Dead End (dir. Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa, 2003)
Have you seen or read No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre? Well, Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa almost certainly have. Sartre had his characters trapped in a finely furnished room, creating hell for themselves for sins committed during their earthly lives. Here, an American family is trapped on an endless country road on Christmas Eve.
The Harringtons—rage filled father Frank (Ray Wise), tranqued out mother Laura (Lin Shaye), dipshit teenage son Richard (Mick Cain), and boring sister Marion (Alexandra Holden)—and Marion’s boyfriend Brad (William Rosenfield) are driving to a Christmas party that no one but Brad, who intends to propose to Marion, seems to be looking forward to. Frank’s decision to take the scenic route results in a near accident with another car on a desolate stretch of road. After this, they pick up an injured woman in white (Amber Smith), who has a baby with her. Things go from bad to worse as the woman and baby vanish, Brad turns up dead, and no progress seems possible on this road.
You can probably guess why, because if you haven’t read No Exit, you’ve surely read “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce.
The film succeeds not by being particularly original, but on the strength of its cast. Ray Wise was obviously cast because when you want to project the image of a normal, well adjusted American patriarch, you get Leland Palmer himself. Lin Shaye’s great as his long suffering wife. Their children are less fun, though I think it’s the script that’s at fault there. Richard is insufferable and Marion has to play everything straight for the other characters to bounce off her. Regardless, as a Christmas horror comedy that doesn’t rely on a slasher or the Krampus, it might be among your best bets.
oliveresque 