Good concept, poorly executed.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I somehow stumbled across 'Just Before Dawn' on the IMDb a week or so ago and read the synopsis which promised a "genuinely shocking twist". So being a lover of twists (and horror) I went and tracked down a copy to give it a look. What I got was a film with nothing remotely like a "genuinely shocking twist", but a film that had enough going on to keep the viewer interested and watching, and thus became passable.The twist really didn't have a lot going for it. It was poorly revealed (a very key element to any twist) and just frankly wasn't that shocking. It changed almost nothing regarding the story or plot. In later years the "two killer" twist would be perfected by the 'Scream' series directed by Wes Craven proving it's a twist that can work if executed correctly. Here it was not.There's just enough here to keep a modern audience satisfied and nothing more. Horror really hasn't aged well from the 70's and 80's. Back in 1981 this may have been a well made, horrifying story but in the modern age it simply can't hold a candle to what is being produced. That's why it's always tough to go back and watch old horror movies. I've certainly seen worse from around the same era, but I've also seen better. I don't think this one will stick in my memory.

"Just Before Dawn" focuses on five young hikers who make their way into the backwoods of Oregon to a piece of property whom one of them owns; unfortunately, they get more than they bargained for when an ogreish killer ends up on their trail. Rope bridges, waterfalls, an abandoned church, and the dense Oregon forest set the stage here for a whole lot of fun and some surprisingly sophisticated thrills.It had taken me a long time to get around to seeing this film, but boy, oh, boy, what a surprise we have here! Taking pointers from "Deliverance" (and also heavily reminiscent of "The Hills Have Eyes", despite the fact that the filmmakers refute having even seen that film before writing the script), "Just Before Dawn" is one of the slickest and most dazzling backwoods slasher pictures to come out of the 1980s. While the general premise clearly has little to offer in terms of originality, the production values here really elevate the film— incredible cinematography of the landscapes and forests are gorgeous while conversely terrifying, and the individual cast members and their on screen chemistry is incredibly believable. Sophisticated and well-placed curves in the plot also make for some understated moments of awe and terror; in another's hands, the script here could have taken the "Friday the 13th" route, but there is plenty of clever writing and a serious attempt at tension and suspense. The haunting whistling score adds another layer of ominousness to the film, blurring the lines around the film's diegesis and composition— is it the soundtrack, or is someone whistling at us from the woods? Is there a difference? Jeff Lieberman's direction here is amazing, and Deborah Benson is perfect in the film's central role. At the end of the day (or rather, beginning), "Just Before Dawn" is one of the most under-viewed slasher thrillers of its time; while it is cherished by a great few, it is not a film that has fully received the audience it deserves. Pitted against 98% of the slasher fodder that was the 1980s, it is the cream of the crop— moodily shot, well-acted, well-written, and indelibly atmospheric. The film's peers of the time that attempted similar things (the atrocious "Don't Go in the Woods" comes to mind) did so with about 1/10th of the grace, and its influence has bled on into contemporary films (see "Wrong Turn"). Really, the bottom line is that "Just Before Dawn" is a class act all around. Imagine how shocked and giddy I was when I found out after watching it that it was basically filmed in my backyard! I think I've officially got summer hiking plans now, sans backwoods maniacs with machetes (or at least I would hope). 9/10.

This 1981 horror film stars George Kennedy, Deborah Benson, Gregg Henry, Chris Lemmon, Jamie Rose, Ralph Seymour and John Hunsaker. This tells of 5 friends, Constance (Benson), Warren (Henry), Jonathan (Lemmon), Megan (Rose) and Daniel (Seymour) who head to the wilderness to camp. Kennedy (The Naked Gun) plays Roy, a forest ranger who warns them that it's unsafe and should go back where they came. Of course, they don't listen and go anyway. Soon, they're hunted by a crazed killer (Hunsaker) until Roy comes to the rescue. This is one of the most underrated slashers following in the footsteps of "Friday the 13th" with nice, remote settings and an eerie score. It's not bad and I recommend checking it out if you're a fan of the genre.

The mountainous woods, young happy campers, a warning by a park ranger and a lurking figure. The ingredients are there for a horror delight, and director/co-writer Jeff Lieberman does an adequate job at achieving it. It's formulaic woodland horror, but for most part the execution is at the top the game and the story (which is quite basic in a trimmed sense) is effectively told in certain realism. Maybe a little more exposition wouldn't have gone astray, but Lieberman's craftsmanship makes up for the material's flaws and typical details with rising tension, moody visuals and a smothering atmosphere created by Brad Fiedel's very ominously lingering score. Whenever that very creepy whistling was cued in, it painted a truly unnerving sense that settled in with the beautiful backdrop. Cinematographers Dean M. and Joel King do a striking job too. There's plenty of style abound, even with its minimal scope and the build-up is slow grinding. At times the pacing can become a stop-and-go affair. It's not particularly violent, but there's still a mean-streak evident even if some of it happens of screen. The latter chase scenes and escalating fear is well done, as it has the darkness coming alive with itS burly killer/s and you get actor George Kennedy riding his white horse in a slight, but wonderful turn. There's a likable bunch of performances; Deborah Benson makes for a strong, dashing heroine. Gregg Henry, Chris Lemmon Ralph Seymour, Jamie Rose, Mike Kellin and Katie Powell round off a modest cast of believable deliveries. The final climax is rather twisted, but the ending is one of those types that leave you thinking… "Is that it?" A well-etched backwoods slasher item, which probably plays it a little too safe to truly set it apart from the norm.