i thought this was an incredible 80s slasher, and may or may not agree with it being a better FT13, which to clarify, is just a personal preference... similarly to ft13, the story set in a summer camp follows a group of young boys pulling a malicious prank of placing a worm-socket skull candle on the bedside of their alcoholic counselor, cropsy, which then results in the cruel and sorry outcome of cropsy suffering a horrific burn from head to toe. years later, cropsy seeks revenge.
whats great about this film is that though with gaps, there is enough action and tension all throughout the film that keeps you entertained. i loved how lively and engaged every scene felt, whether thats with dialogue and characters, or the shots we get seeing through cropsy's perspective, blurry and mangled. it does perfect at the pervy stares, summer heat, and wild forests, with the killer wielding the blades of shears to appear at any unsuspecting moment.
cropsy is an INCREDIBLE killer, i cannot tell you how special and amazing this film has done it. they disguise him so well from costume and those black leather gloves to being hidden in darkness, one of my favorite scenes near the end with the abandoned elevated mineshaft which is what seemed to be cropsy's hideout. the dust pouring around, unstable wooden grounds, and the sunlight peering through, it was all so great as todd cautiously searches with cropsy lurking.
the practical effects in this is truly outstanding for its decade. seeing the panic of someone being burned alive always freaks me out, and those gruesome kills even further knocking the wind out of me. i loved the scene of the group on their raft swimming towards their lost canoe. i truly did not expect cropsy to come out and brutalize ALL of them. that scene was absolutely crazy and i loved the heck out of it, with all its slices and dices. there were so many jumpscares that i, out of pure enjoyment, didnt bother locking in for any of them, so letting myself fall for the scares added to its engagement and fun.
i'm for sure looking forward to a rewatch. with its unfortunate creepiness, at least everyone bites it in the end. there were some amazing shots in this, and especially that ending with cropsy which just stunned me in many ways to watch. LOVED it had a blast if you haven't seen this and ever in the mood for a solid 80s film, watch this!!!