Five young campers are warned from going into the mountain
wilderness by the local forest ranger Roy McLean (George Kennedy) in the ‘80s
horror gem JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981). The
young campers are just trying to enjoy the weekend while also surveying the new
property that one of them now owns but they soon run afoul of some locals and a
killer that will protect and kill anyone that comes into his territory. Now they must keep their wits and find a way
off the mountain before they all become victims.
Jeff Lieberman directs and writes (with Mark Arywitz from a
story by Jonas Middleton) this suspense filled horror film. Lieberman’s other films include the popular
SQUIRM, BLUE SUNSHINE, and SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER. The film is very typical of other ‘80s horror
films and has some creative kills but most memorable is the twist that comes halfway
in the film that audiences aren’t expecting.
Kennedy is great as the “voice of reason” who tries to warn
the campers and he’s given lots to work with as he returns during the third
act. Kennedy was a horror film fixture
of the ‘80s with such cult films as CREEPSHOW 2, THE UNINVITED, THE TERROR
WITHIN, DEMONWARP, and DEATH SHIP, to name a few.
JUST BEFORE DAWN isn’t one of the greatest horror films of
the ‘80s but Lieberman crafted a film with ambition and therefore is an easily digestible
time-waster.
No comments:
Post a Comment