User reviews

Frank Harrington (Ray Wise), wife Laura (Lin Shaye), son Richard (Mick Cain), daughter Marion (Alexandra Holden), and her boyfriend Brad Miller are going to the hated family Christmas hosted by Laura's mother. Frank falls asleep and nearly crashes the car. He had taken a short cut despite 20 years of driving on the same main road. The road is empty and all the clocks stopped at 7:30. They encounter a Lady in White (Amber Smith).

The son is an annoying brat. The father is a control freak. I love Ray Wise and Lin Shaye does a fun crazy. They're not the nicest or quietest family but it's very relatable especially for a Christmas movie. It's a nice Twilight Zone episode. It's obvious what happened after noticing the clocks. I'm willing to let the characters be stupid since no one would actually want to consider the truth of their situation. The father's explanation is both desperate and unrealistic which actually fits him and their situation. This is a very nice ghost story one tells around a campfire.

I liked a lot of things in this, the acting was quite good, there were some really decent moments, the story keeps you engaged.

The biggest problem thought was the ending, the first reveal was what i think 95% of people watching would have expected from the first 15 minutes of the movie, the last 'reveal' was just a bit odd.. I like the idea of it, but practically couldn't have happened, it's impossible. so seems like it was just thrown in at the last minute to keep people guessing.

I was after a christmas horror movie with a bit of cheese, and this ticked the boxes, if your after the same worth a watch

Very hammy characters/performances, lots of laugh-out-loud moments where people say/do things that are utterly ridiculous or over the top.

I wouldn't say it's quite 'so bad it's good', because it's not an incompetently made film, it's just got quite a bit of melodrama and campiness to it. It's unclear to me how much of the comedy is intended but I think it's certainly 'some of it'.

There are a few scenes that are genuinely unsettling and one fairly gnarly bit of gore, but don't go into this expecting to be really frightened.

All in all this was a great surprise - I went in expecting a fairly mediocre horror/thriller but it had just the right level of goofiness to elevate it into something solidly entertaining, without feeling like it was trying too hard. I found it very charming.

I will say, part of my reaction is probably because I watch a lot of horror movies. I'm not sure if people less accustomed to the genre would be as tickled by it as I was. Other reviews suggest a number of people found this movie quite scary, so your mileage may vary.

This movie was a nice surprise.I had never heard of it but it was one of those DVD boxes that catches your eye when you go to rent something.It turned out to be a great little movie.I call it "little" because it doesn't have a cast of thousands or ten bazillion special effects.But the cast is excellent and the effects simple but very effectively done.

This is a road trip from hell movie.5 people set out on Xmas eve for their relatives house and spend the night caught up in a nightmare that wont end.This movie gets right to it,no 20 minutes wasted on the setup.The family is in the car and on the road as the movie begins and it doesn't look back.I can't speak too much of the plot or it will give the whole movie away.Suffice to say the plot is sort of mind bending once it becomes clear to you.

This movie proves you don't need a computer to generate your movie and 100 million dollars to make a good one.See this movie.Its a keeper!

The Harringtons are driving to a relatives house for Christmas. There's the father (Ray Wise), mother (Lin Shaye), obnoxious teenage son (Mick Cain), daughter (Alexander Holden) and daughter's boyfriend (Bill Asher). Then they almost crash and strange things start happening--the road never ends and who IS that Lady in White (Amber Smith) who keeps appearing?

Starts off strong. The characters are very real--not likable but you don't hate them either--just like real people. Also there are two deaths in the movie where we never see the bodies--but this works! What I was imagining was a lot worse than anything they could have shown. Also there's the eerie setting and lots of impressive overhead shots of the car driving down the road surrounded by a forest. The acting is good too--especially the always impressive Ray Wise. Good to see him headlining a movie.

But it goes on too long. It starts to feel like an R-rated 30 minute "Twilight Zone" episode padded out to 80 minutes. It gets tiresome and repetitious and I was just watching to find out what was going on. A lot of people don't like this ending (me too) but really--you're not going to find an ending to satisfy everyone. For what it is it's OK.

It's worth seeing though despite the slow stretches and the ending. I give it a 7.

"Dead End" is like an extended episode of "The Twilight Zone". It's as spooky and intriguing, but unfortunately, the ending is just as foreseeable and ridiculous.

As long as the movie is running, it's good though. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious and some scenes are genuinely creepy. While it's a good thing the directors didn't rely on cheap scares, after a while one would wish for a few more jumps now and then. There are many opportunities for shock scenes that are not taken.

When I started watching "Dead End" I wasn't aware just how much of a comedy it would be. The characters in this movie are arguing so much and shouting so many brilliant one-liners at each other, it's a blast. Maybe a little more sincerity would have created a better all around atmosphere, though, but maybe too much sincerity would have revealed the plot to be completely ridiculous.

Some things in this movie are really bad. Like one character leaving the car in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, while it's freezing cold outside, to go into the forest and jerk off to a picture of Miss July (!) he brought along. In another scene after one character has already been found brutally slaughtered, the same guy goes into the woods again to smoke a joint and dance to some "crazy" rock music he listens to over his head phones (the music in this movie was a shame, too, by the way). I really hope that this kind of stupid scenes was done on purpose.

The only reason why I'm grouching so much is because "Dead End" could have been a GREAT movie with its basic premise and the way a lot of scenes were executed. As it is, it's merely a fine little sleeper, that's still recommendable.

When this movie started my heart sank a little. It's going to be another of those, "People in car take a wrong turn, encounter one sort of slasher or other." How wrong I was, and what a little gem this film is. True, the occupants of the car do take a wrong turn, Frank Harrington is taking his family and his daughter's boyfriend to spend Christmas with his in-laws, but there this movie parts company with your average gore-fest. This, I believe, is for three reasons. The writers gave the cast great lines to read; the blood content is actually very low for such a film, and finally, it was inspired not to fill the car with swinging teens, but use a mixture of youngsters and, shall we say, more mature citizens. I'll not go into plot lines, but if you're like me, this movie will leave you with a satisfied grin on your face.

This movie is a little more serious than a lampoon. It's got adult humor and some vulgar as well. It's a crazy, funny, scary road trip gone wrong. The acting was fine except the youngest character didn't look like a teenager to me. He did a good job of portraying a disaffected suburbanite teen except that he just looked and sounded older. I rated it only seven stars because the teen didn't seem teen and I could too easily predict the end. But if it's over five stars I still think it's a good movie.

On the Christmas Eve, Frank (Ray Wise) is driving with his family, composed by his wife Laura (Lin Shaye), his son Richard (Mick Cain) and his daughter Marion (Alexandra Holden) and her boyfriend Brad (Billy Asher), to have the Christmas dinner at the home of Frank's mother-in-law. Frank, asleep, decides to drive through an unknown shortcut using a secondary road, where the weirdest things happen with his family and him. This low budget movie is terrific: although the story passes basically in a car and on an empty road, it is tense, scary, having a dreadful atmosphere, being certainly on of the best in the genre. The screenplay is excellent, having many ironic lines, the direction is tight and the cast is very sharp, alternating funny and frightening situations. This film is highly indicated for fans of `The Twilight Zone', `The Others', `Abra los Ojos', `El Espinazo del Diablo' and `X-Files'. The situation of Frank's family on the road without finding their destination or even an exit recalls Paul Hackett unsuccessfully trying to get home in `After Hours'. I saw on the cover of the DVD that this movie was awarded with many prizes in minor Festivals. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Rota da Morte' (`Route of the Death')

This movie has all the elements of a good movie, yet it was low budget. It is funny and sarcastic, scary and sick, all at the same time. It is also definitely a movie that has you trying to figure it out the entire time.The characters are well built and not as typical as they may seem. there is also a lot of psychological points which make it really interesting to watch. While it may be a little confusing at times, it is worth watching to the ends. Some people seem to really dislike this movie, saying it is confusing, but if you keep an open mind throughout the movie you will really enjoy it. It is surely a movie I would recommend to anyone who enjoys humor with their gore.

Before I ordered the movie 'Dead End" I went thru a number of viewer comments. Most of them, if not all, were positive so I decided to hit the order button. Fifteen minutes into the movie I realized this could be a mistake. Nothing made sense. First of all the viewer is forced to root against the family for their obnoxious behavior. This is usually par for the course in any slash 'em up movie but more so in this one. I said "kill 'em all and end the movie already." The way in which characters disappeared and wound up dead seconds later was hard to believe. No psychological thriller here. If you are dealing with faceless killers try to make it a little more believable. I would pass on this dead end.

I don't understand how people can embarass themselves by writing a review when they obviously either completely missed the point or must have been not paying attention. Or are just plain dim. There are lots of them here, apparently. This movie wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good and it should be a textbook example of how to make a low-budget film. I am just amazed at how much misinterpretation can be applied to something that's so easy to follow. There's not exactly tons of surprises, other than the note at the end, which I think was put ther just to ruin your smugness when you're thinking you've got it all figured out. Well done to all cast and crew, I say. 7.5/10

Frank is driving his family through the night to his in-laws for a Christmas dinner, but he decides for the first time in over 20 years to turn off the highway and take a short cut through a forest back road. But what a fatal mistake it was with it turning into a terrifying nightmare, which seems to get weirder and weirder with every stretch of the road they travel. Along the way they come across a lady in white with her baby, a baby carriage and an eerie black car that seems to be only thing travelling the road. All of this madness starts to get to the family and the endless road makes it one hellish Christmas Eve.

What an admirable little low-budget flick! This one isn't trying for anything big and it shows. The novelty plot is simple and basically a one-idea concept, but it plays to its strengths by focusing on its tight and blackly humorous script, a cast that turns in good performances and its bizarre imagery. More so then ever the dark humour is the film's lasting imprint, but that doesn't mean it isn't remotely creepy. Actually, it's incredibly unsettling. The atmosphere that's belted out from the vacant back road and the surrounding forest is incredibly brood and relentless in awe. When the exhilarating tension was put forward it does get the heart pumping fast and some of the grisly deaths are just plain trippy and malicious. Although it's not overly violent with it going for goosebumps in it's psychologically gripping visuals and tautly elevated plot that knows how to get under your skin. But the shocks still do have a full-blooded nastiness to them even if the humour does go over-the-top in its knowing attitude. Sadly it did pay a price for it's simple origins with it all getting a bit too repetitious after the hour mark and the ending I just couldn't help but feel cheated by its tact on conclusion. From what has occurred up until that point, it does cop out by taking the easy way out and provides us with small cryptic symbols and messages being answered. These twist endings are just becoming so predictable, and that's the case here. It's not all that hard to figure out the outcome, but hell the film's other worthy features make up for that glitch. One being we see and feel such a purely genuine chemistry amongst the family. With their hilarious bittering and sarcastic responses. It's hard not to raise a smirk at the family's interactions with each other. But when things start getting peculiar the panic of the situation takes hold. One by one they start losing their sanity with stunning revelations being brought up, because of the shock and stress of this unbearable nightmare.

Ray Wise, as the father Frank is hugely amusing and he was the high point in the performances. Amber Smith is quite good as the strange woman in white that has an enchanting spell over you. Alexander Holden, Mick Cain, Lin Shaye and Bill Asher who made up the well-rounded family were also rather competent in their deliveries. For such a low budget production it looks naturally crisp and it brands some inventive stylistic brushes. There were very impressive camera shots on show and the soundtrack had a mellow feel about it that breeze along in such an unnerving manner. The eerie sound effects too, just knock you off balance with the dense activity created within the wood's nightlife, like that of the chirping crickets.

'Dead End' is a juicy dialog and character driven film with the odd sudden jolt and dose of suspense that's built around an atmospherically charged setting. Out of the recent crop of horror, this one is well worth a look.

Good storyline, Made a little bit too long, but it was interesting to watch till the very end. Good actors, good scenes, nice humor and intense scenes. A little bit not logical but at the end it makes sense. Family friendly movie.

Further proof that Hollywood just doesn't get it right anymore.

When it comes to the horror genre, simplicity is beyond best. It's the one genre where frequently the more feeble the material, the better it can be.

Dead End is an avatar of this principle. The plot is essentially just a concept film; family driving in a car, lost on a road that seems to not end, encountering things beyond explanation along the way. There isn't anything complicated about that and there shouldn't be anything complicated about that. It's a script that builds in on itself, instead of expanding outwards into new territory - yah, I said territory. It doesn't continue to introduce new elements to the fold, in the first 7 minutes it throws it's hands up and says, "this is what you're gonna get, so take it." And I applaud the filmmakers for this. It's something seldom done in the genre these days. All too often do horror scripts follow a formulaic plot that spirals outwards instead of simply just constructing a boxed in realm of the film's reality and then letting the character's react realistically within it. Dare I say it is actually rather Shakespearean in this way? Oh, I dare. Shakespeare was known for creating a story, believable characters and then letting the play unfold as if the characters were realistically responding to the world created around them. This is exactly the scenario with Dead End. It avoids the most common pitfall of the genre; characters that act without logic, without interest and without motivation. It's something scriptwriters should pay considerably more attention to. Characters like these possess some kind of magical power that gives a +20 to any cinematic enjoyment. I cast magic characters! And speaking of those characters, their actions may be realistically responsive, but if it weren't for the remarkably energetic performances of all the cast then all would be for naught. Ray Wise is the man in this movie. He is just badass without being over the top. He has created out of the father a man who is just trapped in an obviously humdrum life and transformed him into someone you just can't help but smile at every time he curses at his family. He is just great. Great, great, great. If I had to recommend the movie for any one single reason, it would be to just enjoy Ray Wise.

The rest of the cast is fantastic as well, Wise doesn't eclipse the few other actors there are, but they all compliment each other like they really were a family. It is the definition of on screen chemistry.

Now, the question you're asking, is it scary? Yes and No. No, it isn't balls-to-the-wall horror. It does fall prey to the optimism of the genre, but it's excusable and I'll get to that in a minute. The script is kinetic, always driving ahead and only pausing as long as necessary to make a point or get in a scare. It's because of this that the film will never scare the **** out of you, but when it wants to it'll keep your heart rate elevated to the point that you're aware of it enough to say to yourself, "hey, this movie is kinda freaking me out." I respect that. It knows it isn't hardcore, so it does exactly what it should and keeps your blood pumping a little faster than normal throughout. I love that feeling. But I also have a wild imagination and so was consistently prepped for an entry into the negative space of the car windows or emerging ever so slightly from the edge of the woods. And that'll freak my junk out more effectively than what you do see.

As for the film falling victim to the optimism of the genre. This is true, but it is appropriately so. It doesn't establish throughout the rest of the movie that it should be taken as the hardest of horror, so no pretending means no disappointment in the end. Oh, and worth an important note for most viewers, there isn't a whole lot of gore, it really does leave a lot up to the imagination (as it should), but what blood there is isn't over the top and there are no CGI scares. Take that for what it's worth, but it's worth a lot to me.

That said, I would have preferred a different ending. Not solely because I would have preferred a darker ending, but simply because the ending has an air of unreliability to it. It attempts to mollify the question that the movie never asks, but obviously the viewer will ("what exactly is happening here?") and I felt that wasn't really necessary. I liked that the movie wasn't raising question after question. I liked that it turned its back to the whole issue, so when the events of the last two or three minutes of the film hit the viewer, or me at least, they feel out of place.

All in all, this is movie that strips away the gloss and glamour prevalent to the genre as of late, establishes the concept and then happily throws what it's got left at the wall. Yes, it doesn't all stick, but the little things that don't are more than shadowed by the much larger portions that do. Dead End is worth your time and money. Rent it and watch it by yourself or with a date, but not in a group. A group would kill the pleasant intimacy that makes the film work beyond its bounds.

I'm hesitant to say instant classic, because obviously it won't be universally so, but it deserves that accolade in my book. Check it out.

The one sentence review: Dead End is a fun ass genre flick that never pretends to climb Mt. Everest and thus leaves the viewer with more than just a feeling of simple satisfaction, but one of raw enjoyment.

I knew I was gonna love it within the first 5 minutes. Lots of scares and laughs, like a mix between Evil Dead and Airplane. Phenomenal acting for a low budget movie. Hated to see it end.

Dead End is an excellent example of what you can do on a low budget with a small cast and just a few locations. Mystery and horror are perfect genres to excel under these conditions, and the filmmakers here take full advantage, crafting a wonderfully paranoid, claustrophobic and eerie dream-like atmosphere. The movie is totally character driven, and we spend a lot of time getting to know and care about the main characters. The gore was minimal, but effective, and there is one truly horrifying gore effect (you will know it when you see it).

The plot involves a family of four (plus the daughter's boyfriend) on their way to the mom's relatives for Christmas Eve. The father (Ray Wise) decides to take the "scenic route" and after a near head-on collision with another vehicle in the first few minutes, they pick up a ghostly hitchhiker, and soon after, the horror begins. The family is seemingly trapped on a deserted, heavily forested country road, unable to find their way out... Saying anything more will spoil your enjoyment of the film. Watching the characters react to their steadily worsening situation is a true pleasure, as they convey the film's sense of horror, shock and panic far better than any cheap gore effects or man in a rubber monster suit ever could. As the story progresses, the characters reveal dark secrets about themselves that really add to the fun... things they would not have said were things not looking so grim!

I really loved this movie, up to a point. The ending was predictable, clichéd and a big letdown after spending so much time invested in the characters trying to escape their fate. However, almost everything up to that point was a lot of fun, especially the dialogue, which was FANTASTIC. The main cast was GREAT, especially Ray Wise and the actress who played his daughter. Everyone was great except Steve Valentine, who apparently cannot act any different (or better) than his character on TV's Crossing Jordan. The female doctor at the end wasn't very good, either (I thought it was Shannon Tweed until I read the end credits!). Thankfully, these two don't appear until the end, which kind of sucked anyway (though their rather poor acting didn't help matters, it was ultimately the script's fault).

The minimalist instrumental music is really creepy and worth mentioning.

I give Dead End an "8" out of 10. With a revised ending, it could have easily garnered a "9" or "10." In a sea of brain-dead garbage "B" and grade "Z" horror movies, Dead End stands out at the front of the pack. I wish more low budget horror movies could be this finely crafted and intelligent. This movie is definitely highly recommended viewing for aspiring low budget filmmakers and horror fans.

A campy fun horror movie. On Christmas Eve, a typically dysfunctional middle class family packs into a car to go to grandma's house. Or so they think. A shortcut, a pumpkin pie, a woman in white, and near head on collision later... well let's just say being locked in the car with this family could be horrifying enough... There are few real surprises in the telling of the story, as in the characters are typically horror Movie IQ impaired. But the dialogue in spots is genuinely funny and some moments are even a bit scary. When I say "dumb" I don't mean badly acted... I mean, that after two grisly murders, one of the characters decides it is a good time to go into the woods alone.. or they take separate routes to the lonely cabin in the woods. This "formula behavior" actually enhances the fun feel of the movie.

Lin Shaye steals the show as a a June Cleaver-type mom... She has the absolute best lines and her delivery is great. Ray Wise on the other hand, was not the best choice. He played the role like a mean Archie Bunker...a little too "mean" if you ask me. I would have liked a little more of a dark/dysfunctional comedic touch. The brother played by Mick Cain was simply a simp. Annoying, repugnant, and unrealistic. The only bad act in the bunch. Alexandra Holden was much too young to be playing a Psychiatrist, but she was fun in parts too.

While I did figure it out... the ending is still fun and had a little twist. But nothing that you will work too hard at figuring out.

All in all - worth the watch if you aren't busy.