With the rising popularity of slashers in the early 80s, exploitation producer Samuel Z. Arkoff wanted to capitalize on it. Joe Roth, an up-and-coming producer dating Arkoff’s daughter at the time, wanted to make a horror film with him. Arkoff handed Roth a script he had called Three Blind Mice, which Alien co-writer Ronald Shusett wrote. Shusett suggested they hire a young Andrew Davis to direct off the strength of his short films. With little money and relatively unknown actors, the movie was shot in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in late 1981. Unfortunately, because of the low body count, no distributor was interested compared to the other slasher films released. In 1982, Adrian Zmed and Darryl Hannah gained much attention for T.J. Hooker and Blade Runner, respectively. Now, with two big stars in the cast, The Final Terror was finally released to theaters in late 1983.
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Rating
Synopsis
Dennis (John Friedrich), Marco (Adrian Zmed), Mike (Mark Metcalf), Nathaniel (Ernest Harden Jr.), and Richard (Lewis Smith) are going camping. They meet up with Margaret (Rachel Ward), Windy (Daryl Hannah), Vanessa (Akosua Busia), and Melanie (Cindy Harrell) for the trip. After being driven by bus by Eggar (Joe Pantoliano), the group sets up camp and shares campfire stories. But as soon as they arrive, a mysterious camouflaged figure emerges and starts picking them off one by one. While exploring, the group finds an old cabin that they believe is where the killer is hiding out of. They immediately suspect Eggar is responsible since he was the first to disappear the morning after they arrived. As members of the group wind up either missing or dead, the survivors have to stick together to save themselves. Without knowing they’ve unlocked an unknown force, but can they survive The Final Terror?
Review
Considering the overall quality, it’s easy to see why it took years for The Final Terror to find a distributor. While most slashers at the time ramped up the body count, this one only has three kills. The producers had to go back and shoot a completely different opening just to add some more kills. That’s not to say the final film is a complete disaster, as there are some excellent qualities to be had. For one, seeing so many talented people get their start behind and in front of the camera is worth watching. Given its meager budget, Andrew Davis made the most out of the locations, creating a feeling of isolation and dread. You feel like you’re with these unlucky campers as they get lost in this gigantic forest. It’s a shame that the film isn’t all that compelling and drags for quite a bit.
After the tacked-on opening, none of the main characters get killed until at least 40 minutes into the film. Most of the runtime is spent with the cast wandering through the woods, trying to find their way out. Even when a character gets killed, there’s nothing unique or special about their deaths, which I guess is more realistic. I’m not saying every slasher needs crazy, over-the-top kills to be good, but you should give us something. Admittedly, the acting is decent, if unremarkable, but Joe Pantoliano does a great job playing a creepy weirdo. Also, the survival elements help this film stand out from typical slashers, but it never builds any tension or suspense. While I wouldn’t call this one of the worst slashers I’ve ever seen, it’s one of the most unremarkable. Overall, The Final Terror was a good starting ground for future talent, but it isn’t very compelling.
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