| I really miss films like Just Before Dawn. It’s true that films of this ilk are still made, but they’re just not crafted to the level of spookiness that this one achieves. A hybrid of The Hills Have Eyes and Friday the 13th, this is one of the best slasher films that fell through the cracks of the 1980s video market. With a gritty edge and some authentically scary scenes, you’re not likely to find many other “open air psycho” movies to get your heart pumping as much as this one. Five twenty-something’s set out for a weekend excursion into the wilderness of the Oregon Mountains so one of them can check out a piece of inherited land. Ignoring the warnings of the forest ranger (George Kennedy), they encounter a bizarre family who lives on the mountainside as well as a hulking, brutal psycho killer who takes offense to anybody who enters his domain. Jeff Lieberman, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated genre filmmakers of all time. Granted, he doesn’t have a mammoth filmography of horror films under his belt, but his work is consistently terrific and this movie is certainly no exception. Lieberman makes great use of the outdoor settings and uses the natural scenery much to his advantage. The Silver Lake national park in Oregon where the cast and crew filmed this brings a unique feel to the proceedings. Waterfalls, rock structures and ravines all produce a naturalistic setting, probably not unlike one that you’ve visited yourself. The cinematography is nice and it’s one of the reasons that the film’s creep factor is so high, Lieberman understands what scares someone and really exploits it. He also keeps the musical cues to a minimum during the more intense moments. While I do believe that certain movies benefit from musical cues that heighten the scares, Just Before Dawn isn’t one of them. If you’ve even been spooked out by a sound in the woods in the dark than you’ll understand the simple tool implemented here that works so well. That’s not to suggest that there isn’t music in the film. This is a minimalist picture and what little music does play is used sparingly. Brad Fiedel’s score fits like a glove. There isn’t much to his composition beyond what I can only really describe as a restrained synthesizer score accompanied by a creepy whistle, but just wait until the opening shot of the serene mountainside unfolds over said music. A good score should work in sync with the film, no matter how often it’s used, and Fiedel’s music is a definite highlight. The film doesn’t skimp in the exploitation department either so if that’s what you’re after with this film than you’ll get it. As one of the campers, Jamie Rose has a fairly extended topless scene while she’s skinny-dipping, a scene that is also among the more memorable in the entire film (more so for what happens to her character, just in case you think I’m being a total sleaze). Deborah Benson shows a fair amount of cheek thanks to a very short pair of shorts that her character wears through the entire last half of the film. Benson is a lovely sight and is very well cast as her part grows more demanding as the film continues. There’s a fairly original ending involving her character that I wouldn’t dream of spoiling, but Benson deserves some credit for pulling it off. The rest of the cast is pretty good too. Later De Palma favorite Gregg Henry (Body Double) stars a Warren, the typical outdoorsman who grows weaker as the situation worsens. Chris Lemmon (Jack’s son) and Ralph Seymour round of the rest of the campers and Mike Kellin (Sleepaway Camp) and George Kennedy show up in supporting roles as the drunkard and the voice of reason, respectively. If there were anything that prevents me from giving the film a perfect score, it would be the liberties that the writers take with getting the characters to remain on the mountain. For example, once our campers reach their destination (after being warned by both the forest ranger and a drunkard who swears that a demon is after him) and set up camp, their motor home is broken into and their food stolen. This doesn’t bother our characters one bit. At another point, one of the women sends her boyfriend into the woods to find her make-up that she believes has been stolen away by raccoons! I suppose the producers figured that audiences wouldn’t care about such trivialities, but it can make it hard to be scared for the characters when they exhibit some truly dumb behavior. If the rest of the film weren’t so sure handed and effective, this would probably be more of a detriment than it really is. Fans of slasher films should see Just Before Dawn (while you’re at it, see the rest of Lieberman’s films too: Blue Sunshine, Squirm and Remote Control), for I can honestly say that it’s among my favorite films that belong to that particular sub genre. Media Blasters have given this film its long-awaited DVD release through their Shriek Show arm. DVD collectors surely know these guys are a real mixed bag with their titles and Just Before Dawn is NO exception. The DVD is cut (at least the opening murder scene is less gory than the old Paragon VHS tape) and the transfer is in rough shape at times. That said, this is a fairly good way to view the film, it was never overly gory in the first place so the cuts, while frustrating, aren’t detrimental in the least. Not to mention that fans can finally see this one in widescreen and whatever your stance is on the trimmed gore, this is eons better than the murky Paragon tape. The mono audio track is a little better than the inconsistent 5.1 mix, but either way makes for a respectable listening experience. The disc also features a commentary track by Lieberman and a second disc with a 60-minute making-of retrospective that is fairly enlightening if a little dull in spots. |
| Just Before Dawn (1981) Dir: Jeff Lieberman Cast: Deborah Benson, Gregg Henry, Geroge Kennedy, Mike Kellin, Chris Lemmon, Jamie Rose, John Hunsaker, Ralph Seymour, Katie Powell Rated R, Approx: 90 minutes Media Blasters/Shriek Show DVD |
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| Matt's Rating: ****1/2 out of 5 |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 08/29/05 |