Unseen Terror: Day 9

The Burning is a 1981 slasher flick that is a tad bit overlooked and underrated considering it came out a year after Friday the 13th was released and soon, you could see a new slasher flick almost every few weeks (*sigh*, those would've been the days). The plot's a pretty simple one: a man named Cropsy, who is the creepy, alcoholic caretaker for a summer camp called Blackfoot is horribly burned in a prank gone wrong, and when he's released from the hospital five years later (albeit wearing a hat, glasses and coat in order to hide his deformities), he decides to take his revenge on the nearby teens of Camp Stonewater.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. It's not immediate balls-to-the-wall in terms of kills, but it works better that way if you ask me. The first 40 or so minutes are mostly used to help you get to know the characters better. Oh, and if that doesn't interest you, don't worry. The blood and gore effects provided by Tom Savini will more than likely keep you satisfied. The film's killer, Cropsy, is also quite memorable and his garden shears are just as cool and deadly as Jason's machete or Freddy's claw.

I was also quite surprised at how star-studded this film was. You'll recognize a young Jason Alexander in what I believe was his motion picture debut, and it might take you a bit to recognize Holly Hunter, also making her debut. Shockingly, most of the cast looked like they actually gave a shit about being in this too and didn't just phone it in. The film's composer is Rick Wakeman, formerly of progressive rock pioneers Yes, and his score is chilling, exciting, and just all around pretty awesome. I was shocked to see that Harvey Weinstein produced the film, and his brother Bob helped write it as well.

So more do I have to say? It's got everything you'll want in a good 80s slasher. Good gore, good t&a, good characters (though a bit too many if you ask me), a good score, and a good climax. If you've got a Netflix account, check this one out. I think you'll have some fun.

Tomorrow, I regrettably watch one of the biggest "surprise hits" in modern horror with PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. This one could be hard to get through...