Just Before Dawn, is the holy grail of the "killer in the woods" sub-genre! Forget the films made by the major studios, and their zillions of sequels, Jeff Lieberman accomplishes in this film, what they couldn't do in 10!! On paper, it may seem like every other film in the genre, but on screen it drips with more atmosphere than you could imagine.
Shot in the forests and National Parks of Oregon for maximum beauty and atmosphere, Just Before Dawn has the best cinematography of ANY slasher film. The story concerns a group of five teenagers that go to check out some land that one of their fathers own. Somewhere along the way, kids start dying, we meet inbred families, and drunken men babbling about demons. Lieberman, instead of taking influence from Halloween and it's ilk, seems more influenced by Deliverance, and Poor White Trash. This, along with the beauty of the setting, and the acting all make Just Before Dawn the cream of the crop!! It also features one of the most shocking ways to dispose of a mass murderer ever caught on film. Do yourself a favor and Netflix it now!!
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So. Good. And it's got a real timeless quality to it. As much as 80s slashers can feel aged, this one still works on many levels. Fantastic film.
ReplyDeleteI don't have to tell you how much I love this film, it's my favorite. It's so sad that it doesn't have the same reputation as F13 or Halloween, because it's just as good!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this film, but you probably know that about me now! Great job on this list!
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