Just Before Dawn (1981)

Director: Jeff Lieberman

Starring: George Kennedy, Mike Kellin, Chris Lemmon

Five young people venture into the backwoods of Oregon to claim a property, and find themselves being stalked by a hulking, machete-wielding psychopath.

‘Just Before Dawn’ is an 80’s slasher featuring a machete wielding lunatic. I must be honest, I didn’t really view the killer as a worthy or original antagonist. He looked more like a weak version of Jason Voorhees, and was in fact more funny than scary.

In typical 80’s slasher style, we have a bunch of youngsters ready for the chop. They head up the mountains to go camping, and as they start having fun, the guessing game starts as to who will be the first victim, and who will survive. This is what we like about slashers, ain’t it?

Unlike many genre films of the same era, ‘Just Before Dawn’ takes it’s time before the first kill (after the initial killing in the beginning, off course, which sets the mood and prepare us for what’s to come). I do like the 80’s movies, being shot on location with natural surroundings as opposed to being shot in a studio with effects added in post-production. The acting just felt more realistic that way.

Being shot at the Silver Lakes State Park, this allows for beautiful scenery and spectacular waterfalls. From an adventure point of view, I really enjoyed this movie. When the killing starts, it’s an adrenaline rush to the climax. Oh, and then that climax. There is a twist as well, which I won’t reveal, but hell, the ending was a bit strange. The moment I’m referring to is that moment victim and killer fights to the death – I mean what the hell? Couldn’t they have found a better way? Considering the size of the killer I didn’t find this believable, which is a pity, because this is actually a really good film. Even the performances were surprisingly good, and I liked the characters.

Regardless of the strange confrontation they opted for, ‘Just Before Dawn’ in general was an entertaining watch, and not a bad addition to the slasher genre.

Would I watch it again? Probably not.