Watching The Burning (1981)

[Jeivar]

I became aware of the cult slasher film The Burning through finding the theme on Youtube and becoming strangely addicted to it. I'm now watching it, and thought I'd give a live commentary. It has a 6,5 rating on Imdb, pretty decent for a slasher flick, and is apparently considered something of a classic. Just one that never got turned into a franchise like Friday the 13th or Halloween.

13 Minutes in: Well, the first murder was genuinely unpleasant to watch, as opposed to being a gleeful freakshow. A promising start.

[Jeivar]

27 minutes in: Well, already had some good old fashioned fanservice. Now, don't get me wrong: The lead actresses are all good looking, but I've noticed that actors in older movies don't quite look like the ones that get cast today. Today seems to be all about a very standard kind of handsomeness.

Also, we have a classic 80's a-hole type character, who is guaranteed to be fed a sharp object. Never quite understood this tradition in horror movies. Seeing someone I want to get killed get killed isn't horrifying.

[Jeivar]

30:30. Hey, who remembers porn magazines? They were sort of a primitive internet, on paper.

Also, lots of smoking. Well, it was the era.

[Jeivar]

46:20 More fanservice.

[Jeivar]

49:30 . . . followed by murder, natch.

[Jeivar]

59:+ Gruesome massacre. Again, unpleasant to watch, as it should be.

[Jeivar]

01:10. Have to admit the plot is holding up okay for a slasher movie.

[Jeivar]

Aaand done.

Overall: I have to say, it's pretty good, as slasher flicks go. The climax isn't a masterpiece, and a lot of the slasher tropes have become quite predictable, but the killer displays actual cunning, as opposed to doing the Jason Voorhees lumbering juggernaut thing, the murders are gruesome, and Tom Savini's effects certainly hold up.

I would definitely recommend this, if you are into these kinds of movies.