Just Before Dawn (1981 film)
| Just Before Dawn | |
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| Directed by | Jeff Lieberman |
| Produced by | Doro Vlado Hreljanovic David Sheldon |
| Written by | Jeff Lieberman Mark Arywitz Jonas Middleton |
| Starring |
George Kennedy Chris Lemmon Gregg Henry Deborah Benson |
| Music by | Brad Fiedel |
| Cinematography | Dean King Joel King |
| Edited by | Robert Q. Lovett |
| Distributed by | Picturmedia |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes 102 minutes (uncut) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
| Box office | Unknown |
Just Before Dawn (known as Survivance in France) is an 1981 American independent slasher film directed by Jeff Lieberman, and starring Chris Lemmon, Gregg Henry, Deborah Benson, Jamie Rose, and George Kennedy. The film follows a group of hikers who travel into the Oregon mountains to visit property inherited by one of them, only to be hunted by a ruthless backwoods killer. The film was shot in the Silver Falls State Park in Silverton, Oregon.
Despite not being a commercial success when released, the film received positive reviews, with many praising the atmosphere and cinematography. The film has gained a cult following over the years.
Two men named Ty (Mike Kellin) and Vachel (Charles Bartlett) are hunting in a forest and come across an abandoned church, which they go in to explore. After Ty sees their truck being crashed into a tree, Vachel is stabbed with a serrated machete by a chuckling assailant who then dons Vachel's hat and jacket. Ty, seeing the murderer come out of the church, quietly flees off into the forest. Meanwhile, forest ranger Roy McLean (George Kennedy) is at his home, where he encounters a van of five college-aged adults heading to rural property which one of them has inherited. Despite his insistence that they not venture up the mountain, the five continue along. Among them are Warren (Gregg Henry); his girlfriend Constance (Deborah Benson); Jonathan (Chris Lemmon), and his girlfriend, Megan (Jamie Rose); and Daniel, Jonathan's brother (Ralph Seymour).
On their way up the mountain, they hit a deer, and encounter Ty stumbling through the woods on his way down the mountain; they dismiss his warnings of "demons," as he is visibly drunk. After reaching a point where the van cannot drive any further, the group set out and foot and make a campsite; at night, while around the fire, Constance, Megan, and Daniel hear noises around them and become frightened, only to find that Jonathan and Warren are playing a joke on them. The next morning, they hike along Silver Creek to a waterfall, where they see a young girl named Merry Cat Logan (Kati Powell) singing before noticing their presence and running into the woods. Megan and Jonathan go skinny dipping at the bottom of the falls, unaware that someone else has entered the water. Megan feels hands touching her and assumes it's Jonathan, until she sees him on shore, whereupon she panics and swims to safety.
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