Berserker

Anyone that can not get with the cheese in this movie is way too salty for camp horror. It's got more than what you get from modern horror. Synth music scores, t&a, kewl rock, reckless nightime teenagers, awesome fog effects, running around screaming, cool lighting, under-rated actors, oh the list goes on. But don't expect the modern critics to get it, they are all too busy writing 100 movie reviews a day for movies they never watched. This is a good horror movie from the eighties.

Some teens head up to cabin for a weekend of fun and hot sex (even out in the middle of an open forest), but come under attack by what appears to a viking berserker. Or is it really a bear? Poorly crafted and made slasher film even by the standards of this genre, features inept acting and direction, despite somewhat intriguing premise. Looks like it was made on a budget of about $100. Disappointing effort from Prism Pictures. Rated R; Sexual Situations, Violence, Nudity, and Profanity.

The berserkers, we learn, were a special breed of cannibalistic Viking warriors that used to wear bear masks and skins and attack their enemies with a primal rage. The premise of six kids being hunted by one such "creature" in the middle of the woods on a dark night may sound scary, but this film is too much like so many others to make it so. It does feature the requisite amounts of blood and sex, and also more-than-requisite amounts of wandering around, while the persistently ominous score keeps on playing and playing. (*1/2)

Berserker fulfills every obligatory cliche of an 80s slasher: some kids having fun in the woods, some naked boobs, some blood running, on top we get epic haircut 80s style and easy to the ears rock music tunes. Berserker is in my humble opinion not that bad but nothing really exciting or remarkable. Anyway, if you are heavy invested in the backwoods slashing business you may dare to give this one a try.

Berserker starts off looking like it will be a fairly decent backwoods slasher but it soon becomes apparent that it's another bore-fest. It's a shame because it could have been so much better, and backwoods slashers like this just aren't made any more. The only good points are that there is a nice creepy atmosphere in the woods. The fog that seems to be everywhere seems a bit silly and unrealistic, yet at the same time adds to the atmosphere. The main reason Berserker is so boring is that there is a serious lack of lighting. Whenever someone gets killed, you can't even see it because of the darkness.

Only recommended for slasher completists - everyone else should avoid this bore-fest.