Dead End (2003)

A family’s Christmas Eve trip to the in-laws becomes a nightmare in the middle of an endless, eerie forest.

Dead End is so bad that it is amazing! Dead End is a cult! Dead End belongs to the pantheon of Christmas horrors for numerous reasons. Let’s see… In Dead End, you get to experience the worst decisions ever made by anyone in the history of horror films. Forget about going to the basement when one hears a sound. We are talking about a series of THE most horrendous decisions you’ve ever seen. Dead End is a character-driven film, so it is the characters that move the story forward, people that you definitely don’t want to be next to you if you were to experience any horrific situation. From a filmmaking point of view, it often looks like a student project, but given the narrative’s development, I don’t think anyone should pay serious attention to how writers/directors Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa have made it. The jump cuts are definitely the highlight, though.

Regardless of how I have described it so far, we need to keep in mind that Dead End has turned 18, and maybe that’s why it feels outdated. It could have easily been an episode of The Twilight Zone (1959), so, in the end, most of what’s been said and done makes sense. Ray Wise and Lin Shaye (veterans in horror films) are great on-screen fighting couples, and both perform brilliantly. Alexandra Holden and Amber Smith are captivated by their presence.

If you are looking for something horrific yet entertaining, maybe, that’s the one for you. I very much hope you enjoy it, as well as this festive period.

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Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

Stay safe!