FRIDAY THE 13th spawned an entire generation of imitators, but few were quite as accomplished as Tony Maylam’s THE BURNING. Featuring effects by Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD), the film begins as a group of rambunctious kids plays a prank on the janitor at their summer camp that goes horribly wrong and results in him suffering severe burns. After five years in the hospital, he gets out and heads back to the camp for revenge, where one of his tormentors is now a counselor. The film sticks to all the conventions of 1980s movies (e.g. making each kid either a jock, nerd, prankster, etc.) and boasts outstanding gore effects. THE BURNING (which includes early screen appearances by Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, and Fisher Stevens) is a campy, well done slasher film with a few genuinely disturbing moments.