was weird.

It's ok. Better than Friday the 13th as a slasher, the characters have a bit more personality and the killer is creepier, but it's still nothing special.

Those kids sure did stay friends a long time. I think that's commendable.

I guess the Weinstein brothers had to start somewhere.

A pretty solid "murder those teen movies," if you define solid as "a movie with full frontal nudity for a minute and cheesy effects for the rest." Which I do. The biggest issue is a pretty big plot hole; How could Cropsy afford to stay in the hospital for 5 years? What kind of health insurance do camp caretakers get? Maybe I should be a camp caretaker, if their mortality rate didn't seem so low.

This movie was heavily riding on the coat tails of the much much much more successful Friday the 13th. And theres good reason there were no more of these made. It's not bad, but definitely nothing new.

By-the-numbers Friday the 13th clone. Among those he stalks with his extra-large pruning shears are Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld") and Oscar-winner Holly Hunter. Most of Tom Savini's gruesome FX had to be cut for an R but there *is* an intense score by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman.

Incredibly stupid.

Half the time I was laughing, the other half I was rolling my eyes. If you like 80s horror cheese this is for you.

Above average

As far as early 80's slasher films go, this is highly overlooked. It follows the formula, and save one glaring special effects glitch, is an entertaining romp from start to finish.

An obvious knockoff of the Friday the 13th series, this shows some promise in parts, but generally pretty formulaic. Also, seeing the killer use the same weapon over and over grows pretty tedious and makes you appreciate some of the more creative deaths in the Friday series. It's funny to see young Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Holly Hunter (in a very small role) in this.

A nice little slasher gem. There's some really nice scenes in here, especially the infamous "raft massacre" scene.

Surprisingly effective Friday the 13th riff that truly feels expansive unlike many slashers and as though you are in the film, due to its reliance on POV shots. There's also some additional fun in pointing out the many future stars in the film.

Better than most other slashers from this era. The poster promised a shirtless hunk and they didn't deliver on that, pretty disappointing.

This semi-classic slasher holds up.

If you subtract the nostalgia component and the fact that you can see George Costanza's buttcrack, this is just a rather bad slasher.

watched 15.05.21

I love the feel of the 80's summer camp horror movies. This one didn't disappoint. I'm surprised that it wasn't more popular when it was released. I felt that it was at the same level as Friday the 13th. I can't end this review without noting how surprised I was too see young Jason Alexander!

I'm not a huge fan of the slasher genre but more of a supernatural horror fan, but as far as slashers of this era go, this one's pretty entertaining with some good ol' gore for its time. Some horrible characters with equally horrible acting, though and yet... yeah, I still kinda liked it.

Come for Harvey Weinstein's ripoff of Friday the 13th, stay for young George Costanza's pale ass.

w/ Gurmes

Chamas da Morte estreava há 40 anos nos EUA. Claro rip-off de Sexta feira 13 (apesar dos produtores dizerem que foi escrito antes - sei), com a vantagem que ser muito melhor, especialmente pelo elenco carismático. O filme também é conhecido como a estreia no cinema de Jason Alexander, vulgo nosso George Costanza, e também do Fisher Stevens e da grande Holly Hunter. Também foi o primeiro filme que Harvey Weinstein produziu, mas acho que aí ninguém faz questão de lembrar, hehehe Versátil

Largely overlooked but definitely underappreciated early 80s slasher.

62.6.

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Average early 80s horror slasher but pretty interesting music.

Extremely misogynistic, but in the end it was super entertaining. I haven't seen many summer camp slashers, so that probably helped it.

Cheesy and cliched summer camp slasher that aims to make a buck from the popularity of Friday the 13th.Notable for the on screen debut of Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter.

60.250

Mundane teen slasher flick that's no better or worse than the masses of similar movies that cropped up around the same time.

Good slasher film, formulaic, but done all so well. Also good to see for the screen debut of Jason Alexander.

Average slasher with some very young faces that you might find familiar.