Dead End - A Movie Review

Is it me or have we been on this road for hours?

Dead End found its way into theaters in 2003. A family is on the way to their in-law's house on the night of Christmas Eve. Except, they can’t get off the road, driving aimlessly for hours. Running into strange occurrences turns out that taking a shortcut was not a good idea.

Road trips have always been my favorite scenarios in any film. Of course, horror always comes up with an idea to make the premise scary. Following a set of nightmares along a neverending road, Dead End is a whole different story when you find out what is at stake.

Watching Dead End made me have flashbacks to road trips I’ve had with my family. Dead End is a disturbing film but it works because of the actors. Every interaction between the family is played off so naturally. Some of the relationships and conversations are questionable but every family is different.

Ray Wise and Lin Shaye play the parents who spend most of the time bickering. The longer they’re on the road, the more secrets are revealed. No, these people are not flawless.

Before her big break in the Insidious films, Lin Shaye had small roles in other films, like playing a teacher in A Nightmare on Elm Street. This film is my favorite role of Shaye’s! Traumatized by their ordeal, Shaye institutes an impressive performance of a woman in shock. Eating anything she pleases and saying random things, Shaye was the standout.

I should have kept a tally count of how many times Richard’s name is said. Richard is the most annoying teenager ever. But, he has more sense than he lets on. Mick Cain did a great job with his performance.

As I mentioned with Shaye’s performance, Dead End is the best example of what shock can do to a person. Alexandra Holden (Marion) also did a close study of her character.

Things are not as they appear in Dead End. It’s never a good sign when strange people disappear. For their vague appearance, I feel that Amber Smith could have a bigger role.

The film was tedious by the end the longer they were driving and stopping on the road. Jean-Baptiste Andrea kept working in ideas to keep the story progressing. The story was reminiscent of the atmosphere of The Twilight Zone. The ending should have been left more ambiguous.

The dialogue deserves its own credit. The cast did an outstanding job delivering, especially Cain. Sharing peculiar stories, it’s what road trips are all about.

To make audiences feel flustered along with the characters, the camera becomes more and more dizzying. Filming on several dark roads, the horror induces your fears of getting lost.

That’s my biggest fear. Nobody likes being lost, especially when driving on unknown roads. Horror plays with your fears.

Once I found out what the story interpreted it changed the film for me. As I said, that doesn’t stop it from being tedious. There’s a lot of arguing. Some of the decisions made are not smart. For example, why would you let your daughter walk the rest of the way in unknown territory?

I had never heard of Dead End until researching horror movies during the Halloween season. I recommend that you find this film. With its layout and context, it deserves to be talked about more.

Dead End is a horror Christmas film. For anyone looking for a different holiday film, find Dead End. I suggest that you give it a watch.