I first saw this on a dvd in 2005. Revisited it recently on a dvd which i own. The twist is really good for first time viewing. The suspense n dread is maintained throughout. The isolated car in an isolated road in the middle of a forest was damn creepy. Viewers r transported with the Harrington family. Ray wise n Lin Shaye were amazing. The second viewing allowed me to laugh more. The fighting between the elder couples, the way Lin Shaye describes in drawing the dead body parts of her daughter's boyfriend, the gunshot scene, the confession of the extramarital offspring, Shaye's admittance that she couldnt satisfy her husband's sexual fantasies n now that she will allow her husband to sexually use her any which way he likes, Shaye massaging her exposed brain n enjoying the feel of it like an orgasm, etc. were filled with black humour. I had kept a track on the directors' work but unfortunately the directors jus disappeared. The female who played the ghost was hot but she too unfortunately disappeared.

This flick wasn't created to be compared to the best horror/suspense movies, but to entertain the audience - and it does!Low budget, a little cheesy, but definitely fun to watch.No political or social justice messages preached to the audience - a huge plus.

For the past 20 years, Frank Harrington has grudgingly driven his family to celebrate Christmas with his mother-in-law. This year, he takes a shortcut. It's the biggest mistake of his life: The nightmare begins. A mysterious woman in white wanders through the forest, leaving death in her wake. A terrifying black car - its driver invisible - carries the victims into the heart of the night. Every road sign points to a destination they never reach. The survivors succumb to panic, to madness; deeply buried secrets burst to the surface, and Christmas turns into a living hell.The gore wasn't the focal point in this, but there was a baby corpse, a lip bitten off, a painful leg shooting wound, and a head busted open. I possibly watched a version with some gore cut out, but either way it didn't really need much.The sound FX were the most impressive technical feature used in Dead End. Distant screams and ghost-like noises gave it some pretty good atmosphere and a somewhat creepy feel. The entire movie was really dark and that also created a pretty eerie feel. The music used was awful though. It was really distracting and pointless. I was hoping they only used it once, but they used it at least 3-4 times throughout. Overall the group acting was pretty solid and consistent. Ray Wise: Played the father Frank. He did a pretty good job as usual. He was probably the strongest of the group and had the most in-depth part.Alexandra Holden: Played the daughter, Marion. She didn't really have a tough role to play. Basically just act freaked out and be the most normal out of the bunch. She did it perfectly! She has been extremely busy in 02-03. Lin Shaye: Played the crazy mother Laura. Until the end I thought she was doing a really good job. Her character changed a lot and I don't quite think she made the best transition. Not too bad though. Look out for her in 2001 maniacs and the Hillside Strangler.Mick Cain: Played the annoying little brother Richard. He actually made me laugh a lot at the beginning. He is the comic relief, and does a pretty good job at it. I could see a lot of people hating him as well though.Final Thoughts: I'm sure most of you have seen the Twilight Zone before. If you like those types of movies or shows, then I think you should watch this. I've seen TONS of mixed reviews for this, but I assure you it's worth a viewing. It's not exactly horror, though, think of it more as a thriller/mystery with dark comedy combined throughout. It came to my attention that a lot of the people who reviewed this didn't quite get it AT ALL. This does not turn out to be just a dream. The biggest problem was the lack of creativity technically, and the story could have used a little more variety.

A dysfunctional family is traveling by car on Christmas Eve to a relative's house. Without telling anyone, the Father Frank (Wise) takes a different route on a long country road that seems to go a long way without any other cars around. His wise cracking son Richard (Cain) makes fun of everyone, most of all his sister's boyfriend Brad (Billy Asher). With the family fighting in the car Frank is distracted for a moment and almost has a head on collision. After this, the trip is cursed by strange visions on the road, a weird lady in white (Amber Smith) on the side of the road with a dead baby. One by one the family is picked off in bizarre ways and the remaining family members see an old black hearse driving the dead victim away which provides some real chills. Writers/Directors Jean-Bapteste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa run their horror film straight ahead for its short running time never moving off this premise. The long road goes nowhere and seems to lead nowhere so the family has no way to escape, so they keep moving forward even after the deaths begin. What could have been boring or tedious in the hands of lesser film makers, stays remarkably fresh and interesting from start to finish. The cast is way above average and makes this crazy ride a fun and entertaining one. There are a few good scares along the way but the simple script is true to its core and manages to be involving all the way to a nice twist at the end.