The Burning
A scarred camp caretaker turns a lakeside summer retreat into a brutal hunting ground for teenagers and counselors.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- gruesome
- exploitative
- late night horror marathon
- 1980s slasher night
What critics said
Critics generally acknowledge the convincing practical gore and occasional suspense while viewing the film as an excessively violent and derivative Friday the 13th imitation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Cropsy's severe burning during a camp prank directly motivates his later return and attacks.
Tom Savini's special effects and the film's notorious raft sequence foreground convincing graphic gore.
Teenagers and counselors are isolated at a lakeside camp while a killer hunts through woods, cabins, and water.
Cropsy's severe burn scars define his identity, threat, and revenge mythology.
Films like The Burning, and why
Friday the 13th Part 2
shared summer-camp setting, revenge-driven masked killer, teen victims, and graphic slasher violence
Friday the 13th
shared backwoods camp atmosphere, youth ensemble, stalking killer, and escalating gore
The Prowler
shared 1980s slasher conventions, isolated teenagers, sadistic murders, and practical gore effects
Madman
shared campground setting, disfigured killer, revenge motive, and practical-effects gore
Movie Details
- Director
- Tony Maylam
- Release Date
- 1981-05-08
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (472)
Cast
- Brian Matthews
- Leah Ayres
- Brian Backer
- Larry Joshua
- Jason Alexander
- Ned Eisenberg
- Carrick Glenn
- Carolyn Houlihan
- Fisher Stevens
- Lou David
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Burning about?
- A scarred camp caretaker turns a lakeside summer retreat into a brutal hunting ground for teenagers and counselors.
- What is The Burning like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Burning as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Burning violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Burning as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Burning?
- Critics generally acknowledge the convincing practical gore and occasional suspense while viewing the film as an excessively violent and derivative Friday the 13th imitation.
- Which films are like The Burning?
- Films with a similar feel include Friday the 13th Part 2, Friday the 13th, The Prowler, and Madman.
- How long is The Burning?
- The Burning runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Burning?
- In United States, The Burning streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
