The Burning (1981)

I was going to spend Father's Day watching a marathon of George Romero classics, especially after my daughters picked me up a copy of Day of the Dead to complete my collection. Instead, I decided to watch the 1981 slasher the Burning, to help pass time during my quiet afternoon!

Plot/ A caretaker at a summer camp is burned when a prank goes tragically wrong. After several years of intensive treatment at hospital, he is released back into society, albeit missing some social skills. What follows is a bloody killing spree with the caretaker making his way back to his old stomping ground to confront one of the youths that accidentally burned him.

Its funny, I had almost forgotten about The Burning, until recently reading a copy of Horrorhound Magazine. Made in 1981, this entry was one of the original slasher flicks that became my introduction into the genre during my teenage years. Watching it today took me back, and reinforced the notion that this is one of the best films of the age. Yes, it did follow closely to the idea made popular by the Friday the 13th franchise, but what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for it with some of the best gore scenes of the era. Tom Savini did a masterful job on the effects and created some of the most realistic death scenes in any slasher flick. Combine those with a decent amount of tension and an awesome soundtrack and you definitely have a winner. If blood, guts and gore are what you are looking for, grab this and you will not be disappointed.