Berserker

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-