The Burning is a sleek little Friday the 13th clone you just might have missed upon its initial release. Chock full of gory little numbers and sticking close to a winning 'slasher in the woods' formula, this 1981 splatter gem is sure to please.

Directed by Tony Maylam and showcasing some great gore effects, The Burning was the victim of some sizable gore trimming at the hands of the censors, most notably the "raft scene."

An effective score by Rick Wakeman, keyboardist for the group Yes, is also a big plus. Among the cast were some future well-known actors such as Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Holly Hunter.

Also notable is the fact that the Weinstein brothers were the creative force behind The Burning.

Harvey wrote and produced, while brother Bob co-wrote the screenplay. The two would go on to form the super successful Mirimax Pictures.

Cropsy (Lou David) is a caretaker at Camp Blackfoot. Mean-spirited and a heavy drinker, he is despised by the kids at the camp. One day, a group of them decide to play a prank on him.

As he's sleeping, they put a decayed skull by his bed, complete with worms and lit candles inside.

The kids watch through a window as Cropsy wakes up. But the prank goes awry. Their victim is so horrified, he knocks the skull over and sets his bed and himself on fire. The kids can do nothing but watch.

Cropsy is taken to St. Catherine's Hospital for treatment. The burns are so bad, he becomes something of a freak show. Doctors take their co-workers to Cropsy's room to show them the damage.

One night, the patient suddenly grabs the arm of one of the orderlies and scares the daylights out of him.

Five years later, Cropsy is released but unfortunately, the skin grafts didn't take. Now, out on the streets again and looking like your standard giallo killer (black gloves, hat, long trenchcoat), Cropsy picks up a prostitute.

Back at her apartment, the woman is able to see just how deformed he is when he steps into the light. The hooker screams, and Crospy picks up a pair of scissors and stabs her, then throws her body out of the window.

Camp Stonewater is filled with kids and their counselors during summer vacation. Out for revenge, Cropsy is lurking.

A pretty young girl named Sally (Carrick Glenn) is taking a shower outside when she suddenly senses someone watching her. It turns out to be Alfred (Brian Backer) the kid everyone likes to pick on.

Furious, she calls out for the main counselors, Todd (Brian Mathews), and Michelle (Leah Ayres). They warn Alfred to stay away from her. Sally's boyfriend Glazer (Larry Joshua), the camp punk, physically threatens him.

That night while hanging out with the other guys, Alfred sees the charred face of a stranger in the window but nobody believes him.

The next day, some of the campers head out for a three day canoe trip to Devil's Creek. Todd has told them the story of Cropsy at a campfire, and this puts some of the kids on edge.

Later, Eddy (Ned Eisenberg) and Karen (Carolyn Houlihan) go for a swim in the lake.

When Eddy comes on too strong, they get into a fight and Karen storms off. Looking for her clothing, Karen is killed with a pair of hedge clippers.

With Karen missing, the others soon also realize that their six canoes are all gone. Todd builds a raft, and a small group heads out to look for them. As they're paddling in the lake, they notice a canoe in the distance.

When they get close to it, a terrifying figure suddenly emerges from it. It's Cropsy with his hedge clippers, and he kills all five people on the raft. (This is an awesome scene and has to be seen to be believed.)

Sally and Glazer are having sex in the woods. When they're done (rather quickly, thanks to Glazer), he goes off to get more wood for their fire. Sally is left alone, and is killed. When Glazer returns, he thinks she's sleeping. He slowly approaches her and lifts the blanket up.

Cropsy is underneath and plunges the hedge clippers into Glazer's neck. Alfred has been watching the whole time and runs to tell Todd.

Todd does indeed find the bodies, but Cropsy strikes him and knocks him out. Then the killer turns to chase Alfred. He captures him and takes him back to an old abandoned house.

Meanwhile, Michelle and a small group of kids are waiting for the raft to return. In the distance, they see it in the water but there's no one visible on it.

Michelle swims out towards it just as Todd shows up to warn them about Cropsy. When she gets to the raft she finds a horrific sight. A severed arm falls out and she sees a mutilated body floating in the water.

Michelle swims back to the shore and Todd tells her to call the authorities. The kids are crying and in shock. Todd picks up an ax and heads out to find Alfred. He finds the abandoned house. Cropsy comes after him with a torch and during a struggle, Todd strikes him with the ax. Then the torch is turned on Cropsy, setting him on fire once again.

In the final scene, a counselor at a different camp is telling the story to another group of kids. "They never found his body, but his spirit lives..."

Jason: Of course, "a killer in the woods" is one of my favorite things, and although this is another Friday the 13th clone, I feel this still delivers the goods.

The killing of the hooker at the beginning is fairly good. But this film deserves the real kudos for the "mass murder" sequence aboard the canoe & makeshift raft.

Unexpected, abrupt and really quite effective in its editing, the raft murders showcase the best of the shock special effects and make for one of slasherdom's most memorable moments.

Viscerally, the effects look exceptional in this scene; watching it, I couldn't recall a similar scene in another film where the killer takes out several victims all at once, quickly and decisively.

The uncut version of the raft scene is of course even more elaborate. Another underrated slasher, this one is a solid entry which needs a critical re-evaluation.

Hunter: This movie is in some ways more realistic than others of it's kind. The lighting is really natural, with the sky being overcast most of the time. And best of all, many of the kids in the film are REALLY YOUNG.

Unlike Friday the 13th, in which the murders take place before the arrival of the campers, this one is filled with kids who don't look much older than 15. If you're a fan of the Friday series, check this one out!