take it cue from backwoods classic deliverance and the texas chain saw massacre and jeff lieberman just before dawn might not offer much very new in term of plota maniac stalk and kill a group of campersbut still manage to be an effective shocker thanks to the director deft handling of the material and great use of the stunning scenery and even great use of woman in hot pant and a brood synth score from brad fiedel and a nifty twist towards the end ( although one that should be apparent to those who have be pay attention ) . thanks to solid performance from it capable castincluding oscar winner george kennedy a forest ranger roy mcleanthere be a sense of realism to just before dawn that be all too often miss from this kind of fare . the film also offer a pretty creepy maniac ( who snigger like dick dastardly dog mutley and use a nasty serrated machete to kill ) and and deliver a couple of very imaginative sequence which help lift it above many of it contemporary represent a topless woman ( gratuitous nudity box well and truly tick ) in a lake discovers that the hand that have be grope her underwater doesn not belong to her boyfriend while and a shortsighted character make out with his pal girlfriend ( a a joke ) and unaware that the person who be slowly approach be not his friend but the killer .