Berserker (1987)

Director: Jefferson Richard

Starring: Joseph Alan Johnson, Greg Dawson, Valerie Sheldon

Six people renting a cabin in the woods of Utah run afoul of a legendary viking warrior who dons the claws and mouth of a bear, with no help in sight.

A Berserker is a Viking warrior who is said to have fought in a trance-like fury, wearing a bear skin.

Six youngsters head to the mountains to go camping. Josh has been going there for years – since he was a small boy, and now he is taking his friends along. They are Mike and Shelly, Larry and Kathy, and Kristi, who used to be Josh’s girl, but now goes along as a friend.

At a campfire, Larry tells the story of a Berserker. The information given here is relevant to the events later in the film, so pay close attention. Josh is the arrogant character with little respect for law and order, but he undergoes character development to the point where he becomes a hero.

This is clearly a low budget film, but it is atmospheric and even creepy at times. What was supposed to be a week of raunchy fun soon becomes a quest for survival for the youngsters. To make matters worse, the night of their ordeal is so foggy that one can easily get lost. And so the slashing starts.

‘Berserker’ is a film I somehow missed in the 80s. (Yes, I’m an 80s slasher fan!). While the film has more substance that I thought it would have, there are several issues preventing this from becoming a favourite. The most obvious, I guess, are the silly things the characters do, and I’m going to mention some of them in the next paragraph, so if you don’t want to know, skip this paragraph.

When Kristi needs to use nature’s facilities, she wanders away so far from the cabin that she gets lost in the woods. And this at night, mind you. With no campers near them, she could have relieved herself right there next to the house, or the nearest bush where the cabin was still visible. But no, she had to wander so deep into the woods that she couldn’t find her way back to the cabin! Not believable! Also, when the youngsters get lost in the woods and see a truck drive by, they continue through the forest. Why? Surely it would be safer to take the road, and being camping grounds the road surely leads somewhere, not? And not to sound sexist, but the females are real idiots here – especially Shelly. I mean, this tantrum screamer had it coming! Seriously!

And then there’s the bear. Yes, an actual bear that keeps popping up in the woods. The bear has more screen time than the titular villain. In fact, we hardly ever get to see the Berserker during the first two acts. We see the killings, but not the killer. As if they wanted us to believe the bear attacked the youngsters. From the beginning, though, we know the bear is not the culprit.

In general, I must admit to enjoying the movie. There are far better slashers out there, off course, but if you’re into 80s slashers, ‘Berserker’ is worth checking out.

Would I watch it again? I don’t think so.