Just Before Dawn (1981) (Blu-ray)

The "digital" age, of the last 20-or-so-odd years, has really been something to behold. Its way of "unburying" lost "treasures," or other assorted artifacts, from a previous era, has been truly unprecedented. This has been especially true in the area of film. Many titles, in fact, that, just two short decades ago, were experiencing their final rentals, via rotting and degraded VHS tapes, from patrons perusing the musty shelves of the very last of the "Mom and Pop" video stores, that were going out of business by the droves around that time, have often been given a new (digital) lease on life, and a journey from out-of-print obscurity, to capturing generations of new fans every year.Never has this been more apparent for me than in 1980's "Just Before Dawn." I distinctly remember renting this one as a kid, from the local corner convenience store (that also boasted a small selection of movies in a "kiosk"-sort of thing), and viewing it on a typically-ancient videocassette, complete with a worn box, a dark, grainy picture, and frequent tracking interference "blips," from just how many times the thing had been rented out over the years.Similarly, low-budget, backwoods, "B"-movie slasher films like this one, and the genre as a whole, were generally derided by critics, and certainly by the time I saw this particular flick on that old, early '80s VHS tape, it had already been effectively "forgotten about" and "lost to time," and largely unknown, relegated to the occasional mention in a particularly good and thorough exploitation film guide of the time perhaps (if even). To summarize, after that particular corner store closed, the VHS copy that I had viewed this one on, probably ended up being sold for pennies, as yesterday's trash at some rummage sale or area flea market (i.e., rendered completely worthless and out-of-date). The number of these films that experienced such similar "deaths," as video stores themselves as a whole kicked the proverbial bucket, is legion, and indeed were subsequently buried, and laid to rest, for a good couple of decades, as stated earlier -- until NOW, that is! What I (and a whole lot of other people) are just now starting to realize, is that a good deal of these old films, when viewed in retrospect, were not "trash" at all (in the negative connotation of the term that is), a significant number of them being -- hey, guess what -- actual GOOD MOVIES -- why else, after all, would us horror movie-obsessed fans still be watching these things some 35 or 40 years after the fact?But I digress. "Just Before Dawn," like almost all of its slasher brethren (made of course in the wake of the colossal success of "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th," et al.), was NOT a well-known, or highly-regarded, movie back then by any means, even in its day, apparently only receiving a limited theatrical release (through a small independent distributor called Picturmedia Ltd.); and yet, in viewing this again after all of these years, it is apparent, just what a creepy, beautifully-photographed, and just plain gripping piece of horror filmmaking that it really is!Shot on location in the spacious forests near Salem, Oregon, in the late spring/early summer of 1980, "Just Before Dawn" was directed by a then-31-year-old talent named Jeff Lieberman, who had earlier helmed a couple of notable cheapies in the "B"-movie market in the '70s. "Dawn's" script, on the other hand, was attributed to a similarly-young, "fresh out of film school" grad by the name of Mark Arywitz (and, a little-known fact, is that it was actually co-written by Lieberman himself -- only credited under the pseudonym of "Gregg Irving").Now, from this viewer's standpoint, what can I say? EVERYTHING about this one is to me just totally "RAD"! Let me, in fact, now present a short list of some key virtues, and attributes I find in "Just Before Dawn," that I feel separates it from the glut of similar films coming out at that time, by a good deal, and makes it hold up so well, nearly four (!) decades on:1. THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. -- While budget constraints are likely to show in any "B"-movie from this time, filmed quickly and on the cheap, this one is noticeably different. Great care was obviously taken, in the various picturesque shots of glistening waterfalls, moonlit skies, and just the essential stark scenery of Mother Nature itself, making for a surprisingly professional-looking, and profound visual experience for a movie of this-size budget.2. THE MUSIC. -- That is, the film's superior score, created by Brad Fiedel, in one of his earliest credits. The pulsating, electronic, synthesizer sounds that he managed to generate for "Just Before Dawn," even if they may technically now sound "dated" when heard today, are also timeless, and so compelling, that I literally get "chills" up and down my spine (during the closing credits sequence especially) whenever I watch this! (It's no wonder that Fiedel went on to become such an in-demand film composer after this, even scoring such mega-budgeted Hollywood productions as James Cameron's original "Terminator"!)3. THE CAST. -- The principal players in this movie are all great, and have such a unique and seamless chemistry going on amongst them, that makes it a joy to view time and time again. And, more "SPECIFICALLY":4. THE GIRLS!! -- What, after all, would a slasher movie from this era be, without an unusually attractive, if-inexperienced, young cast. In this sense, "Just Before Dawn" is definitely in the "upper-echelon" of these types of flicks, particularly, with the presence of the then-20-year-old, smokin' hot redhead siren, Jamie Rose, as Megan! I love everything about her -- from her soothing, sensuous voice, to her flirty eyes and body language, to, ahem... the "REST" of her -- Jamie in fact has a famous nude, skinny-dipping scene here, that you may already know about, that is very welcome, and totally classic!And then, there is the equally-stunning, 'mega-babe' Deborah Benson, in the role of the film's chief female protagonist, Connie. In true Jamie Lee Curtis (ala "Halloween") fashion, Deborah starts off the movie as the more chaste and prudent "nice girl," but by the end of the feature, has successfully completed the transformation into a much more decked-up and seductive head-turner, with a flowing mane of golden blonde hair, some nice cleavage shown and some SERIOUSLY sexy legs. (Not to mention that Deborah is just an all-around great actress, and puts in a memorable and first-rate performance throughout, and literally proceeds to kick some serious slasher 'bootie' by picture's end...)...And there you have it! Easily one of my favorite slasher films of all time, and, thanks to the good folks over at Code Red Releasing, "Just Before Dawn" has never looked better! This 2013 Blu-ray release is, for the first time, derived from the original film elements (i.e., meticulously restored from the only-existing 35mm negative), and boasts a gorgeous, and pristine transfer throughout, with the colors consistently bright and brilliant, and the images lush and decidedly "new"-looking, with minimal fading or age shown at all. If that weren't enough, (unlike the previous Media Blasters/Shriek Show DVD release) this Code Red reissue utilizes the way-cool original movie poster for its cover art, which is always a plus in my book... Unfortunately, as with much of Code Red's back catalog, this Blu-ray is now very much "out-of-print," and therefore becoming increasingly sought-after, with prices continuing to rise by the day online. Still, a true beloved gem of a slasher from my youth, that I am now able to revisit time and time again. And, I would venture to say that this Blu-ray, is of the significant level of quality (that has become Code Red's general standard), that perhaps even justifies some of the steep prices it currently commands, by serious and dedicated lovers of horror cinema in the DVD and Blu-ray format. In short, an absolute CLASSIC!

This 1981 horror film features a group of teens who go camping in the mountains where a killer stalks them.This isn't a bad slasher flick following the same formula as "Friday the 13th," the cast is ok, there's nice,remote scenery/settings and Brad Fiedel's score is eerie and atmospheric. The late, Geroge Kennedy(The Naked Gun) appears as a Forest Ranger. This Blu-ray features 2 cuts of the film, The picturequality on the first version is definitely better, the second version is pretty bad, audio is good andthere's a couple trailers. If you're a fan of the genre, I recommend this.

Blu-Ray Review: The Code Red version comes with two versions of the movie: one is the uncut version which is 91 minutes and there is the international cut version which is 102 minutes. The picture and audio quality on the 90 minute version is very nice. The international cut is of Grindhouse (poor p&a) quality. I prefer Grindhouse quality but I liked the uncut version better because I don't care about the extra 10 minutes of people talking about crap no one cares about on the int. version. No extras.... PTTTSHH!Movie Review: Some morons go to a forest to do human garbage and are stalked and murdered by inbred hillbillies. Though the pacing is a little slow and the blood is lacking, this is still a wonderful slasher movie. Where the film does succeed is its direction and acting and good acting and direction is quite a rarity in the slasher lore. The suspense is also really good as well. I hate reviewing movies.Conclusion: 4 stars for the Blu Ray and 4 stars for Just Before Dawn.

Classic low budget horror movie. One of the best movies I have ever seen that didnt get the recognition it should have.

CLASSIC 80'S SLASHER MOVIE. THEY DONT MAKE THEM LIKE THIS ANY MORE!

I Love movies like these when I can find them...You will not be disappointed... at least I wasnt...Thank you Amazon...

Looks great on blu ray. Worth the extra money

This is far beyond a cheesy hilarious slasher like Friday the 13 or Sleepaway Camp. This is a serious chiller that is bathed in dark atmosphere and made the more terrifying by the spine-tingling musical score! The sounds the killer makes are somewhat amusing, but the comic relief is welcome in this high tensed horror gem. There's this scene at the beginning when the killer is noticed for the first time, atop a church roof, and it is pretty horrifying. I recommend this for those who want to watch a slasher that is not campy and cheesy.

Jeff Lieberman's backwoods slasher favourite "Just Before Dawn" makes it's UK Blu ray debut courtesy of popular indie label 88 Films presented completely uncut and uncensored in a high definition transfer taken from the Internegative complete with uncompressed 24bit audio. This package also boasts a fantastic selection of special features including an audio commentary with film critics Justin Kerswell and Callum Waddell, an interview with director Jeff Lieberman, a new documentary on grindhouse movies and most interestingly an alternative 102 minute cut of the movie presented in HD with lossless audio. As always from 88 Films the cover is reversible with a choice of either new or classic art work and the disc is region free.Synopsis:Historically the early 1980's was the golden age of the slasher movie especially for those in the "madmen of the wilderness" vein with countless riffs on Friday the 13th flooding the then over saturated market. Some such as "The Burning" and the aptly titled "Madman" were absolute classics destined to become genre favourites for decades to come whilst others outstayed their welcome even for their brief theatrical runs or limited VHS releases. Entering the overcrowded fray was Jeff Lieberman's now iconic Just Before Dawn, a movie which according to it's director took more of an influence from John Boorman's hillbilly survival flick "Deliverance" over it's two a penny stalk and slash brethren and as such remains a far more interesting picture. In the greatest slasher movie tradition we are introduced to our band of happy campers as they manoeuvre their RV up a tight mountain pass. As Blondie's "Heart of Glass" blasts through the speakers we understand that this particular group are en-route to a isolated patch of land that Warren (Gregg Henry) a member of their group has inherited. Along the way they pass the home of Forest Ranger Roy McLean (the legendary George Kennedy) a world weary sort who advises them to turn around and not venture into the mountains. Of course they ignore his pleas even after a delirious and visibly traumatised trapper whom we have already encountered in the vicious prologue warns them there are demons back there in the woods. Managing to inadvertently rile a hick forest dwelling family with their skinny dipping exploits, drunken pranks and loud music the quintet also attract the interest of a pair of heavyset, inbred machete wielding rednecks who gradually pick off the naive vacationists. With only Forest Ranger Roy McLean and his trusty steed Agatha aware of their whereabouts the fight for survival is on for the group with the mammoth sized maniacs making sure know one will leave the mountain alive.To many Just Before Dawn may just sound like yet another title in a long line of slasher movies and quintessentially it is. But look beyond the usual stalk and slash clichés and you will find a beautifully crafted movie with a surprisingly strong cast and evocative score by the fantastic Brad Fiedel which combined have cemented it's reputation as one of the best in the sub genre. Creating a believable atmosphere of being lost miles from civilization with little chance of rescue whilst being pursued by an unseen murderous assailant appears to be director Jeff Lieberman's main aim and watching Just Before Dawn now over 35 years after completion this feat was wholeheartedly achieved. Despite being a relatively low budget production the cinematography by Joel King truly captures the essence of what it may be like to be alone with nowhere to run heightening the feeling of dread that permeates throughout despite the admittedly pretty scenery. Additionally the relatively low key score by Brad Fiedel which incorporates a rather haunting whistle motif is almost certainly guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine as it breezes through the soundstage. Working wonderfully within the context of the movie this builds suspense and mood whilst never interfering with the naturally occurring sounds of the forest which often take on a life of their own.One aspect that may surprise newcomers to Lieberman's picture is that it isn't all that gorey or indeed scary. True the film is bookended by two incredibly eventful set pieces one of which is sure to shock even the most jaded of gorehounds but in all honesty this is more creepy than downright terrifying relying on tension and an uneasy atmosphere to unsettle it's audience despite being somewhat predictable and surprisingly character driven. Another aspect which may well irk some is how open Lieberman is with the appearance of his killers. From the opening scene nothing is left to the imagination with both of the hulking mountain men clearly revealed and their intentions understood although there is no real background to their story. Maybe they don't like visitors to their remote home or maybe judging by their appearance they don't think at all and see this all as some kind of perverse game. Either way they are rather intimidating in stature and certainly childlike in their antics which all adds to the uncomfortable but undeniably quirky tone.Ok so this is the part where I admit I have never been a lifelong fan of Just Before Dawn as some quite obviously have and only got around to seeing this a few years back via Shriek Show's American import DVD. Despite being exposed to a good percentage of the slasher genre over the last 30 years this one bizarrely passed me by regardless of its fanboy reputation and favourable word of mouth. How this happened I really don't know especially from someone who claims to be a full red blooded horror fan but after watching this recently for a third time for the purposes of this review I can honestly say this will be one of my go to titles if I crave a bit of backwoods horror action which has to be recommendation enough considering the wealth of other titles available.Picture:88 Films present Jeff Lieberman's Just Before Dawn with an AVC encoded MPEG 4 1080p transfer framed at 1.78:1 housed on a BD50 Blu ray disc. The film has a soft almost dreamlike quality looking almost as if it has been shot with a diffusion filter which I'm sure must have appeared horrendous on lesser formats. Thankfully this new Blu ray with it's strong encode and high bitrate handles the hazy visuals perfectly retaining what I'm sure is the artistic intent of the movie. For the most part detail is fine regardless of the misty appearance with close ups benefitting the greatest. Unfortunately the rather mellow tone does flatten out the picture in the dense woodland scenes (for which obviously there are many) meaning depth is never that apparent although a handful of moments around a waterfall and those near disused church do possess a nice dimensional feel. Contrast was more than acceptable especially for the naturally lit daytime scenes where the sun streamed through the tree canopies whilst blacks were reasonably deep and inky if not perfect hindered by an occasional blue tint although the campfire segments did look very agreeable. I must say I was rather impressed by the colour scheme which picked out the rich greens of the woodland foliage and provided a warm healthy sheen to skin tones. Reds could on occasion express some over saturation but on the whole this was another area where this transfer excelled. As to be expected the naturally occurring grain structure manifested itself well providing an organic and wonderfully filmic presentation whilst print damage although visible was fairly light. A number of darker passages did show a thicker and much noisier side to the grain but this would have been undoubtedly an issue with under/over exposure during the original shoot and as such inherent to the source. I'm sure long term fans will be more than happy with 88 Films' colourful presentation and it is indeed better than any DVD version in current circulation although newcomers may find the softness a tad underwhelming.Sound:Keeping the trend 88 Films provide Jeff Lieberman's movie with an uncompressed presentation of it's original monaural soundtrack. Delivered in a 24bit 2.0 channel LPCM mix at 2304kbps this is as expected rather low key and one dimensional with little in the way of fidelity. Dialogue is almost always clear whilst effects despite sounding authentically vintage are never problematic. Most importantly the environmental acoustics of the forest are well served as is the unnerving whistle theme which graces the soundtrack at key moments and of which is guaranteed to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. Hardly a flamboyant listen this does at least remain faithful to the original sound design and rarely does anything wrong.Extras:The most interesting inclusion in this set of extra features is the rarely seen extended cut of the movie running around 12 minutes longer than the standard theatrical. Before the gorehounds get too excited the new footage doesn't contain any extra bloodletting or extended kills and is mostly character driven with extra lines of dialogue. Like the main feature this is presented in HD but the quality here is not up to the standard you would expect from Blu ray with a mostly flat, colourless image littered with every conceivable type of print damage. To be absolutely honest I really liked this rather ragged presentation and thought it suited the movie at hand whilst also adding to the scarcity and mystic of this particular cut but I would recommend watching the main version first if this is your first time. The sound is also given the uncompressed treatment in the form of a 2.0 channel Dolby TrueHD mix. A codec rarely used for mono presentations this lossless Dolby track is a tad loud and pitchy and like the picture doesn't appear to have been cleaned up in any way but gets the job done despite it's distinctly low-fi feel.Next up is a feature length audio commentary with genre critics Callum Waddell and Justin Kerswell. I have been aware of both of these gentlemen from previous 88 Films releases and like those I enjoyed this chat track immensely. Both appear to be very well informed on the work of Jeff Lieberman and the slasher genre in general. They also provide an insight into their own experiences and memories making this an entertaining 90 minutes.Next up is "Just Before Dawn: Recollections of a Slasher Classic" which is a 10 minute piece featuring director Jeff Lieberman chatting about horror cinema and his influences over the years as well as touching on the various locations for his movies.To round off the new extras is the documentary "Grindhouse All Stars: Notes From the Sleaze Cinema Underground". Running just shy of 35 minutes this is features input from Jeff Lieberman, Matt Cumber, Roy Frumkes and Joe Ellison on movies that fall into that particular category. This is interesting to a point but does appear cover similar ground to a number of other documentaries that have found their way onto the extras lists of other Blu ray titles over the past few years.As to be expected 88 Films provide a couple of theatrical trailers and a photo gallery as well as providing a reversible sleeve with both new and classic cover art.For the record it is worth noting that US label Code Red released their own version of Just Before Dawn to Blu ray a few years back. Having never seen this release I cannot possibly comment on the quality of the disc itself but have been informed that it features a less technically proficient transfer most probably down to both the theatrical and extended versions being crammed into a smaller capacity BD25 disc and apart from the aforementioned longer cut contains non of the extras found on the UK release.Conclusion:Often cited as one of the best and most unique titles in the backwoods slasher movie genre Jeff Lieberman's 1981 classic Just Before Dawn entertains like never before thanks to this solid Blu ray release from UK indie label 88 Films. Graced with a strong 1080p transfer, uncompressed audio and a collection of well rounded special features this comes as a highly recommended package that deserves a place in the library any self respected horror fan.

Back woods set slasher survival flick. Bolstered by a performance by George Kennedy. Gore is used sparingly. The murder scenes aren’t very graphic. Save for the opening kill. Armed with serrated machetes a man, or two, goes about hacking up campers. Sound familiar? Maybe. But it’s nowhere near as good as Friday the 13th. Fairly effective with a nice sense of doom and dread. Entirely watchable. The lack of gore is replaced with some extremely disturbing nastiness. Regrettably there are some naked breasts. No male nudity. Not even rear nudity.

88 Film have done brilliantly with this blu ray release, you get 2 versions of the film the original release and the extended oversea version (102mins), Audio commentary, Interview with director, Grindhouse all stars documentary, Gallery of on location stills, 2 trailers & Reverse sleeve with original poster art. This is a fantastic release for all fans of the film & slasher fan

88 Films Review; Excellent early backwoods inbred nutcase slasher. This was one of originals and still holds up today as one of the best early examples of this genre. 88 Films has done a fine job with this excellent quality release and all the extras!

The Arrow BR has a brilliant clean picture, the extras are also very good. Recommended. Very under-rated 80s backwards slasher with some genuine creepy moments. Beautiful forest locations and more rralistic characters. The score is really creepy and also includes Debbie Harry's Heart of Glass in a scene of them driving.

Love this film, so glad it is now on blu ray, picture quality is very good for a film that is low budget, sounds good too, well worth the money paid.

got what i paid for

A bit dated.

Five friends go camping in the mountains, where one of them Warren(Greg Henry) has bought a plot of land. Ignoring the warnings of forest ranger Roy Mclean(George Kennedy)of the dangers involved, they carry on going unawares that theres a psychotic murderer hitching a ride on the back of their camper van. After setting up camp they start to hear noises in the bushes and soon they all find themselves in terrible danger. Meanwhile Mclean, hearing of a murderer in the vicinity sets off in pursuit of the imperilled campers.This great little film has as much in common with The Hill Have Eyes, Rituals and their modern cousins such as Wrong Turn as it does with the prolific early 80's slasher output which it is often labelled as. Director Leiberman creates a very unsettling film through a mixture of carefully built up tension, some very eerie shots of the surrounding beautiful landscape and theres a very haunting musical score that compliments the film very well. Kennedy is excellent as the world weary Mclean, but the best performance comes from Deborah Benson as Connie who starts off quiet and reserved but due to the terrible situation she finds herself in turns to Lady Vengeance. The transformation is believable and the end result is just a little scary.Theres also an ingenious twist halfway through the film which echoes a comment by one of the campers at the beginning of the film.So an excellent little film, so much more than a generic slaher film, and fans of low budget 80's horror should lap it up. Full marks. 5 out of 5

A nice underated little gem from the early eighties here,you could say a sort of hills have eyes/deliverance hybrid with the usual foolish young adults encountering a pair of grotesque hulking inbred twins,whilst camping in the mountains who despatch most of them with varying savagery until the usual terrorised female turns the tables and lets them have it.The director portrays a good degree of menace and fear of wondering just whos lurking in those backwoods.The only small problem is the quality of the dvd transfer,it looks like its been lifted straight from an ancient film or video print and is a bit shoddy,so it loses a star from me for that.Maybe the region 1 is better?.

Apart from some slasher victim stupidity this rural gets revenge on the city flick is really quite good - considering no-budget an' allThoroughly enjoyed it. And the final death scene was right out of the blue and the length of it even more soThey don't make em like that any more - mores the pity

dvd was a gift but reported as being good quality by recipient.

excellent !

Unfortunately I'm not happy with this product, I pay £20 for this and the picture and sound is terrible, it's not an original DVD, it looks like it has been copied from VHS to a blank DVD and packaged