Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Jeff Lieberman
Starring: Gregg Henry, Deborah Benson, Chris Lemmon, Ralph Seymour, Jamie Rose, George Kennedy
From: Hollywood West Entertainment
The middle of the woods is the best place to have a dance party.
Last night was finally the night for me to check out this cult slasher; to clarify as there is more than one cut available on disc, I saw the far more common 90 minute version. Now, this is not something to see if you desire a gore-soaked bloodbath which has inventive kills; rather-to steal a phrase-this is more reminiscent of The Hills Have Eyes with some Deliverance sprinkled in.
The plot is not innovative: a quintet of young adults drive in a SWEET 1970's GMC motorhome to a rural area in Oregon as one in the group just inherited some land. Despite the protests of park ranger George Kennedy, they continue on to their destination... only to discover they are all fish out of water. I mentioned that this is not gory.... at least the movie is bookended by unforgettable kills. Instead, the movie all about the mood and ambiance. Just Before Dawn was filmed in Silver Park State Falls in Oregon-it is a great endorsement of that area as it has gorgeous scenery between the hills, all the giant trees, the rivers, the waterfalls... it'd be a marvelous time to camp out there if it wasn't for the menacing villain.
None of the characters being an irritant is always a bonus, but a key component is the movie's soundtrack. Often it uses the natural sounds of the woods to set the mood... the cicadas, crickets, water rushing by, etc. The score is from Brad Fiedel & is synth-based; a whistle is often heard because a plot point is someone blowing that instrument. The movie takes its time and the end result is something that should have been viewed by me much earlier than last night. Oh, and besides it always being a treat to see George Kennedy, it was amusing to see Mike Kellin in a small role... i.e. Mel from Sleepaway Camp.
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