10 Horror Movies Where Pranks Brutally Backfired
6. The Burning (1981)
Friday the 13th's dramatic success opened the door for legions of copycat films, all trying to cash in on that sweet, sweet gore-and-nudity market. Dozens of films attempted to replicate Friday's success, and it can very fairly be argued that The Burning is the best of the lot.
Taking place at Camp Blackfoot, which like all '80s slasher movie camps seems to be populated solely by sociopathic kids and staff, The Burning tells the story of caretaker Cropsy, a mean and cantankerous gent. Wanting to scare him, the campers set up a bug-filled, burning skull next to Cropsy's bed. He wakes up and is scared, surely; however he's a bit too scared and he knocks the skull over, starting a fire that leaves him disfigured.
After being released from the hospital five years later, he targets a new summer camp, Camp Stonewater, and begins to pick off the campers and counselors one by one, usually with a set of giant garden shears. Gory chaos ensues.
Cropsy, while mean, in no way deserved to be turned into a burnt, skin-grafted monster, so it is at least a bit understandable why he is so bent on revenge. Supported by gore effects done by legend Tom Savini, The Burning is one of the best summer-camp-gone-wrong films from this era.
The raft scene alone is worth the watch...