La pesadilla empieza... al anochecer

As a jaded fan of 80's horror, I'm shocked that this movie actually lived up to the hype. Most "hidden gems" leave me disappointed when finally seen, but this one actually delivered. The movie is relatively light on gore, but the stalking and killing scenes are surprisingly suspenseful because you actually care about most of these characters. The acting is probably the best your going to get from any slasher movie, and cliched/obnoxious character traits are mostly avoided. The directing and cinematography are also above the standard slasher, and make great use of the forest location and lighting.

I see many of the negative reviews of this movie are based on an old dvd viewing. The fact that I watched a new uncut blu-ray version in 2018, might give me a different perspective.

Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, is the magnificent location where "Just Before Dawn" was filmed. Waterfalls, rock formations, and a lush green forest were used to great advantage. The photography is absolutely stunning for this type of low budget, backwoods, slasher, and adds immeasurably. Acting is totally acceptable, and while the two inbred "knuckle draggers" never speak, there is a menacing tone that permeates the movie. Do not mistakenly believe that this is just another attempt to tag an inferior film onto a single name actor like George Kennedy. This is extremely well made and highly recommended. I'll even go so far as to say, one of the best of it's type, and proves that you don't need buckets of blood to make a great horror film. - MERK

Very scary backwoods slasher is much better than others, such as "The Prey" and some of the later "Friday the 13th" sequels. The story has to do with five teenager campers running afoul of a pair of psychotic, machete-wielding hillbilly twins. One by one they are dispatched by the murderous giants (who giggle as they slaughter their prey). This has some great photography of the Oregon wilderness, a creepy musical score, and some of the best shocks ever put into a horror/slasher film. I really enjoy the scene where Daniel and Megan are menaced by one of the killers. A classic that deserves a video re-release. I actually stumbled across this one for four bucks at a resale shop in Northern Michigan.

This starts very well, giving us a good idea or the horrors to come and even though the film seems to settle into what seems to be becoming the usual tale of five naive kids going into the hills to get picked off one by one, things turn out a bit more creepy. Extremely well shot with constantly wonderful views of the Oregon woods, waters and mountains this begins, quite early on, to look a bit more like Deliverance than the average slasher. I can understand why fans consider the film gets better on subsequent viewings because after the first watch you will be aware that you do not have to worry that this is going to go down that well trodden path. Much here to give concern, not jump shocks but eerie visions and suggestions of evil goings on. At the same time the nerdy kids seem to change, become more attractive and less annoying as we move inexorably towards what turns out to be a great ending up a tree and then an even greater one back on the forest floor. Lovely waterfalls and an amazing rope bridge along the way, I haven't even mentioned the siren like young girl or her big twin brothers, or the man who talks to his horse. Big surprise.

22 years or so before the original Wrong Turn film was this rather well acted yarn of campers being stalked by inbred killer hillbillies.

A 'cut' above other similar films of the time, thanks to the casting of able players giving it a more believable atmosphere which helps to make it much more gripping than it could have been. This film features possibly the niftiest resolution to a 'slasher' film in cinema history.