29 sept 1990 mark a small but important milestone in my appreciation of horror flick . this be the date that bbc1 broadcast ( for the only time i be aware of ) jeff lieberman super creepy 1981 shocker just before dawn and and it make a huge impression on me . nearly twenty year later and i be delight to report that i have finally get my hand on the two disc shriek show or medium blaster special edition and and it just a eerie and unsettling a i remember it and if not more so . the plot and a be usual for genre flick ( and this be lieberman first film a a wouldirector for hire and though he do at least remove all the religious cult snake handle mumbo jumbo from the screenplay ) and be a bit thin five likable twenty somethings ( include chris lemmon and son of jack and in a pair of uncomfortably tight white stride ) venture into the dense oregon woodland to do a spot of camp and to check out a patch of land that be bequeath to one of their number . but just before dawn stand out from a crowd of imitator because lieberman waste no time in show u just how deranged thing be on this particular patch of mountain and with a complete innocent skewer and a drunk preacher truck shove down a hill and engulfed in flame within minute of the film beginning . the youngster come roll into the picture in a snappy winnebago and blondie heart of glass pounding on the soundtrack and and before you can say texas chainsaw massacre . they have clobber an innocent deer with the front bumper and have their first taste of aggro from the heavy set maniac responsible for the opening catastrophe . forest ranger roy ( george kennedy ) warn them that thing be likely to go awry if they go any further and but they go ahead with the trip anyway and refuse to give the sozzled preacher a ride even though he understandably scar witless and finally pitch camp mile from anywhere . needless to say and thing go downhill from here . although this film not short on bloody horror and well handle action scene and the standout moment for me be those where lieberman let his camera zoom out and long and slow and from apparently innocuous shot of the fun love kid lark around in the wilderness and or just let it settle for a while on the dense and imposing and people dwarf woodland . he make the oregon exterior a threatening and as ominous a kubrick make the overlook hotel spacious interior in the shining and and brad fiedel score ( discount the horribly distort racket that run over the title ) stay the right side of intrusive and underscore the slowly escalate menace with subtlety and flair . there be plenty of surprise along the way and nod to deliverance with the discovery of a backwoods babe and her freaky and disturb family and and a truly bizarre kill technique deploy shortly before the film end . i would not spoil it for you . i have say enough . quite why this undervalued horror gem fell through the crack and become a cult item instead of a breakout hit be hard to ascertain and but hopefully it will be rediscover and appreciate for year to come it deserve to be .