Warren: “There’s nothing out there but God’s little creatures, more scared of you than you are of them.”
Today’s feature really had me divided as to where it should be placed on my site – in a ‘Missed the Bloody Cut’ feature, a ‘What Could Have Been’ analysis, or as a typical ‘review’. . . I decided to go with the final option. Falling within the burgeoning slasher horror genre of the early 1980s, Jeff Lieberman co-writes the screenplay and directs Just Before Dawn (1981).
Finding a group of friends heading into the Oregon mountains to investigate a plot of land Warren (a young Gregg Henry – Femme Fatale; Guardians of the Galaxy) has inherited, he is joined by his girlfriend Constance (Deborah Benson), another couple in Jonathan (Chris Lemmon) and Megan (Jamie Rose), as well as Jonathan’s brother Daniel (Ralph Seymour) – who has notoriously bad eyesight.
Despite numerous oddly ignored random meetings, including with a wisen forest ranger Roy McLean (George Kennedy – Savage Dawn; Wacko) – who warns them away from the woods, as well as an inebriated Ty (Mike Kellin) rambling on about “demons”, and a frequently spooked mountain folk teenager in Merry Cat Logan (Katie Powell), none of these seemingly enlightening encounters give any of them some pause.
Throw in the fact that they’ve already hit a deer, can’t traverse any further without going on foot, and soon find their RV looted, and there are plenty of warning signs – including having to cross a harrowing rope bridge, yet they still decide to continue on. What will the fivesome discover in the secluded Oregon woods? Might Merry Cat not be the only person living in these overgrown mountains? And, if so, will they be prepared for a possible surprise encounter?
Though a bit formulaic (as a good number of these slasher films are), this one has a touch of classiness. Both beautifully located and lit, this film was shot at Silver Falls State Park in the aforementioned Oregon, an attractive place featuring stunning wild rapids, picturesque waterfalls, and atmospheric wooded mountains. Strikingly shot, there are some memorable night scenes done by campfire, flashlight or lantern, each only showing a possible frightening surprise when the director truly wants you to see it. Sound also adds some nuanced touches, as a rescue whistle comes into play in multiple ways, while Brad Fiedel’s score integrates a whistling effect that echoes the suspenseful safety tool.
Just Before Dawn also asks intriguing questions revolving around how people react when faced with a very pressing situation. . . do you keep your humanity, or have to adapt a certain savagery because of the problems that you are suddenly faced with?
Though by no means a true gem, Just Before Dawn has enough intrigue and visual splendor to keep you watching. Fun to see legend George Kennedy still doing his thing thirteen years after he won his Academy Award for Cool Hand Luke while a young Gregg Henry is just starting out (only in his second movie), its unique locales will also make you want to visit the place (though the storyline most definitely won’t). Clearly influenced by the massive 1972 hit Deliverance – a man versus nature focused element that has an unexpectedly nasty curve-ball thrown into the adventure, as well as the growing slasher craze at the time, it finds an interesting milieu that certainly has enough to say. A final fun note worth adding for James Bond fans – Richard Kiel (henchman Jaws in two Roger Moore super spy adventures) actually auditioned for the villainous role. So, prepare to get guttural with this horror venture, just be aware that those aren’t just swallows that you’re hearing.