After a needed break from writing on films, The Best Films I Saw in 2011 is back with another series of entries onto the list. This article's entry is the film that established Buffalo, NY as a horror haven. Since this film, numerous horror films have been made from outsiders as well as homegrown filmmakers. Titles such as Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, The Perfect House, Slime City Massacre, and Decayed stand as examples of such. This film also stands as one of Miramax's first films, building momentum for the Weinstein brothers.
The Best I Saw in 2011: Tom Maylam's The Burning
One night at at a summer camp, a group of youths plan on pulling a prank on the camp's caretaker, Cropsy. They hope to scare him with a rotting skull candle. Cropsy wakes up, startled by the sight. He kicks over the candle and it lands on a gas can, setting the cabin and himself on fire. Stunned, the campers just watch as Cropsy stumbles into the river to douse the flames.
Five years later, Cropsy is released from the hospital. He hides his scars under a jacket, hat, and sunglasses. He solicits a prostitute and kills her out of rage with a pair of scissors. Afterwards, he sets out to Camp Stonewater to murder the campers and counselors.
Its here the film transitions from being a horror movie to a camp-themed teen comedy. The kids engage in humorous shenanigans. It was almost as if two separate films were edited together. This portion of the story doesn't focus on any one or two characters. There is no designated hero/heroine, which came to me as a welcomed surprise. Its a good half hour before Cropsy actually spills blood on the camp grounds, and when he does they are well worth the wait.
After a number of kills by Cropsy, Todd (Brian Matthews) and Alfred (Brian Backer) are the ones who end up fighting the killer. Interestingly enough, they end up falling into the role of the heroes as opposed to making a determined stand. They fight out of survival instinct, not out of alpha male tendencies.
The Review
Viewers will likely get a kick out of the casting in this film. The Burning marks the film debuts of Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit), and Oscar winner Holly Hunter. Brian Matthews would go on to star in a number of soap operas. Fans of Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man film will recognize Larry Joshua from his role as the shyster wrestling promoter. Overall, the cast is believable, if not really delved into as far as development goes.
The real star of the film is the effects work of Tom Savini. It was these effects that got the film banned in Britain during the Video Nasties controversy of the 1980's, as well as being censored in America. The respective countries would eventually release the film uncut in 2001 and 2007. Those who see the film will likely never forget the raft slaughter scene that would becomes a signature scene in Savini's long list of effects credits.
The synth-heavy score by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman is good, but not memorable. Don't get me wrong. Wakeman has more musical chops than similar-styled composers like John Carpenter and Claudio Simonetti. But unlike Carpenter or Simonetti, there isn't a theme or riff that sticks out. Halloween and Profondo Rosso have a key theme that stays with you.
Conclusion
Fans might be disappointed by the few and far between kills in this film. Yet, I have to give credit. The characters are given a lot of personality, much more than the machete fodder in other slasher films. But, this is a film that rewards the gorehound if they keep watching long enough. Although The Burning is in the shadow of Friday the 13th, it has its moments of ingenuity that help it to stand on it's own.
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