Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Just Before Dawn

      R Now Playing 1h 30m Horror List
      60% 5 Reviews Tomatometer 52% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Ignoring a forest ranger (George Kennedy), Oregon hikers camp near inbred twins with pointed teeth and meat cleavers. Read More Read Less Now in Theaters Now Playing Buy Tickets

      Audience Reviews

      View All (121) audience reviews
      Computey D Its one of the better backwoods Slashers that's worth the watch I guess Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review hayden m Needs editing. Too slow, poor script Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review steve d It is just different and effective enough to work. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Very, weary, dark, and odly desterbed slasher. Attends to release a fear towards atmospheric pleasure, then the killer its self this is probably one of the scariest, horror films of its genre since the texas chainsaw, its so true. But the slow pacing is unsatisfying, but the last act hits the ball out of the park. 6.5/10 Classic Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member After decades of watching horror movies I didn't think there were any good ones from the 80s left for me to see. But after reading plenty of glowing reviews for the tough-to-find 80s slasher, Just Before Dawn, my interest was peaked and my expectations raised. The movie starts off quite well with some gorgeous locations, an extremely gory kill and a wonderfully creepy score from Brad Fiedel. The characters, although rather bland, aren't the stereotypes we usually see in these movies, and the acting is better than it has any right to be. The film's greatest strength is the atmosphere utilized from the beautiful/terrifying Oregon locations. Countless horror movies have been set deep in the woods, but Just Before Dawn does a terrific job of making you believe you'll never escape them. Unfortunately after a great set-up it all goes downhill rather quickly. The gore vanishes, the characters get dumber, the pace gets slower, and there are numerous suspenseful buildups with no payoff. It also doesn't help that the killer turns out to be a backwoods version of Homer Simpson. I'm sure if I'd seen this as a kid it would've freaked me out, but adult me was bored out of his mind. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member For those who say that this pic is formulaic, it does have some classic elements of the slasher genre, but it relies more on atmosphere and characters slowly losing there minds, to scare you, rather than brutal, bloody deaths. For a slasher movie, the violence is soft enough, and the killers don't wear any masks, which makes Just Before Dawn a quite different movie, for the time. And even though there isn't any music during the intense scenes, which would've helped, it's a spooky film, and if you watch it with an open mind, it should be a pleasant little horror experience. Worth a look!! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      Photos

      View All Just Before Dawn photos

      Just Before Dawn

      Just Before Dawn (1981) Just Before Dawn (1981) Just Before Dawn (1981) Just Before Dawn (1981) Just Before Dawn (1981) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (5) Critics Reviews
      Alan Jones Starburst Just Before Dawn scared me in a way I haven't been scared for years. Jul 29, 2022 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins There's a steadiness to the pacing, a subtle realism to the attacks, and creative shots for suspense that set the film apart. Rated: 8/10 Sep 6, 2020 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Fans of slasher films should be drawn to the blood and gore that is so beautifully shot and is not as graphic as it could have been. Rated: C+ Mar 9, 2015 Full Review John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) The film's lush locations -- the mossy forest with its prehistoric ferns, huge trees, rocky cliffs and misty waterfalls -- add not just production value but a sense of urgency and conviction to the smart script's subtle environmental message... Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 6, 2014 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an exceedingly familiar premise that's been done countless times before... Rated: 2/4 Jul 12, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Ignoring a forest ranger (George Kennedy), Oregon hikers camp near inbred twins with pointed teeth and meat cleavers.
      Director
      Jeff Lieberman
      Screenwriter
      Jonas Middleton, Mark Arywitz, Jeff Lieberman
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Horror
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      May 3, 2004
      Runtime
      1h 30m