Just Before Dawn

"Will Anyone Survive Those Hours Just Before Dawn?"

1981 1h 30m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🍅

60%

FRESH

⭐

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 151🍅60%Rotten Tomatoes★6IMDB · 7,746

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the Oregon mountains, a pair of hunters encounter a machete-wielding killer in an abandoned church. Meanwhile, five campers arrive to examine some property one of them has inherited but are warned by the forest ranger not to venture forth. Soon after they set up camp, they begin hearing strange noises, encounter a mysterious singing girl and start disappearing one by one.

“Will Anyone Survive Those Hours Just Before Dawn?”

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Cast

George Kennedy
Roy McLean
Mike Kellin
Ty
Chris Lemmon
Jonathan
Gregg Henry
Warren
Deborah Benson
Constance
Ralph Seymour
Daniel
Katie Powell
Merry Cat Logan
John Hunsaker
Mountain Twins

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jeff Lieberman
Writers: Mark Arywitz, Jeff Lieberman, Jonas Middleton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jeff Lieberman, shot by Dean King. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brad Fiedel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Q. Lovett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Kennedy and Mike Kellin and Chris Lemmon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Will Anyone Survive Those Hours Just Before Dawn?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jeff Lieberman directs. Dean King behind the camera. Brad Fiedel scores. Robert Q. Lovett cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
245 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jeff Lieberman, shot by Dean King. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Brad Fiedel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Q. Lovett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7George Kennedy and Mike Kellin and Chris Lemmon carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Will Anyone Survive Those Hours Just Before Dawn?".
9IMDB entry: tt0082592 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dean King
Original score: Brad Fiedel
Editing: Robert Q. Lovett
Costume design: Michele Logan
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Just Before Dawn (1981)
Rotten Tomatoes: 60% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6/10 · 7,746 votes
MPAA: R

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Jeff Lieberman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-11-20
★ 7/10
“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

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