History Film / TheBurning

[[caption-width-right:231:''[[{{tagline}} A brutal, horrific act made him kill, and kill, and kill...]]'']]

[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burningvhs_1137.png]]

->''Don't look, he'll see you. ''
->''Don't breathe, he'll hear you. ''
->''Don't move... '''you're dead!'''''

!!This film provides examples of the following tropes:

Five years after a group of kids set Camp Blackfoot's cruel caretaker, Cropsy, on fire (in a prank involving a skull with candles for eyes), he gets released from the hospital. After killing a prostitute, Cropsy heads back to the camp with a pair of [[ShearMenace garden shears]] and starts offing campers left and right.

''The Burning'' is a SlasherMovie from the year 1981, conceived and produced by an early career Harvey Weinstein (yes, the same one you're thinking of). It was directed by Tony Maylam, and featured special effects by Creator/TomSavini and music composed by keyboardist Music/RickWakeman (of Music/DavidBowie and Music/{{Yes}} fame).

* NiceHat: Cropsy wears a fedora not unlike the one Freddy Krueger would later wear in ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet''.

* WhoWearsShortShorts: Michelle and most of the female campers get around in very short shorts.

* DontGoInTheWoods Cropsy's main killing spree starts when the campers go on an overnight canoe trip and are camping in the deep woods.

* BloodIsSquickerInWater: The raft massacre ends with blood dripping off the murdered campers into the river..

[[caption-width-right:231:''A brutal, horrific act made him kill, and kill, and kill...'']]

* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Unlike other fictional bullies, who are usually a serious problem for the protagonists due to [[BullyBrutality physical power]], [[AlphaBitch popularity]], [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney wealth]], [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections family influence]], or some combination of the above, Glazer is really just pitiful. The only person he successfully bullies at all is Alfred (who, lets face it, is creeping on his girlfriend), whom Todd and Dave immediately step in to protect. He spends the rest of the movie - until he's killed, at least - making empty threats as the other campers retaliate against him for his bullying, and [[SpeedSex sexually disappointing his girlfriend]].

''The Burning'' is a SlasherMovie from the year 1981, conceived and produced by an early career Harvey Weinstein (yes the same one you're thinking of). It was directed by Tony Maylam, and featured special effects by Creator/TomSavini and music composed by keyboardist Music/RickWakeman (of Music/DavidBowie and Music/{{Yes}} fame).

''The Burning'' is a SlasherMovie from the year 1981, conceived and produced by an early career Harvey Weinstein (yes the same one you're thinking of). It was directed by Tony Maylam. It featured special effects by Creator/TomSavini and its music was composed by keyboardist Music/RickWakeman (of Music/DavidBowie and Music/{{Yes}} fame).

''The Burning'' is a SlasherMovie from the year 1981, conceived and produced by an early career (and Harvey Weinstein, yes the same one your thinking of). It was directed by Tony Maylam. It featured special effects by Creator/TomSavini and its music was composed by keyboardist Music/RickWakeman (of Music/DavidBowie and Music/{{Yes}} fame).

''The Burning'' is a SlasherMovie from the year 1981, conceived and produced by an early career (and '''''[[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment very]]''''' [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment pre-scandal]]) Harvey Weinstein. It was directed by Tony Maylam. It featured special effects by Creator/TomSavini and its music was composed by keyboardist Music/RickWakeman (of Music/DavidBowie and Music/{{Yes}} fame).

* CrustyCaretaker: Cropsy. Before the deadly prank that left him horribly disfigured, he was the cruel, [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] caretaker of Camp Blackfoot, who used to secretly beat the kids at the camp.

* DeadlyPrank: Provides the motivation for the killer. It tells the story of a [[CrustyCaretaker cruel, alcoholic caretaker]] at a summer camp (nicknamed Cropsy, after the huge garden shears he carries) who falls victim to a prank that went out of control and leaves him horribly burned and disfigured. Following his release from hospital, he returns to his old stomping ground and begins a murder spree. Naturally.

* InfantImmortality: Luckily for the younger campers, Cropsy only wants the older ones and the counselors.

* DefiniteArticleTitle: ''The'' Burning

* TheTitling: Used for the title.

--> '''Fish:''' Man, what the Hell are we supposed to be looking for anyway?
--> '''Woodstock and Dave:''' Your mother.

* TheTheTitle: ''The'' Burning

* SlashedThroat: Karen's body is found with slit throat.

* HandOfDeath During Cropsy's murders, often the only part of him shown is his hands holding the shears.

* DontGoInTheWoods Cropsy's main killing spree strats when the campers go on an overnight canoe trip and are camping in the deep woods.

* FeetFirstIntroduction: The prostitute is shown from Cropsy's POV as he stares at her legs as she stands in a doorway..

%%* CrustyCaretaker: Cropsy.

%%* DeadlyPrank

* RealiLifeWritesThePlot: The climax was originally scripted to take place in a cave. However, the first gave the production attempted to use proved to be full of bats, and the second collapsed before shooting could start. So the setting was changed to use the ruins of an old copper mine the crew had discovered while filming.

%%* RuinsForRuinsSake: The finale.