The Burning (1981)

Some of the boys at Camp Blackfoot have had enough of mean ol' camp caretaker Cropsy and decide to get back at him with a killer prank. It goes horribly wrong and Cropsy and his whole cabin go up in flames. The boys run for it and Cropsy ends up in the hospital, burned so bad that he's a freak show for the hospital's nurses and residents.

Five years later, Cropsy is released from the hospital, apparently still a horror of roasted flesh and skin grafts that "didn't take." And inside Cropsy's shell of charred and melted tissue is a terrible rage, burning for vengeance.

Next thing you know, we're at Camp Stonewater. Our introduction to the movie's characters (including a young Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Holly Hunter) takes place in a softball game that is much less convincing than the one in Sleepaway Camp. After some camp shenanigans, the older kids go on a three-day canoe trip down the river.

Head counselor Todd tells the kids a campfire story about a camp "just across the lake" and the legend of Cropsy, little knowing that the real Cropsy is lurking in the woods with his razor-sharp garden shears.

The Burning has some half-decent characters for a slasher movie - especially when viewed today, after a few of the actors have gone on to greater success. The movie actually gives you some characters you can root for, not just the usual creeps who may deserve what they get. (Okay, there may be a few of those, too.)

But more importantly, it has some truly outstanding kill scenes, with top-notch practical gore effects by the legendary Tom Savini. Cropsy slices and dices with his garden shears like Eddie Van Halen shreds with his guitar - with the highlight of this grizzly performance being the infamous raft massacre. It's a whirlwind of blood and blades and body parts like few other slasher movies have dared to attempt, much less pull off so well.

In the real world, the Cropsy legend was so well-known in the Northeast that it spawned not only this movie, but another slasher called Madman, and a documentary, Cropsey. And there's no telling how many other horror movies it inspired.

The Burning tells a very entertaining story of a campfire tale come to life - a legend that's all too real. It was an obscurity for a long time, but is now widely available on DVD and even the Netflix instant streaming service. It's a good thing, too, as this classic is a must-see for slasher fans.