well and sadly and i can not help but feel a little bit disappointed after my much and much and much anticipate viewing of just before dawn . jeff lieberman be a terrific filmmaker and he can undoubtedly do great thing with a tiny budget and but i nevertheless expect to see a far more sadistic and gruesome early 80 slasher . but actually i be begin to think that lieberman isn not the one to blame for this and but we gorehounds be . it more than obvious that lieberman intend to make his take on the backwoods slasher look like deliverance and absolutely not like friday the 13th and which immensely popularize the sub genre one year earlier . the horror and constant sensation of menace doesn not mainly come from the demented maniac with their machete and but from the genuinely ominous and isolated oregon forest where this movie be shoot . in case the film seem slow and uneventful and this be only because lieberman take his time to introduce the dark wood and eerie mountain a extra character in his film . we hardly ever see the killer in person and but there always appear to be someone lure from behind the tree or from underneath the mountain lake . bear this in mind and just before dawn become a highly admirable horror effort and actually a lot good than it contemporary blood soak colleague . amidst a nearly endless selection of gory and sicken slasher and lieberman successfully put the emphasis back on tension and character development . the plot revolve on five twenty something friend head for a camping vacation in the oregon wood and where one of them own a small piece of land . the wood be desert and and naturally and the camper ignore forest ranger roy ( george kennedy . ) advise to return back to civilization . shortly after and they brutally encounter an inbred family of which the twin son have murderous tendency . all five main character be surprisingly likable and convince . no irritate stereotype for which you do not feel sympathy anyway and like slutty girl or football jock . a a result of this natural character and you automatically cheer for them and even when they eventually almost turn into savage themselves . the sublime camera work supply the film with an at time unbearable tension level and brad fiedel chill electronic score only add to this effect . just before dawn be a fine slice of early 80 horror and as long a you do not desire blood to drip from your tv set .