By Melissa Garza
A creepy atmosphere, a great setting, a topnotch cast, and a witty script helped create one of the best horror films in recent years.
Dead End begins with a family on their way to Christmas with the in-laws. Frank (Ray Wise), the father, decides to take a shortcut after falling asleep at the wheel and nearly killing everyone in an accident. Soon, on the side of the road, they notice a lady in white (Amber Smith) holding a baby. They stop to see if she needs help. In a state of shock and near a catatonic state, she is unable to answer. They decide to take her on the trip and to get help. There isn’t enough room in the car, so the eldest daughter Marion (Alexandra Holden) decides to walk and meet up with them later.
The family soon reaches a lodge and everyone but the lady in white and Marion’s boyfriend Brad (Billy Asher) get out of the car. Brad attempts to make small talk with the woman and eventually makes a breakthrough. She even allows him to hold her child. He begins to suspect something isn’t right when the little one’s entire face is covered with the blanket. The baby, he soon realizes, is dead. Immediately following, Brad becomes the first casualty.
As Marion continues her journey, a long black hearse slowly drives by. In the back she sees her badly injured boyfriend frantically banging on the window for help. She rushes to her family and they quickly jump in the car and attempt to find the hearse. Instead, they find what is left of Brad’s corpse.
Strange occurrences begin to surround the trip. The clocks all read 7:30 and the time never changes. The radio only plays what sounds like a baby crying. The road they’re on seems to go on forever and they never seem to pass a place to turn off. Finally, they see a sign with an arrow that reads “Murcott,” but that town’s name is nowhere on the map.
“Dead End” never loses the momentum it creates within its first few minutes. The eerie dark desolate road with no exit allows the audience to not only understand the fear of the family but to experience it with them. Who hasn’t been a little unsettled when in an unfamiliar area with no signs of life anywhere in sight? Mix in all the weird activity and the movie becomes nerve-racking.
The pace is absolutely perfect. There isn’t a second of relief or time to hope that the nightmare may be over for the family. Instead, it’s just one tense scene after another. Where this has been a downfall for other films, “Dead End” escapes the trend. Instead, of forgetting about the character development and focusing solely on the in-your-face moments, “Dead End,” uses the horrifying events to tell the story and bring out the personality of each character. Not only does this succeed because of the great writing, but also because of the spectacular cast that was chosen.
Ray Wise and Lin Shaye are perfect as the always bickering, stereotypical suburban parents trying to stay sane in an insane situation. Mick Cain also does extremely well as the annoying teenage son who wants as little to do with his family as possible.
Finally, Alexandra Holden shines in the tough role as the heroine. Too often, actresses are forced into, what I call, “Tomb Raider Syndrome.” Women are made to play their characters with ridiculously unbelievable amounts of courage and inhuman strength when facing their opponents. Jessica Biel’s character in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a prime example. Anyone who is placed in a situation where they are being stalked by a madman and see their loved ones torn apart should not react in a badass, “I’m going to go get that guy” attitude. It’s unrealistic, it’s stupid, and it’s sexist to expect women to act that way. More and more, actresses are playing these idiotic roles and thus ruining horror films. Fortunately, Holden did not make this mistake, and played Marion true to life. There is a fine line between the damsel in distress who rolls over and the Super Hero Woman who insists on returning to the villain’s home-base to face off. Alexandra walks this line excellently, displaying both strength and fear without wavering on either side of the extremes.
“Dead End” surpasses every expectation from beginning to end. It’s a lesser known movie that definitely deserves more attention and recognition.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10
