Dead End (2003)

Don't Believe the Hype

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The end was interesting. Even though other reviewers have said the ending was a bad dream, I do not think it was. I think that the grim reaper or "collector" as he calls himself, keeps killing and collecting bodies/souls until he gets the one he's after. The lady in the white dress is apparently already dead. In the end when Marion sees her and the collector car she says "he's not here for you" and she gave herself up. That is when the nightmare ends. The family had been driving on this endless road trying to reach a destination named Margot. When their nightmare ends the nightmare for Margot (which is the doctor and apparently the next victim) begins. He needed the previous victim to give herself up(maybe she had been running) and used this family to get to her so that they could get him to Margot.

I first saw this on a dvd in 2005. Revisited it recently on a dvd which i own. The twist is really good for first time viewing. The suspense n dread is maintained throughout. The isolated car in an isolated road in the middle of a forest was damn creepy. Viewers r transported with the Harrington family. Ray wise n Lin Shaye were amazing. The second viewing allowed me to laugh more. The fighting between the elder couples, the way Lin Shaye describes in drawing the dead body parts of her daughter's boyfriend, the gunshot scene, the confession of the extramarital offspring, Shaye's admittance that she couldnt satisfy her husband's sexual fantasies n now that she will allow her husband to sexually use her any which way he likes, Shaye massaging her exposed brain n enjoying the feel of it like an orgasm, etc. were filled with black humour. I had kept a track on the directors' work but unfortunately the directors jus disappeared. The female who played the ghost was hot but she too unfortunately disappeared.

It is Christmas Eve and Frank Harrington (Ray Wise) is making the annual pilgrimage to his mother-in-law's. Accompanying him are his wife Laura (Lin Shaye), son Richard (Mick Cain), daughter Marion (Alexandra Holden and his daughter's fiancé Brad (Billy Asher). For the first time in twenty years he has decided to take the scenic route...After falling asleep at the wheel and hitting another car the family come across the mysterious Lady in White (Amber Smith) and their initial attempts to help her lead them into a deadly and seemingly perpetual journey involving gory deaths and a mysterious black car.This attempt at a familiar horror genre is lifted to a slightly higher level than the norm due to a well-crafted script which, aside from having some well-timed comic lines, gradually allows us to see bubbling family resentments coming to the surface as madness descends. Whilst there is little in the way of on-screen gore we are given enough clues to - if you'll pardon the pun - piece together the pieces. The arbitrary twist ending is quite clever enough to satisfy this reviewer at least and the film does not overstay its 85 minute length.Considering that the budget for this film was reportedly $900,000, first-time directors and writers Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa have put together a taut little thriller aided by Greg de Belles' minimalist score. We often find in low budget horror films a motley cast made up largely of amateurs and members of the production crew. Fortunately, other than débutant Billy Asher the main players here are experienced enough to add a little gloss to the proceedings. Special effects, along with cinematography and editing, considering obvious budgetary restraints are more than passable.

As a die-hard fan of David Lynch's surreal little TV spectacular, Twin Peaks, I do tend to watch pretty much anything with various actors associated with the series. Ray Wise was brilliant in the show and I always enjoy his performances. Here is no different. It's basically the Ray Wise Show (but in a car).Did I mention the entire of this cheap little horror movie is set in a car? I feel I better because it may put people off. Plus it's not exactly high budget. Like I said – one setting: the car. And the darkened woodland road it's travelling along.Dead End is about a family of five (Ray Wise – the dad, his wife, their two children and their daughter's soon-to-be fiancé). They're all (un)happily travelling to a relative's at Christmas – like they do every year – when they decide to take the 'scenic' route. This involves ditching the interstate for a cross-country road. Not a good idea.Basically, it's a horror film, so, without wishing to give anything away, bad things start to happen. I won't go into detail as it's such a fun little film that anything else may spoil things. Like I mentioned, the budget isn't too high, so don't expect hordes of Orcs rampaging through the woods or general destruction on a planetary level. Just expect some creepiness, mixed with witty dialogue.Yes, the dialogue. Whether you love or hate the film, I defy almost anything to dislike the banter between the family. Right from the start they bicker and berate each other and come across like they really have been making this depressingly traditional journey for countless years.But, no matter how good the cast are in general (Lin Shaye, I'm referring to you), it's Ray Wise's performance that carries the film through and through. He really is on top form, moving from hen-pecked husband to tortured soul and on to protective parent along the way.Dead End should really be a cult classic. It's not high budget enough to be particularly mainstream and doesn't have the big names associated with it to make it stand out. But I hope it finds an audience out there among people who like their horror films understated and creepy, rather than big budget and loud.Oh, and is it just me – but if you're a fan of Twin Peaks, try and spot the many references (besides the obvious Ray Wise association).