The Burning

The Burning, in the US on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube TV, and in the UK on Shudder and Arrow Video Amazon Channel, takes its characters as seriously as it takes its plot. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. Its 6/10 TMDB score, built from 465 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Watch it for Brian Matthews — one of the stronger performances out there right now. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

The Burning is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The Burning trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. A caretaker at a summer camp is burned when a prank goes tragically wrong. After several years of intensive treatment at hospital, he is released back into society, albeit missing some social skills. What follows is a bloody killing spree with the caretaker making his way back to his old stomping ground to confront one of the youths that accidentally burned him. The performances from Brian Matthews and Leah Ayres give it more weight than the premise alone would suggest. It hit screens in 1981. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

The Burning is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Brian Matthews carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.

The Burning was released in 1981, directed by Tony Maylam. The full 91-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.