Berserker

7/4/19871h 25m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ It's too late to run. There's no time to scream... Just close your eyes and pray to die. ~

Overview:

Six young adults in the woods run afoul of a berserker, a viking warrior who dons the fur and snout of a bear, and are slain in turn by him.

Director:

Jefferson Richard

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

sheriff
vikings (norsemen)
woods
flashlight
murder
bear
slasher
cabin in the woods
cannibal
norse mythology
lost in the woods

Cast

Joseph Alan Johnson

~ as ~

Mike

Greg Dawson

~ as ~

Josh

Valerie Sheldon

~ as ~

Kathy

Shannon Engemann

~ as ~

Kristi

Beth Toussaint

~ as ~

Shelly

Rodney Montague

~ as ~

Larry

Oscar Rowland

~ as ~

Homer

Beverly Rowland

~ as ~

Edna

John F. Goff

~ as ~

Officer Hill

George Buck Flower

~ as ~

Pappy Nyquist

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

Wuchak
Written 2 year(s) ago
5
Surreal terror in the Utah woods

Three teen couples camp out in the remote Utah wilderness where a bear is loose and an old couple is missing. The area was settled by Scandinavian immigrants and there are spooky legends of a berserker demon who possesses Viking descendants. Who’s doing the killing?

"Berserker” (1987), aka “Berserker: The Nordic Curse,” is a low-budget slasher in the tradition of “Friday the 13th” (1980) albeit with a set-up reminiscent of "Without Warning" (1980). While this is technically a slasher, the gore isn’t over-the-top, and anyone who appreciates forest creature features like “Day of the Animals” (1977) and "Into the Grizzly Maze" (2015) should find something to like, assuming you don’t mind low-budget Indies or fog machines.

Beth Toussaint stands out in the female department; she’s a Linda Hamilton lookalike, just more alluring. Look for her as Tasha Yar’s sister in the 1990 Next Generation episode “Legacy.”

While there’s too much padding and therefore the story is sometimes tedious, the actors are convincing and the mundane situation is believable (except for one element). Bart the Bear is a highlight in his younger age. He was featured in numerous movies that required a dangerous bruin throughout the 80s-90s, including “The Edge” (1997). I also like the eerie music and surreal sylvan ambiance in the second half.

The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot at Flying Birddog Ranch, Hailstone Junction, Utah, which is east of Salt Lake City in the mountains (around Big Cottonwood Canyon, I think).

GRADE: C+/B-