by: AthenaY
Posted on 02.10.10 in All Horror Films > Supernatural > Thriller/Suspense
Release Date: 2003

By all rights, a horror movie rooted firmly in cliche and urban legend shouldn’t be as mesmerizing as Dead End. But something about this quirky, low budget movie defies the expectations. With excellent understated performances– especially by the talented Ray Wise and Alexandra Holden– Dead End succeeds in transcending campfire lore and manages to be unsettling and entertaining at the same time.

The story begins when Frank (Ray Wise), the patriarch of the Harrington family, makes a fateful driving decision during the family’s Christmas Eve visit to Grandma’s house.  Instead of taking the usual route on the Interstate, he decides to mix things up a bit and “take the back way for a change”.  As any horror aficionado knows, this choice will not bode well.  The road is a seemingly endless, isolated stretch of pavement surrounded on all sides by a dark forest.  After dozing off at the wheel and narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with another vehicle, things go from bad to worse for the Harringtons.  A mysterious lady clad in white (Amber Smith) appears on the side of the road.  She is clearly distressed and clings to her injured baby, a lumpen form swaddled with enough blankets to make Boris Karloff’s Mummy jealous.  The vacantly staring, smiling hitchhiker leads them farther along the deserted back road, deeper into the strange, violent woods where their nerves fray to a breaking point.  One by one, the hapless Harringtons succumb to strange, gruesome deaths.  A menacing black car races away from each death scene, leaving a horribly mutilated body behind.

At least, we assume that the deaths are horrific.  In an interesting stylistic move, almost every death happens just off camera or with minimum focus on the victim as they meet their fate.  Directors Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa have mastered the art of leaving the truly scary stuff to the viewer’s imagination.  Just enough gore makes it on screen to intrigue and disturb the audience.  We catch glimpses of what looks like bloody flesh dangling from one victim’s cell phone.  Several entire scenes are shot from a corpse’s point of view, although an outstretched arm, burned and mangled is the only part the camera allows us to see.  We assume from the actors’ reactions– the gasping, the retching– that the victim did not meet a pretty end.  The grisly condition of one corpse is made clear through a disturbing sketch on the back of a napkin.  The horror of seeing a character who had been alive and well reduced to a stick figure sketch of splayed and severed limbs is profoundly creepy.

The tension between the characters grows palpable as they realize that the open road is more oppressive than they could have ever imagined.  Strange little things– an empty baby stroller that keeps making an appearance in the middle of the road, everyone’s watch stopping simultaneously, the car radio picking up screams– all help push the already stressed family over the edge.  Dark family secrets are revealed one by one as the body count piles up.

The interactions between the characters helps save Dead End from lapsing into predictability.  Alone, they’re each very human, albeit not necessarily sympathetic.  When trapped together, not only are their flaws emphasized, but the strength of their family bonds surface in unexpected and at times darkly humorous ways.

Dead End is an excellent mood movie, despite its plot contrivances.  It goes to show that big budget blowouts crammed with gore are not necessary ingredients for a worthwhile horror film.

• ★★★★★

  Acting:

• ★★★★★

  Blood:

• ★★★★★

  Violence:

• ★★★★★

  Partying:

• ★★★★★

  Language:

• ★★★★★

  Humor:

• ★★★★★

  Predictable:

• ★★★★★

  Girls:

• ★★★★★

  Gore:

• ★★★★★

  Sexuality:

• ★★★★★

  Torture:

• ★★★★★

  Overall:

Yay! Another fan of "Twin Peaks" and Ray Wise. Also, the wife's name in Dead End is Laura and it's kind of odd to see him yelling, "LAURAAA!" and looking distraught. There's also a very surreal scene involving pie. I wonder if it's a nod to "Twin Peaks".

ooh, you had me at "Ray Wise", who will forever be Laura Palmer's evil dad in Twin Peaks to me. This sounds good.

This sounds awesome. Will have to check it out soon. Very well-written review btw.

The humor in this film is infectious. Not for everyone, as some scenes become a bit overbearing, but none-the-less, this film has it all and shouldn't be missed by any Indy horror fan. It's one of those small gems that i'm thrilled to have stumbled upon

Just enough to tantalize without giving the whole thing away! I'll be looking for this one. Thanks for a great review!