FILM REVIEWS

Just Before Dawn

Reviewed By

AmandaByNight

Media Blasters half-hearted DVD release of Just Before Dawn met with much criticism when it was released recently – an incomplete print, a bad re-master and lackluster cover art sent fans into a tailspin – but newbies to good old 80s slashers will still savor at the chance to see Jeff Lieberman’s superior horror movie.

When Just Before Dawn was originally released in 1981, it played to small audiences and then disappeared, relegated to the back shelves of video stores. After the era passed and fans of independent horror were desperate for something good, Just Before Dawn gathered a slow but passionate word-of-mouth following and gained a small cult status. And rightly so, this atmospheric backwoods thriller still manages to impress even the most jaded of genre buffs.

After the violent death of one man who was hunting on a desolate mountain with his uncle (Mike Kellin) – please note that this is the cut scene, which has been trimmed of 3 seconds of brutality - a group of five campers; two proficient in the art of hiking, two who want to party and a fifth wheel, head towards the same region. After someone literally throws a deer head at the car, a warning from the ranger (George Kennedy), who exclaims, “Mountains can’t read!” (a great line for anyone who’s seen it already!) and more caution from a drunken Kellin, our persistent backpackers continue towards the beautiful spread of isolated mountains, gushing waterfalls and, unbeknownst to them, a family of inbreeds, some peaceful and others, well, not so patient with visitors.

Director Jeff Lieberman constructs a first-class genre film with this basic and overused premise and creates one of the best, if not the best, hillbilly slasher flicks ever made. There’s careful note of the ominous environment and Lieberman makes sure every square inch of mountain is brimming with dread. The actors, many of who went on to bigger fame, are up the challenge, with Deborah Benson putting in an excellent performance as the confused Constance. Constance, by the way, could be considered the textbook definition of the Final Girl, a wallflower who gains strength through adverse elements and Benson handles the transformation elegantly.

As some sort of apology, Media Blasters 2 DVD set does offer some great extras including a fun and lengthy featurette on the making of Just Before Dawn. The composer, Brad Fiedel, explains how his excellent score came to be and comes across as a true artist. And for fans of the truly independent, there’s a pretty nifty story from John Hunsaker about his encounter with William Hellfire!

If you’ve never seen Just Before Dawn, this is a DVD to own. For the rest of us, hold on tight to your VHS copy and rent the DVD for the extras!