Berserker (1987)

 Getting the chance to see Berserker (1987) with a decent transfer (there is even an HD transfer on YouTube) on Tubi made a slight difference in my enjoyment of the film on a second viewing. Still, I'm a bit "blah" towards the Utah shot wilderness horror film, where a good bit of padding delays any real pulse-pounding impact. I didn't despise the cast as much as wish there had been more emphasis on terror. 

I think it was about 45 minutes in before the threat really makes a presence. The title "man beast" mauls striking blond Engemann first, then turns his attention to luscious Touissant (Tasha Yar's sister on "Star Trek: The Next Generation") and her boyfriend, Alan Johnson ("The Slumber Party Massacre"). I was shocked to see Touissant completely nude while on top of Johnson and later beside him, even walking naked to her clothes...there was a scene earlier where the gang is swimming, having a good time, and Touissant starts to unloosen her shirt, deciding to not do so. So not doing so I assumed she was one of the actresses able to avoid the "show some skin" clause in contracts for slasher movies. 

I didn't feel Berserker was necessarily a slasher film as much as a "fight for survival" where the wild yields a threat to visitors unaware of what awaits them. That twist at the end where the berserker (Mike Riley, a buff gym rat who roars) is Buck Flower, after taking buck shot from John Goff's sheriff, just made me groan, though. 

The taloned claw worn by the berserker is shot to make us think Bart the Bear might be responsible. The marks on the faces of victims and just the savage nature of the attacks aren't too bad, but it sure takes a while to really kick into gear. Overall, though, the film isn't too tough on the stomach. The film, however, might be too tough on the patience. 

I enjoyed Goff and Flower -- they were together on the boat when that fog rollllled in in John Carpenter's "The Fog" (1980) -- who have some conversations about the young people who arrive at the cabins for a week vacation and the legend of the Scandinavian Norse killer that remains generations after the Vikings. Goff, thankfully, wasn't that stereotypical sketchy hick sheriff, actually worried about the young people and their safety. That was refreshing. 

Also a surprise is how the most obnoxious, braggadocios one of the bunch, Josh (Greg Dawson), typically killed in some deserved heinous fashion, gets his act together and realizes the error of his ways, apologizing to the bookworm, Larry (Montague) about labeling him a nerd, with the usual sharp criticism. When Josh got mauled in the face and hurt in the arm, I assumed he was toast...but the film lets him survive! 

The body count was much lower than I think most slasher fans will anticipate...that could be a big dealbreaker. Vinegar Syndrome giving the film the star treatment might have brought more awareness to Berserker...I'm just not sure that awareness will provide much in the way of satisfactory results. I gave the film about a 3/10 the first time I watched it. I'll be a tad generous with a 2/5 after the second viewing. Those who made this sure laid on the fog, though. Lots of fog.

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After a creature feature (Slugs (1988)) and monster movie (The Unnamable (1988)), I was milling about Tubi, deciding on the next subgenre, choosing "backwoods survivalist" horror flick, Berserker (1987). I have included the IMDB user comments June 2010:

A group of friends are on a camping trip where they encounter a "nordic beast" which assaults(more like mauls them)with bear claws. Out in the darkness of the wilderness somewhere near their cabin(or another's cabin they "borrow"), this group is lost, hoping to find their way back, but this will be a dangerous quest as the "berserker" is somewhere in the midst, ready to strike.

Based on legend, the berserker is said to be a descendant of the Vikings, savage humans, in bear skins(wearing their heads and arms equipped with claws), cannibalistic even, who eat their prey. It was said, as part of the legend, that the souls of the berserkers were not allowed into heaven, and so they continue on, invading the bodies of their ancestors. Could this be who is after the group of college youths just out of the city for some fun?

Most of the attacks are claws to the victims' faces and bodies. Some nudity and sex between boyfriend/girlfriend, Mike and Shelly(Joseph Alan Johnson and Beth Toussaint)before the berserker goes on a rampage. It all started with Josh's girlfriend, Kristi(Shannon Engemann)having to urinate, with Mike and Shelly going to see what was taking her so long. While the lovebirds were engaged in sex, Kristi was being attacked. Soon the entire company is in the woods, searching for an exit. Josh(Greg Dawson)used to come to the cabins all the time with his father..he's the one of the group who who can be a pain in the ass, and is a bit of a mischief maker. He tosses out a beer can and is pulled over by police officer, Hill(John Goff), not the right start to their vacation. Hill warns of littering and sends them on their way. George Buck Flower is Pappy Nyquist, who runs the campgrounds and cabins where our gang wish to crash. Pappy is from "the old country", his w's sounding like v's. Hill and Pappy are life long friends and discuss, vaguely, the Norse legend. We get the impression that those outside the city, aren't very fond of the outsiders who show up to leave garbage for them to clean up. The area where the cabins are located had descendants of the Vikings/berserkers, which might explain who is behind the murders which soon transpire. Or, as the filmmakers point out, a bear shown wandering about in the woods could be the culprit. When Larry(Rodney Montague) breaks a leg stumbling over a log, Josh will remain with him as Larry's girlfriend Kathy(Valerie Sheldon)and Mike go for help. A constant in this movie is the discovery of past victims, buried in bushes or hidden underneath tree branches, which obviously shock and frighten the cast not expecting corpses in the general area. Basically carries the structure of the wilderness slasher movie, with a "berserker" and claws replacing a knife-wielding maniac. Buck Flower completists might want to check this out. The ending I found pretty silly and more than a bit bewildering, the way the berserker responds to sunlight and how the image of "it" changes as the film closes.