A
drunken man named Ty (Mike Kellin) and
his nephew and his nephew Vachel (Charles
Bartlett) are hiking in the woods on a
mountain exploring a chapel. Suddenly
Vachel is killed by a hulking maniac
mountain killer (John Hunsaker) and then
wears his uniform.
This causes Ty to think that there are
demons in the m,ountains and tries to
warn a group of 5 young campers as one of
them by the name of Warren (Gregg Henry),
owns a property up in the mountains about
it as they were once warned by a forest
ranger named Roy McLean (George Kennedy)
not to go up in the mountains but of
course, they don't listen.
They of course go hiking, swimming and
party at night.
An estranged backwoods family who lives
in the woods called the Logans threatens
them to get off the land or they'll raise
the devil.
They think nothing of it and carry on to
what they're doing. But suddenly the
mountain killer does away with one of
Warren's friends and then Warren and his
girlfriend Constance (Deborah Benson)
discover his corpse in the river and
tries to survive as their other friends
have disappeared.
They try to gety help from the Logans but
they don't help out and soon they are
terrorised by two hulking mountain twins.
I loved this movie
as it is dark, creepy and an awesome look
at the great out doors in the mountains.
There's a perfect opening with the sun
rising in which gave the film a perfect
low budget horror feel to the story.
The movie is off to a great start
involving a crazy drunk named Ty and his
nephew at an abandoned church in the
mountains with the Mountain Twins
watching them along with killing his
nephew which was perfectly creepy and
giving the film a perfect push.
They had lots of talented people invovled
with this film and I loved it's low
budget look to it giving it a total dark
feel to it.
Then there's the young campers about to
go to the mountains not scared of
anything which is typical as you know
they're in for a death wish along with
spotting little twin siblings in the area
which makes you wonder if these locals
are sane or not.
Then there's nice little hints with a
forest ranger named Roy McLean telling
them not to enter the mountains which
makes you wonder if he knew about the
terrors that goes on with those mountain
twins. Of course this seems to be very
common in a slasher flick with a
supporting character knowing about
certain things that goes on in the area
and not the one's planning a trip. The
group of friends also meet up with Ty who
acts as crazy as hell talking about
demons and warning them too. This was
impressively written and done as anyone
would think that he's just a crazy old
man not knowing what he's talking about.
Then there's all sorts of fun with
everyone skinny dipping in a lake near a
water fountain or trying to catch some
fish but yet they meet a strange
backwoods girl named Merry Cat Logan
which is a perfect key to the story in
which every horror film needs someone
like this part in a mysterious slasher
film. Then there's one of the Mountain
Twins trying to be sneaky with one of the
women skinny dipping which certainly left
a chill down your spine.
There's a perfect scene with the friends
having a campfire and dancing to some
cheesy sounding disco music which makes
you want to join in but suddenly is
stopped with a backwoods man shooting the
ghetto blaster and his family along with
Merry Cat telling them to leave and
raising the devil which fits in perfectly
to the story. You know for sure that they
have something that the viewers don't
know yet but it does get revealed later
on in the story.
Then of course the mountain twins kill
everyone off one by oen and boy are they
brutal by doing so with their gigantic
machette type of blades that they carry
in which they seem deadlier than what
Jason Voorhies carries around.
There's also real scary moments at night
with a whistle that one of the friends
use in case they need help with one of
the survivors named Constance hears as
the sound comes in closer. This for sure
can gurantee to scare anyone who is just
trying out horror films leaving an
impression that it's for sure not one of
her friends calling.
The ending on the film with what
Constance does to one of the mountain
twins is a total classic and can be well
remembered to anyone who has seen this
film.
Bottom line is that this film was like a
cross between Friday the 13th
and the original Texas Chainsaw
Massacre and a touch of The
Hills Have Eyes with good freak
out killers with many creepy edges to the
whole story. The picture looks dark alot
of the times due to it's low budget but
that's what made it so entertaining to
watch. It fit the story perfectly.
For a low
budgeter, the actors perform superbly for
a flick it's time.
Gregg Henry (Warren) played the
perfect lead male actor in the film with
his terrific presence in the flick and
energetic behavior. He really came across
perfectly in his role as the head of his
group of friends playing someone totally
outgoing and charming. He also does a
great job almost losing his sanity after
finding out what had happened to his
friends which is a change of his
personality which is what a true
character actor should be.
Deborah Benson (Constance) had the
nice beautiful healthy girl looks and
attitude too and really knew on how to
use her lung power too while being
attacked plus showed some great physical
energy in her role and never letting her
energetic performance down at all. There
was alot of good points in what she did
for her character in the film.
Chris Lemmon (Jonathan) is
believeable and really stood out as an
outgoing jokester in the film showing
plenty of pizzaz. He showed a great
charming attitude in his role to top it
off proving that he is not one of those
idiots with a good hearted type of
personality that would make you want to
be around him.
Jamie Rose (Megan) was also
wonderful as the flirtatious teen in the
film as she knew how to make you smile by
watching her performance. She brings out
alot of spunk, humor and terrific
characteristics in her role with a great
bubbly attitude too. In fact I found her
to be the best actress in this film.
We have a supporting role by George
Kennedy (Roy McLean) who was
wonderful as a forest ranger with his
real serious and no bullshit type of
attitude. He was a perfect key role to
the film in which I found him to be the
best actor in the film. He really made
his part very mysterious as if he's
hiding something about what went on in
the mountains. I always enjoyed his
performances in any type of show.
There's another supporting actor
performed by the late Mike Kellin
(Ty) who played a terrific crazed drunk
with his gruff looks and rough speaking
which was very good and can really
perform an eccentric type of character.
He performed in another camp slasher film
before his death titled Sleepaway
Camp.
Katie Powell (Merry Cat Logan)
was very convincing as a backwoods girl
as she really knew on how to act very
strange as well as showing great crazy
like expressions along with her speech
which she really knew on how to come
across as a strange one.
Just looking at John Hunsaker
(Mountain Twins) as the inbred twins just
convinces you enough that there is
nothing pleasant about him. He played a
perfect killer by acting aggressive with
everything that he did and giving alot of
energy to what he did.
Jamie Rose's
character is skinny dipping in a lake and
her breasts are exposed.
Not really bloody
but the mountain twins brutally stab a
couple guys in the chest. Hey, the
original Halloween got
away with no blood so why not this one
too.
Jeff
Lieberman brings his chemistry to
life with this film as the actors were
well coached.
He shows great shots of the mountains and
the sun rising especially in the opening
credits.
There's a nice and drunken dialogue
sequence between Mike Kellin and
supporting part actor Charles
Bartlett in a deserted chapel.
There's a good shot on a hole in the roof
of the chapel with John Hunsaker looking
in and a scared expression on Kellin's
face which looks classy for a start on a
horror film.
A good shot on a truck rolling down a
hill and hitting a tree and catching on
fire.
A nice stiff expression on Bartlett's
face with a knife next to him about to be
killed.
George Kennedy looked natural
talking to his horse asking why it's
upset as well as a good moment with Gregg
Henry in his mobile telling him and
the cast who play his friends that
camping in the mountains isn't a good
idea.
A good shot on Deborah Benson
trying to see what is out there in the
woods and Kellin creeps up from
behind her and acts all crazy.
A good shot on Hunsaker jumping
on the back of the mobile driving away
along with a great crazy laughter on Kellin
falling to the ground.
Perfect shots on the main cast walking
along the rope bridge and trying to be
safe.
There's a good distance shot on
supporting actress Katie Powell at
the bottom of a waterfall running away
with the main cast on top of the cliff
watching her.
There's also a perfect distant shot on a
cliff with a waterfall and the main cast
rolling down the hill.
We spot a perfect camera shot on both Chris
Lemmon and Jamie Rose
making out in a lake and Hunsaker
walking behind a waterfall and going
underneath the water towards them. Rose
does well by freaking out after that she
discovers that someone else is touching
her in the lake underwater.
Rose does well looking out at
night during a bonfire and calling out
who's out there after she hears a noise
which seems creepy.
A great setting of the main cast at night
dancing to some music at a bonfire and
suddenly their ghetto is shot which
causes them to be silent as they do well
with that too acting shocked.
A good and dark shot on supporting actors
Hap Oslund, Barbara Spencer
and Powell as a backwoods family
approaching them.
A good dark shot on both Kennedy
and Kellin having a dialogue and
Kellin talking to him about
demons in the mountains.
Great angle shots with Lemmon on
a rope bridge and Hunsaker
standing on the other side staring coldly
at him as well as good shot on Hunsaker
cutting off the ropes. Lemmon does
well trying to struggle by climbing up
the rope.
A great shot on both Henry and Benson
kissing in a lake near a stream and Lemmon's
lifeless body starts to flow off the
stream surprising them.
Both Rose and Ralph Seymour
do a great job pretending to make out
thinking it's someone else watching them
along with a good blurry shot on Hunsaker
slowly walking towards them. A good shot
on Rose running away after she
discovers what is happening along with a
good shot on Hunsaker slowly
walking towards her inside the chapel
with an evil grin being cornered and does
well by screaming. Another good shot on Hunsaker
taking pictures with a camera through a
broken window.
Also, the scenes with the mountain twins
attacking the surivivors looked very
scary and a scene that will bear in my
mind is when Deborah Benson's
character hears a whistle blowing and its
one of the mountain killers and a good
shot on Hunsaker coming right up at her
and blowing the whistle.
A perfect moment with Benson
climbing up a tree to escape and Hunsaker
trying to chop it down with her
screaming.
A real scary direction between Henry and Benson
is when they think the terror is over the
crickets stop chirping and they get
nervous with good shots on them staring
around and cringing.
Lieberman directed the killing
scenes better than any director in a
slasher film of that genre.
A great shot on both Henry and
Benson kissing in a lake near a stream
and Lemmon's lifeless body
starts to flow off the stream surprising
them.
Also the scenes with the mountain twins
attacking the surivivors looked very
scary and a scene that will bear in my
mind is when Deborah Benson's
character hears a whistle blowing and its
one of the mountain killers and a good
shot on Hunsaker coming right up at her
and blowing the whistle.
A perfect moment with Benson
climbing up a tree to escape and Hunsaker
trying to chop it down with her
screaming.
Lieberman directed the killing
scenes better than any director in a
slasher film of that genre.
Brad Fiedel's
composition is a classic with the
whistling sounds and the deep keyboard
playing in which this was low budget
sounding but at the same time it totally
kicked ass (Some of it sounds similar to
the beginning of Red Rider's
classic "Lunatic Fringe"). Two
thumbs up for him along with some low
creepy keyboard playing, drum thumping
and the odd metal crunching sounds.
Of course he composed for many classic
motion pictures like Blue Steel and
the Terminator movies.
We have a songtrack by Blondie
with the classic "Heart of
Glass" while the 5 young campers are
driving up to the mountains in which I
had some doubts that it fit the story.
There's also a neat cheesy sounding disco
type song that the campers are dancing to
at night before the backwoods family
shoots their ghetto blaster which I also
loved that was of course composed
directly for the film by Fiedel.
Jonathan: Last
one down is a.... (Rolls down the
hill) rotten egg.
Megan
(Tossing her lipstick in the air):
Alright, I found my carmel cream!
Megan:
This place smells funny
Daniel (Sniffs):
It's not funny
Warren:
Hey! There are no demons. You hear me???
No Demons.
Warren
(Nervously): Ok... No more
devils... no more demons... No more... no
more nothing out there... Just God's
little creatures... More scared of you
than you are of them.
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