The Final Terror

The Final Terror (released internationally as Carnivore and Campsite Massacre) is a 1983 American horror film directed and photographed by Andrew Davis, and starring John Friedrich, Rachel Ward, Daryl Hannah, Adrian Zmed, Mark Metcalf, Akosua Busia, and Joe Pantoliano. Blending elements of the survival thriller and the slasher film, the story follows a group of campers in the Northern California wilderness who are forced to fight for their lives against a backwoods, feral killer hunting them as prey. The film was developed by executive producer Samuel Z. Arkoff, who hoped to capitalize on the success of such films as Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and The Burning (1981). Arkoff commissioned Joe Roth to produce the film, after which a screenplay was developed by three writers, including Ronald Shusett. Principal photography took place in the fall of 1981, primarily in the Redwood Forests of northern California, as well in southern Oregon, under the working title Bump in the Night. Though completed in 1981, The Final Terror was shelved for two years as a result of the filmmakers failing to find a distributor. It was eventually released on October 28, 1983 to capitalize on the rising fame of its stars Ward, Hannah, and Zmed. Critical reaction to the film was mixed, with some praising it for its believability, while others admonished it for its incorporation of overlapping dialogue and art film elements. Numerous critics drew comparisons to Deliverance (1972) due to the film's survivalist elements, as well as to its slasher contemporary Friday the 13th. In the intervening years, the film has developed a small cult following.