Just Before Dawn (1981)

**_“Friday the 13th” meets “Deliverance”_**

Five friends take a trip out to Silver Lake in the Great Northwest because one of them has inherited property in the remote hills, but the ranger warns them of ambiguous dangers (George Kennedy) and there are questionable inbred locals. Will any make it out alive?

"Just Before Dawn" (1981) came out a year and a half after "Friday the 13th" and mixes the basics of that movie with “Deliverance.” The underrated "Trapped,” aka "Baker County, USA" came out the next year and was no doubt influenced by it. I suppose this is the least of these four movies, but it’s very effective and far superior to the contemporaneous “Don’t Go in the Woods,” which is a lousy example of the genre. It surely inspired "The Final Terror,” "Berserker” and “Blood Hook” but none of those are as good.

What makes it so good? The northwest Oregon locations are outstanding and the dramatics are compelling enough with a quality no-name cast (except, of course, for the well-known Kennedy). Like “Madhouse” (1981), there’s an element that didn’t come into vogue with slashers until fifteen years later in “Scream.”

On top of all this is Deborah Benson as Constance, aka Connie. She comes across as a rather plain blonde from next door in the first half, but emerges as the stunning main protagonist in the second half. That’s all I’ll say, except that she has an interesting character arc à la “Lord of the Flies.” Meanwhile, redhead Jamie Rose is worth a mention as Megan. She’s reminiscent of Nicole Kidman eight years before Kidman broke out into the public eye with “Dead Calm.” There’s also an interesting inbred girl named Merry Cat.

It runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot at Silver Falls State Park, which is located a half hour drive east of Salem, Oregon, and about an hour’s drive south of Portland.

GRADE: B