Runtime:
91 minutes
Directed
by: Tony Maylam
Starring:
Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua
From:
Miramax (their first big hit)
Here
is a movie on Netflix that I've actually seen before but that was a
long time ago so it merited a rewatch. And yes this is a return to me
watching and talking about horror films, as this is a slasher flick
set a summer camp but allegedly it was written BEFORE Friday the
13th. No matter the case you'll be reminded of that movie
while watching this, as you can't help but do that.
The
plot is simple yet effective: Five years ago, some kids at a summer
camp get mad at the odd-looking caretaker, known as Cropsey; that's a
name which is infamous in the Northeast as it's been a part of varous
urban legends. Anyhow, they do a prank where they find a skull with
worms and maggots all over it and stick it in his room and wake him
up. Oh, and it's lit with candles and there just happens to be a
canister of gas nearby... yep, Cropsey gets lit on fire. He ends up
in a burn ward for five years before getting released. He goes back
to the camp, this time sporting garden shears, and unleashes a lot of
mayhem.
The
most notable thing about this motion picture is that it was the debut
movie for THREE names that became much more famous later on: Jason
Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Holly Hunter. Holly only appears
briefly but the two guys have more substantial roles. It's certainly
rare for a film to have that sort of distinction, especially a genre
movie like this; then again many people do get their start in cheap
horror/sci-fi flicks. And this certainly isn't a horrible way to
start off your career.
This
is the standard slasher from the 80's. You know, there's nudity from
both the girls and the boys. There's juvenile humor, feuding between
some of the characters, romance, etc. It's what you expect in a
typical Friday the 13th movie, pretty much. But it doesn't
really have too much in common with the second Friday movie, which
came out the same year. Two assets are that the score is an
electronic thing from Rick Wakeman (yes, the former keyboardist for
the band Yes) and Tom Savini did the special effects, meaning you do
get impressive gore.
Despite
what the DVD and Netflix tells you, this version of the film is the
original unrated cut and not the cut that had to be haphazardly
edited to get an R rating. Thus you see all the carnage, especially
in a scene that has become known as the Raft Massacre Scene. Once you
see the movie you'll know what I'm talking about. It's something
that'll be quite hard for me to forget. It's not until far in the
movie that you really get to see what the villain looks like, and
it's quite the (melted) sight.
This
is an entertaining slasher that is never boring and the characters
are at least fine to watch and aren't grating. That and what I've
mentiond already makes this worth watching if you enjoy the genre.
I'll
be back Sunday night, even though I don't plan on doing something
that is related to Mother's Day.
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