Dead End (2003)
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| MRA (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 5.1, English DD 2.0. 89 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Directors: Jean-Baptiste
Andrea & Fabrice Canepa
Starring: Ray Wise,
Alexandra Holden, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, Amber
Smith, Billy Asher
Screenplay: Jean-Baptiste
Andrea & Fabrice Canepa
Music:Greg De Belles
Country: USA/France |
First time Writer/Directors Jean-Baptiste Andrea
and Fabrice Canepa debut with the psychological
mystery horror Dead End which,
I must confess, scared me more times than I would
have liked. The film creates an element of tension
and horror through its brilliantly crafted mystery,
and although obviously low budget, the movie does
not suffer but infact uses this to its advantage;
sustaining a well written story and maintaining
good character development.
The film depicts a family travelling the road
on their annual Christmas journey to visit the
relatives. However, not so routine is the shortcut
Frank decides to take, steering the troupe from
their usual route onto a desolate road at night.
After spotting a woman dressed in white wandering
the forest, Frank stops to lend a helpful hand.
But who is the woman in white, and why does she
seem to bring death with her, and just what the
hell is that creepy black car doing? Dead
End follows the survival of a family
who must escape the road and the haunted past
it brings with it.
Although the DVD cover may look a little cheesy,
and the name might imply something less than ordinary, Dead End truly is a movie that
has come up with a genuinely creepy and entertaining
story. Unlike much of the PG-13 watered down horror
(The Ring, anyone?) we get these
days, Dead End projects itself
as a disturbingly horrifying and gloriously graphic
tale. The picture is not a nice one, and is intended
to make you feel uncomfortable and awkward. And
it succeeded; I actually cringed through many
scenes due to the nature of what had happened.
The movie isn't overly gory; most violence
happens off screen or is only suggested. Clever
camera angles help hide aftermath gore, yet still
enable a sense of horror to be felt. But gore
hounds shouldn't be disappointed, what is
seen onscreen is enough to satisfy many. With
that being said, the film doesn't hold back
in the detail, and the audience gets a pretty
good idea of what happens. The film also creates
a sense of dread whenever the woman in white,
or the black car, appears onscreen, indicating
to the audience one of the movie's more
unpleasant moments.
Being a psychological horror mystery, and set
on a long stretch of road, one might wonder if
this is a boring epic. Far from it, this plot
heavy fright flick creates believable dialogue
and likeable characters so that the interactions
seem real, allowing for emotional value. The performances
of the actors are pretty darn good. Ray Wise,
who fought the Creeper in Jeepers Creepers 2, leads the cast in an entertaining
and engaging fashion. Lin Shaye, probably best
known for her comedy roles including There's
Something About Mary does a complete
genre turn around, and plays a worried mother
who slowly looses her mind. Without the excellent
performances, the movie would've fallen
face first and failed to rise to the level of
quality it has achieved.
Andre and Canepa have delivered a satisfying
and gruelling horror movie. With the often-funny
moments juxtaposed against the disturbing scenario, Dead End has presented itself
as a worthwhile movie that all should watch and
enjoy. |
| Video |
| Being an MRA Entertainment release, I was ready
for a fullscreen VHS quality transfer. I am shocked
to praise MRA for a really nice print! Dead
End is presented in anamorphic widescreen.
The print is relatively clean and clear throughout.
Visually, the picture is stunning. The print shows
no blemishes, and perhaps minor grain through some
of the earlier sequences. Colours are pristine,
and nothing seems to bleed, which is always nice.
Some sequences did seem a little fuzzier than others,
but this was rare, and I suspect this to be the
camera itself, and not due to a dodgy transfer.
MRA has delivered a movie with a great video transfer. |
| Audio |
| Yet again, MRA have surprised me with a great
sound set-up. The 5.1 English track is one of the
better tracks I've heard in a long time! The
sound is great, and since this movie relies on a
lot of noises to scare, it is not let down by the
audio quality. Dialogue is constant and never too
low, with forest noises coming from all speakers
around you. The front and back speakers both get
a lot of action. The forest surrounds you, and you
can't escape the scares that the movie throws
at you. I literally jumped and was ready to attack
whoever had snuck up on me, but realised it was
the left back speaker playing tricks instead. Music
comes through all speakers and is divided well.
The audio quality is a blast (no pun intended) and
as I mentioned before, one of the better uses of
a sound system I've heard in a long time. |
| Extra Features |
| This is the only problem with MRA's release
of Dead End. There is only a small
selection of annoying trailers for movies, none
of them for the film, and one of them looking like
a direct transfer off a bootleg tape, and a filmography
for three of the actors. This movie definitely deserves
a special edition treatment. I'd love to hear
a commentary, and watch a making of. In fact, the
Region 2 UK release contains deleted scenes and
a making of documentary. MRA have once again failed
in the department of special features – nothing
I didn't expect. |
| The Verdict |
Dead End is great. Watch it,
because it's a movie that really works well
with the few resources it has. The story is well
crafted, the scares are sufficient, the acting is
good, and the characters are ones your care for.
Video and audio quality are outstanding, and a surprise,
which only compliment the film. Unfortunately the
disc falls short, and loses a lot of cool points
because there are no extra features, for what should
be a packed DVD. MRA you're on the right track,
but you've got to go the extra mile. The movie
gets my high praise, but the lack of extra features
courtesy our friends at MRA prevent this disc from
getting a perfect score.
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Digital Retribution Message Forum! |
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