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There isn't much you can say to horror fans who don't understand the difference between true horror and cheese horror. So many of them are attached to nostalgia from cheesy 80s horror, they think that's all the genre is as the rest of the world laughs. I am a horror fan. I love a lot of horror movies. I love horror when it is genuinely scary and disturbing—not laughable. But I'm not a fan of cheese horror, and that's exactly what Dead End is. What more can I say?
The entire script is a giant cliché. There is nothing, not even a single scene, that hasn't been done so many times you have pretty much memorized every event within them. Even if you take Dead End as nothing but a black comedy—and that is not what the director intended—the predictability of every single moment just makes the film completely and utterly pointless. It plays the same "mind games" as every other film just like it: "Oh no! We're in the same place we started . . . but the map says we're going the other direction!" Or, "Oh, look! A lady on the side of the road, let's help her!" Come on, people. If these stupid clichés still entertain you, or still immerse you, maybe you're best off watching daytime children's shows. I've seen shows on Nick Jr. with less predictable plots. Even Dora the Explorer has more diversity and originality than Dead End. One word to people who gave Dead End any score higher than a 2: just grow up.
The dialogue is unintentional hilarious. Characters spout out things—like "This reeks of alien activity, guys!"—that makes "Swiper, no swiping!" look downright intelligent. The acting is so over-the-top, it's sometimes even worse than the dialogue.
Speaking of intelligence, the writers seem to think this movie is "psychological horror" simply because it shows characters having mental breakdowns, thus it's intelligent. That's a lot like saying a movie is intelligent because it shows an apple fall, thus it's demonstrating the scientific theory of gravity. That's even my problem with movies that with movies that demonstrate psychological horror accurately (which is not Dead End): we've seen it all a thousand times. We get it. You kill a family member, people go crazy. How many times does a movie have to repeat it? I just wish a horror movie would be intelligent enough to branch on to other psychological fields, show original things about the mind, not repeat kindergarten-level facts.
Another problem is the movie thinks of itself as shocking, when it's not. There was less blood/gore in this movie than a lot of PG-13 movies I've seen, and the whole masturbation sequence, meant for shock, just added a layer of cheese atop the cheesecake. Once again, whatever happened to horror movies that were genuinely disturbing?
On the technical level, the directing was made-for-TV at best. The costumes and some of the blood effects were downright hilarious.
Did I mention that driving in a car for the majority of the runtime doesn't exactly keep the viewer on the edge of their seat? Bluntly: Dead End had the entertainment value of watching the wall. Honestly, watching the wall and using your imagination would be less predictable than watching Dead End. And the ending, like most movies of this kind, ripped-off The Twilight Zone.
Overall: I cannot think of a lesser way to waste your life than watching Dead End.
I really liked this film, great black humour which can then twist into a intriguing horror movie. It runs at a nice pace which keeps you glued till the end. Its one of those films you love or hate.
A great film with good story . This film is not overrated , if u would hav seen this movie 3 or 4 years ago u would b saying this is one of the best horror movies ive seen in awhile but since u havnt there has been a lot of knock offs. This def worth checkn out.
Posted By: bloodycarrot at 9:09pm, September 27, 2008
Worth your time, but not worth your money
Posted By: bloodycarrot at 9:09pm, September 27, 2008
Worth your time, but not worth your money..
Posted By: thedescent08 at 12:52am, September 27, 2008
Overrated indeed. If you're looking for variety, look elsewhere since this film takes place almost exclusively inside a car, but all-in-all it's a very well-made and truly scary horror film that, while overrated, does have some things worthy of praise.
