20 Most Insanely Depraved Movie Moments From The Video Nasty Era

Made at the height of the low-budget slasher film craze, The Burning is arguably better than the films it was trying to capitalize off the back of: Friday The 13th in particular. The film tells the story of an alcoholic caretaker at a camp (nicknamed “Cropsy”) who falls victim to a prank carried out by a bunch of nothing-better-to-do campers who accidentally burn the poor guy alive. After recovering, Cropsy leaves the hospital and heads back to the camp to execute his revenge.

The great Tom Savini actually passed up working on Friday The 13th Part 2 to head up the special effects for this film, which ultimately became banned thanks to one scene in particular. A scene in which Cropsy hurdles out of an abandoned canoe and dismembers five campers in hasty succession.

In addition to the exceptional visceral effects of the sequence, you may also be struck by the novelty. Indeed, you’d be hard-pressed to recall a similar scene in another film where the killer takes out several victims all at once, so quickly, so decisively, and so bloodily.