Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Memorable, crazy movie

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Let's get the bad out of the way first. There is very little gore and a small body count. It also took a little while for people to die. But once it's 30 minutes in, there's already quite a little bit of suspense. The acting for the most part was quite good, and the setting was just stunning. The cinematography and soundtrack definitely help with the mood. The eerie whistle motif heard throughout was simple and scary. Plus, the opening death was one of the best slasher deaths out there.

Just Before Dawn is a slasher movie from the early 80s after the successful of Friday the 13th.There nothing to make this movie stand out from others slasher flick release the same year but it still fine movie if you into the genre.A group of 20 years old looking teenagers go camping on mountain unaware of the locals rumor about devil living up there so now they need to pay the price.The built up to the kills is nice there some good cinematography with the mountain view and some suspenseful moment.The characters not annoying but i still don't care about any of them.The kills not over the top or bloody all that much but the deep throat scene near the end might surprise some people

"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.

"Just Before Dawn" truly captures the feeling of the Oregon woods, that is, if it were inhabited by a family of inbred maniacs. Having been there myself a couple times, the movie magnificently showcases the beautiful scenery of the area, as well as being an awesome slasher.Five teens go exploring on new land that one of them acquired, much to the dissuasion of multiple people. Through many tense sequences, they are stalked by a pair of twin inbred giants, as well as trying to navigate and survive the dense foliage and natural pitfalls of the land. The twins remind one of Michael Myers, unrelenting, brutal monsters with an urge to kill. In one memorable scene, not even a tree can stop them, which after being climbed by one girl, a twin proceeds to methodically cut it down, just to reach his victim.The atmosphere is outstanding, with the low lighting of the overall film making it even more gritty and dense. Something about being lost in the woods is just extremely frightening in and of itself to imagine. There are some very interesting and unique nuances that take place, such as the five campers interacting with the local family multiple times, and the ranger being around throughout. The last twenty minutes or so are probably the best, as the film just builds and builds. It also includes one of the best "final girl" scenes ever committed to film."Just Before Dawn" is an outstanding example of what atmosphere and simplicity can do to power a movie. Location can create fear and horror just as much as the "demons" that hide within it.