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Ray Wise, Alexandra Holden, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, Billy Asher ... see more see more... , Amber Smith , Steve Valentine , Karen S. Gregan , Clement Blake , Jimmie F. Skaggs , Ivan Kraljevic

A family making their annual Christmas pilgrimage to Grandmother's house finds their journey taking an ominous turn when they attempt to take an unfamiliar shortcut in this low-key chiller from first-... read more read more...time director Jean-Baptiste Andrea. For 20 years, Frank Harrington (Ray Wise) has driven the same, mind-numbingly familiar route to the annual holiday gathering, but the discovery of an unfamiliar shortcut simply proves too enticing for the loving but strained father to resist. As the road grows increasingly dark, the eerie sight of a young woman carrying a small infant sets into motion a horrific series of roadside deaths that finds the family's numbers quickly dwindling. Though there are no other travelers on the long and dark stretch of road, the appearance of a menacing black hearse seems somehow connected to the spectral woman and her child. Could it be that a vengeful entity was the previous victim of a roadside accident, returning to torment any trespasser who happens to wander down her silent stretch of road, or could the answer to the horrific mystery lie deep within the conscience of one of the few remaining family-members? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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59% liked it

9,566 ratings

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86% liked it

7 critics

R, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Fabrice Canepa

Release Date: September 26, 2003

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DVD Release Date: November 19, 2004

Stats: 698 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (698)

  • blkbomb
    April 5, 2012
    blkbomb
    Frank: Every time we've stopped, someone's gotten killed. We have to keep driving.

    "Read the signs."

    Dead End really isn't the terrible horror film I expected. It actually has a few well done scenes and some genuinely good ideas. So I'll admit that it isn't completely worthless... read more. With that said, I still didn't like it. It's a really short, but somehow drawn out film. It seems like it would have played it better as a 30 minute short, but for an hour and twenty minutes, there really isn't too much there. The "Lady in White" character is terribly used when she should have been the scariest part of the film. So when what should have been the scariest part of the film isn't, that generally means it isn't going to be all that scary... and it isn't.

    I will say that I liked the whole usage of the car. It was a solid element in a movie that really didn't have that much. It's definitely what I will remember about the movie in the future. Other than that, it was all largely forgettable. The acting was suspect at best, and often times just annoying. The scares were... well there weren't any. 

    As it is though, you could do a lot worse. This is another of those backwoods road movies. The characters are lost and for the most part really stupid with their actions. Oh, but wait for the twist which will explain everything. Another really poorly done part of the film in my opinion. It's an average entry into the backwoods genre, which means it's a below average movie. As a horror buff, I'll give just about anything a shot, so if you're like me, it isn't a total waste of time. Everyone else... skip it.
  • RCCLBC
    October 12, 2011
    RCCLBC
    Ray Wise = "I'm in!"
    This is another one that felt like a made for TV film, some good suspense but could have benefited from more scares and on screen kills.
    Though as a Lynch fan I couldn't help but chuckle when "Frank's" (Ray Wise) son finds a cellphone with an ear attached ... read moreand hearing "Frank" calling into the night for "Laura!!!" (his wife this time around) brought back some great memories as well.
    Not horrible...a little campy a few scares a teeny bit of blood, but nothing real schocking.
  • yona71
    February 26, 2011
    yona71
    Feels like I've been here before, or sometimes maybe never was....
    Well, this little film drags you in different directions other than a depicted family's that seem to drive in the same direction over and over for reasons unknown yet all so clear to a certain fate. No one is devo... read moreid of this, but when it's laid out in a fashion of what could've been or what may be, all bets are off.
    In this one, a family is on their way to a Christmastime celebration with more family on a route that begs to differ with a sense of reason or clarity. The pent-up feeling of frustration and fear of being lost combines with other horrific events making this truly a holiday season this family will never forget; or never remember for that matter.
  • gokhale1
    January 21, 2011
    gokhale1
    In a genre gone stale, with repetitive plot elements, cheap thrills, gimmicks and make-up effects and in most cases the entire meaning of the word "horror" changed with the emergence of countless, boring slasher-horror flicks and torture-porn horror, once in a while we come acros... read mores noteworthy gems like "Dead End", that give us some welcome relief from the sameness!

    This film is a little hidden indie gem that resurrects good old fashioned 'atmospheric' horror. So what we have is a premise that is a blend of some classic ghost stories (the kind your grandma may have narrated to you in your childhood and passed it off as a "true story" to scare the living daylights out of you), with a little garnishing of modern horror, but one that relies on atmosphere and the gravity of the predicament that the lead characters are in rather than resorting to excessive gore that only invokes a feeling of disgust or guilty pleasure rather than true horror.


    "Dead End" tells the nightmarish story of the Harrington family (Mr and Mrs Harrington along with their son, daughter and would-be-son-in-law) who are on their way to Mrs Harrington's mother's place to celebrate Christmas. Their journey is a long one, a road trip and for some reason they prefer to keep traveling by night (probably for the sake of the story). The road is dreadfully lonely but it is seemingly normal, 'cause it's Christmas and everyone is spending time with their families at home. Very soon the Harringtons start encountering strange happenings which seem to have neither any explanation nor any end....



    In "Dead End", directors and screenwriters Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa try to keep the jump-scare and gore quotient to the minimum and rely on the tense situation of a family trapped in an unfortunate series of events in a lonesome car journey on a frighteningly empty road. "Dead End" is not entirely devoid of the jack-in-the-box scares and the bloodshed, but they are restrained and very few and far between which makes this film more watchable than other newfangled horror flicks. The directors duo also keep the length of the film considerably short, at about 80 minutes. They also throw in some subtle twists in the narrative to prevent it from slipping into monotony. These twists are in no way forced or exaggerated and are smoothly interspersed in the story right up to its unforgettable ending.

    Moreover, the characters they have created are very real and someone you can relate to; so you really feel for them and their harrowing experience during that fateful night. This could very well be a typical family living right next door to you. The acting from all of the cast is amazing and they do a very convincing job. Mick Cain plays the bratty teenage boy with ease. Alexandra Holden is excellent as Marion, his sister who also happens to be a student psychiatrist. Lin Shaye delivers a superb performance as the mother of the kids. Steve Valentine, Amber Smith and Billy Asher appear briefly and don't have much to do. The acting department is ruled by Ray Wise though. Anyone familiar with David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" would know what a fine performer he is. In this film he is no less in terms of sheer quality of acting and outshines them all.

    Alexander Buono's cinematography is excellent. Some of the scenes are breathtakingly shot, particularly the aerial view of the car traveling on a road flanked entirely by deep, dark woods. The moving car in the center is visible only because of the long range of its headlights. The original music by Greg De Belles invokes that unnerving feeling of doom and fits beautifully as it switches between 'ghostly' and melancholic! The sound effects design is done extremely well and complements the chilling feel of the silent, deadly night.

    But Jean-Baptiste's film isn't entirely perfect. On a couple of occasions, he manages to ruin some of the more tense scenes by including some stupid dialog! This considerably mars the intended effect and these moments come off as unintentionally funny. Then there is some unnecessary and lame humour sprinkled about, probably for comic relief but it doesn't really help and just wasn't required. Then there is that other signature con of any horror film where the characters have to take the stupidest decisions ever in moments of crisis instead of choosing the more practical one.


    Minor hiccups apart, as far as recent horror films are concerned, "Dead End" is certainly a good watch and definitely a cut above what has now become "conventional" horror. For best effect, watch it alone, at night, in the dark...
  • imrealgod
    December 26, 2010
    imrealgod
    Except for its ambiguous ending, the whole movie was a typical horror story that has been done so many times. A man, along with his family, is going to his mother-in-law for celebrating Christmas, gives lift to a lady dressed in white. And after that the nightmare follows for the... read more family. It was kinda 'being there, seen it all' type except for it's ending. Having said that, I gotta confess that I wasn't bored by it. It was relatively watchable. Check it out if you get a chance.
  • Stinger839
    December 29, 2008
    Stinger839
    Nobody yells, "Laura!" like Ray Wise, but unfortunately that's the most powerful thing in this movie. It's also cool to watch a character play with their own exposed brain, and I want whatever kind of weed that makes you so high you don't notice when a ghost bites your lower lip ... read moreoff. The actors give their best, but this is just a mostly crap script with no special effects to make it tolerable. A very mild horror, suitable for family viewing during the holidays, but genuine horror fans should avoid unless you're looking for crappy horror to share with loved ones instead of reruns of "It's a Wonderful Life". Very predictable ending. One other positive point: the credits include a thank-you at the ending for sticking through the credits (more films should do this).

    Moral of the story: don't take shortcuts on road trips because whichever family members don't die will start confessing things better left as secrets.
  • creepfreak
    December 17, 2008
    creepfreak
    Excellent Christmas horror movie. The atmosphere here is what really steals the show. But this movie is still eerie with the story alone as well(and that damn lady in the white dress...what a creepy bitch!) lol...and sexy too :)

    Dead End is chillingly saturated in dark spooky ... read moreatmosphere. The long stretched road of death, in which the supernatural await in every corner of the shadowy, cold, and dreary woods that surround around it. As the Harrington family drive to Frank's in-laws house for the Christmas season, Frank takes a shortcut that will lead the family on a detour to hell! Suddenly, the road never ends. They always end up back where they started. And to top it all off, they're being harassed by seemingly evil entities, and a mysterious black Cadillac hearse. Can the Harrington family bind together, keep their sanity, and be able to survive the horrors in the town of Marcott??

    Dead End is creepy, funny, and one hell of a little thrill ride! Ghoulishly, and mystifying, dark cinematography. Good enough acting for what it is(better than most DVD premieres of it's kind), and never becomes distracting from telling it's own story(an amazing story by the way). The twists that come at the end totally blow the top off of it's roof. It's well executed and thoroughly thought out and planned(kudos to the great screenwriters!) Watch Dead End and see if you can guess what's coming next!? lol Good stuff!

    Dead End plays off like a made for TV horror movie, but a better one than that. It plays off like a TV horror movie on a spin off of some kind of creepy Twilight Zone episode.

    That's what Dead End is exactly like! It's like one long Twilight Zone episode...but one that's in color...oh, and one that's rated R!

    Just in time for Christmas! AND Dead End is a perfect little Christmas horror movie. A great ghost story to watch on a cold and snowy night, snuggled under the blankets.

    And although it has it's flaws, Dead End still is a unique little horror film, and never becomes anything less than just simple, spooky, fun entertainment. It's a precious little gem and I highly recommend this movie!



    "Dead End wound up being a quality filled, cleverly humorous, classy and spine-tingling road trip to hell that should be seen by all."
    - Arrow in the Head

    "Here's a movie that deserves Black Christmas tagline; If this doesn't make your skin crawl...it's on too tight. Dead End is simply a masterpiece of horror, don't listen to the bad reviews, I have no idea how true horror fans can hate this."
    - Slasherpool

    "Dead End is a refreshing horror film."
    - Popcorn Picture Reviews

    "Dead End takes a turn off the page of classic horror cinema by mixing a bizarre sequence of events with terrifying imagery and a simple story, while maintaining it's integrity throughout the entire film."
    - Bloody-Disgusting

    "Dead End is one of my favorite films of any genre of the last 5 years. I knew I wanted to write a review of something good for this site, for a change, so I knew Dead End had to be it."
    - Horror's Not Dead

    "Will hopefully remind you what it's like to be scared by a good story, excellent characters, and a very simple premise."
    - Dread Central

    "Well Dead End is a crazy tale, kind of similar to the Blair Witch Project story wise, not production wise mind you. With a great cast and an odd tale Dead End holds up it's own, it's creepy and the believable acting are what make this film."
    - The Horror Review

    "Dead End was one heck of a freakishly strange and wild ride. At times throughout the movie I thought I had it all figured out - and I did, to a point."
    - FearScene

    "Dead End is a very unique, interesting, character driven film that puts the viewer on this back road in the middle of no where, stranded in the dark on Christmas Eve night right there along with the Harrington Family."
    - Killer Reviews
  • drblood
    June 24, 2007
    drblood
    A very predictable and cop-out ending spoils an otherwise intriguing film with lots of gory shocks along the way.
  • Deano78
    March 27, 2007
    Deano78
    This is a strange film, very creepy and has a twist that you either saw coming or will hit you for six!
  • kiriyamakazou
    September 5, 2006
    kiriyamakazou
    A creepy horror with a brilliant sense of dark humour. A nice cast and solid script keep the film from failing like so many other horror films. That is until the end carries on and explains too many things for us.

View All Dead End Reviews

Critic Reviews

Johnny Butane
February 1, 2006
Johnny Butane, Dread Central

A small film like Dead End sneaks in and manages to floor pretty much everyone that's seen it. Full Review

Brian Mckay
May 9, 2005
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com

There's great promise in Dead End, and a script that is often clever, combined with a carload of decent actors, really helps cover a multitude of flaws. Full Review

Pablo Villaca
September 23, 2004
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Apesar dos personagens caricaturais (principalmente o adolescente irritante), cria boa dose de suspense e conta com um final intrigante.

Rich Cline
April 17, 2004
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

Like a Twilight Zone episode stretched out into a feature ... without adding much subtext. Full Review

Derek Elley
March 26, 2009
Derek Elley, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

April 1, 2006
Empire Magazine

Click to read the article Full Review

Matthew Turner
April 17, 2004
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

Click to read the article Full Review

Neil Smith
April 9, 2004
Neil Smith, BBC

Click to read the article Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.
April 29, 2009
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

Click to read the article Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Facts

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    • Frank: I know this is the season of giving, but I just don't give a fuck!
    • Frank: Maybe the North Star doesn't indicate north. Maybe the map maker was drunk. Maybe the moon's made out of cheese. Who knows? Everything is so fucked up on this goddamn road!
    • Frank: Richard, drag his body off to the side of the road.
    • Richard: Jesus, what do I look like? Your fu*king janitor?
    • Lady in white: My little girl. Her name is Amy. - She's so cold
    • Brad: Not surprised. It's freezing here.
    • Lady in white: You hold her.
    • Brad: No. I'm not really a baby kind of guy. How does she breathe with all those blanket on her face?
    • Lady in white: Don't worry. She's dead.
    • Brad: That's a good one (sees the dead baby) OH MY GOD!
    • Richard: Let Brad be the gentleman.
    • Brad: What's your problem, man?
    • Richard: Relax, buddy. Breath in slowly through your nose and out deeply through your ass!
    • Laura: Where did Richard go?
    • Frank: He's probably off smoking a joint.
    • Laura: That is not funny! Our son is doing drugs!
    • Frank: Please, Laura.
    • Laura: Can't you see this is a cry for help?
    • Frank: Christ! It's just a joint, all right? Not worse than those pills you take.
    • Laura: My pills are legal!
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Dead End : Watch Free on TV

Dead End Trivia

  • why was William Turner sent to jail in the movie ''Pirates Of The Caribian 2 : The dead man's chest''?  Answer »
  • in which movie did a rabbit become a man eatting giant that destroyed the town of hollywood then moved onto destry the town on las vegas because he didn't like all the bright lights then in the end he was tranquilized and killed and now sits on a shelf in a 6 year old's bedroom   Answer »
  • in which movie did a rabbit become a man eatting giant that destroyed the town of hollywood then moved onto destry the town on las vegas because he didn't like all the bright lights then in the end he was tranquilized and killed and now sits on a shelf in a 6 year old's bedroom   Answer »
  • in which movie did a rabbit become a man eatting giant that destroyed the town of hollywood then moved onto destry the town on las vegas because he didn't like all the bright lights then in the end he was tranquilized and killed and now sits on a shelf in a 6 year old's bedroom   Answer »
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