MovieChat Forums > Dead End (2003) Discussion > I don't get why some people are having a...

I don't get why some people are having a hard time 'getting' the movie?

posted 13 years ago by Stiler
45 replies | jump to latest

Massive Spoilers ahead.

As far as what happened it seems fairly clear cut to me what happened.

The father fell asleep at the wheel, he ended up crashing into the oncoming car killing the "Lady in white" and her baby. The crash also claimed the life of him and most of his family save one...kind of.

At the point they died they entered a "limbo" type of place, where they awaited death/judgement. The lady in white meanwhile took her revenge on them, one by one for her death and her baby's death.

After she took her revenge death came to claim their souls for them to pass on (the guy in the black hearse). He took their souls and after doing so had no need for their flesh/bodies, hence why after they saw him drive away they shortly found the "remains." One exception is the mother, however he very well could have already had her in his car and simply released her since he already had claimed her and she shortly died a moment later.

As far as this being "limbo" the main thing that supports that is the fact that the mother mentions all the people on the road, how they all look sad, etc. She mentions her dead friend. Then throughout the film you "hear" the people, you never see them, and the characters that haven't "lost it" don't notice them.

Now the reason the girl survived is simply because she was pregnant. Death most likely couldn't "claim" a soul or pass judgement which had yet to live or had a chance to. So this was her saving grace. Therefore she was allowed to live.

HOWEVER, she was in limbo with them all, she didn't "dream" it or "imagine" it, as the note her father wrote was there at the end. There is no way he could have survived that crash.

Once death had finished his job in "limbo" the flesh/bodies of the people and their vehicles were returned to our reality and the things within remained, such as the note.

[–] hawaiigopher 13 years ago

See, that's your personal interpretation. The ending is clearly meant to be ambiguous to leave the audience bickering over what the director "actually" meant. You say it was all limbo and, sure, that's a possibility. Others say it was just a dream. Personally, I'm not a very religious person and the thought of limbo hadn't really crossed my mind. My first instinct was the dream interpretation and each death had its own symbolic meaning (each being killed off for their flaws).

I guess the whole limbo interpretation could also be appropriate. I don't exactly remember the seven deadly sins, but - now that I think of it - it could actually tie in with those.

"Ignorance is the soil in which belief in miracles grows." - Superstition (1898)

[–] HeyStupidShutUp 13 years ago

It was limbo(or purgatory). THE END.

[–] goodbyeenemyairship 13 years ago

It seemed to me that the surviving daughter had simply dreamt everything we saw from the time the father fell asleep at the wheel up to the moment she awoke.

Everyone was asleep when the father dozed off and crashed the car - she never realized what was happening in the post-crash daze. After she was rescued and taken to the hospital, her subconscious was simply putting the event together based on what information she did know, what little she saw and was able to comprehend, and what she was able to overhear while in a semiconscious state.

[–] Stiler 13 years ago

It wasn't a dream, it's IMPSSIBLE to be a dream, for the simpel fact the note the father wrote is there. He HAD to write it, no way around it. There's now ay he "survived" the crash to write it either, so the events had to have happened, therefore a "dream" is impossible.

[–] goodbyeenemyairship 13 years ago

I didn't watch the end scene after the credits. But I've learned about it from reading about the film on this forum.

Impossible? I disagree. What that implies is up to the viewer to decide. It could mean one of many things. He could've written the note at any point, including earlier in the day. She could've saw the note after the crash and simply included it in her fantasy dream-coma as an explanation for its source.

There is obviously no single explanation. If one believes in supernatural stuff, the note making its way from purgatory to the real world works.

[–] tymm01 13 years ago

I agree, many ways to take it.

I myself don't see it as the mother "taking revenge" on everyone but the girl because if anything, it would make sense to take revenge on the DRIVER, but not everyone else, Hell, the driver actually was the person responsible for ALL of the deaths (although by accident).

However, everyone's opinion/interpretation is their own.

[–] Roxy08005 13 years ago

When i first saw the film i didn't see the part where they found the fathers note.So i figured it was all a dream made up by her subconscious mind. But when i saw it again I thought of the whole "limbo" theory. But this film could be taken several different ways.

For Unlimited Web Hosting visit www.applegatehosting.com and get a free domain when you sign up for 1 year or longer.

[–] babuandbabu 8 years ago

Hell, the driver actually was the person responsible for ALL of the deaths

Whoa! Hold on a second. When the movie starts, you could see that before dozing off, he looked at his wife who was sleeping on the driver's side seat, and his son, daughter, son-in law were all sleeping in the rear seats.

Do you know or not that it is not advised to sleep when you are in the driver's side seat while going on a late night drive? This is to prevent the driver from dozing off which would lead to fatal road accidents. It is always advised that the person on driver's side seat should remain awake and talk with the driver and usually play music to keep the driver in company and to keep him awake. Of course the people in the rear seats can sleep but it would be helpful if they remain awake and have conversation with each other instead of snoring with comfort.

The whole family was responsible for the accident, you can not blame the father alone. They slept, they caused him to doze off and they died. The girl was just lucky but not so lucky because she will have to go through a big trauma after recovering from the accident.

It is very easy to blame the driver but we should know that he is a human being too and not a machine.

----

The BOSS of this place 👊

[–] dolores_medina 13 years ago

"Impossible? I disagree. What that implies is up to the viewer to decide. It could mean one of many things. He could've written the note at any point, including earlier in the day. She could've saw the note after the crash and simply included it in her fantasy dream-coma as an explanation for its source."

Gee, Lots of things COULD have happened. Maybe The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders helped them pack, and One of them wrote the note? Or maybe Saddam Hussein's Ghost came to haunt them, and sent the lady in White after them, because they are Americans., and America was responsable for killing him.

I know i am being facetious, but you mention " maybe he wrote it before" the problem is, you cannot Just " make sh*t up" to suit your theory. The explanation is in the movie. The father wrote it after he crashed and died, therefore... all those events took place after everyone died, therefore...it's not a dream.

I understand that people want the freedom to " interpret the movie anyway we want." but... the problem here is, the maker of the movie, may have left it a Little ambiguous....but he also left the note for her to find. That is meant to tell you..." it was not a dream"

It's a horror film... that means that even if Purgatory or Limbo has no real existence, it can exist in the world depicted in the movie.

What's your next trick? Explaining How Freddy is really an inner manifestation of the guilt of the parents on Elm Street, and he really doesn't exist either because.." Ghosts aren't real"?

Hey that's it... Freddy Kruger wrote the note. Another thing we did not see that we can just... make up.

[–] red_skin123 12 years ago

I honestly think this film is just sloppy. First if it was a limbo theory, wtf was the point of the death guy? Was he existing in our world? Was he just some guy who didn't have anything to do with death? And if it was purgatory why did some things stay in the real world? There's no explanation given like the note, and the guy with the car, now it would all work as a dream (Which it evidently isn't)

But now it's like taking all sorts of elements of different *beep* just to make it scary or something. First the purgatory thing, then the note coming from the real world for some reason, then the guy with the black car who apparantly was DEATH! But why is death going around talking to Doctors? And speaking of the dream theory, if this was purgatory WHY WAS THE DOCTORS NAME IN PURGETORY!?

"OH HEY IT'S THE AFTERLIFE, WE JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU THE DOCTORS NAME!"

Like this film couldn't decide on it's theory so it's made it's ending ambigious just to be NEAT! When in reality it just seemed sloppy, choose a damn law to abide by, don't just make a new law ever six seconds.

OH OKAY THEY'RE IN PURGATORY

NOW THEY'RE IN AN A COMA, NO ONE OF THEM IS IN A COMA

WAIT THEY WERE NEVER IN AN COMA

IT WAS PURGATORY

PURGATORY HAS RANDOM NAMES OF SIGNS OF DOCTORS!

Okay I'll stop it, but I guess it's one of those tales where the person goes to the afterlife or the gates of the after life with their loved one to say goodbye, they don't realize it until later, yeah it works I guess, but then it wouldn't need all the stuff coming from their purgatory world to here. I mean... It'd work better if it was just she almost died, they died, so they went to the afterlife processing center, where she was about to go because she was nearly dead, but then why the note? Why did it stay behind? Had it been his pen, or she took the note of his dead body, or if he gave it to her or something, idk.

I love the concept, but it was confusing and inconsistent, but if you want to watch another movie about the same subject, I recommend Night On The Galactic Railroad, it's about a boy who rides this train that comes out of the sky, he rides it through this dream like world with his bestfriend. It turns out his friend died, and he was accompanying him to the afterlife

[–] K_Sear 11 years ago

"I honestly think this film is just sloppy."

I agree. It would have been consistent if they left it as is without the little post credit bit, but that was obviously and painfully tacked on to try and give the movie some pizzazz. It's just a sad sign of the times that these sort of contradictory endings are interpreted as smart ways to create depth through allowing interpretation. Even if they had left the note part out for internal consistency, it still wouldn't have been a good film; it doesn't really do anything interesting with it's rather worn out plot outline.

[–] radonys 11 years ago

Chill out bro... it's just a piece of movie... each viewer interprets it as he likes, don't tell me how to interpret it, I'm not 8. For me, the entire movie is a dream the girl had while in coma, and the note was left there by a tiny "dream thief" (little transparent people that steal things from dreams and put them in reality).

Vacation's when you go somewhere ... and you don't ever come back.

[–] Foxbarking 11 years ago

"It wasn't a dream, it's IMPSSIBLE to be a dream, for the simpel fact the note the father wrote is there. He HAD to write it, no way around it. There's now ay he "survived" the crash to write it either, so the events had to have happened, therefore a "dream" is impossible."

The note in no way makes it impossible to be a dream. The note did not list anything indicative of the actual experience. While it was a note that was supposed to be things the father did when all of this was over, "this" is not referred to in the note. It is quite possible that the father knew Marion was pregnant and that is why he wrote that he wants to be a grandfather. Marion could have seen the note and then in her dream state, since dreams can really make you confused, dreamed up the note. Her dream could have introduced the notion that no one knew she was pregnant, even if they did, because people do not have their faculties around them in a dream.

[–] GreyHunter 8 years ago

It wasn't a dream, it's IMPSSIBLE to be a dream, for the simpel fact the note the father wrote is there. He HAD to write it, no way around it.

Not necessarily. I mean, I don't think it was a dream either -- I tend to go with some variant of the purgatory/Limbo theory, especially since multiple events took place outside of Marion's immediate sense range -- but there's no reason the actions in the "dream" would have to correspond directly with events in the real world. If the list had been written, for whatever inane reason, prior to the trip, her dream could have incorporated it with a completely different (and less inane, for that matter) set of circumstances. The motivation and contents of the list would almost demand that her mind wrap itself around it in such a significant and morbid fashion.

[–] scareylarry 13 years ago

I guess that's plausible, But I don't understand how if he had written this note in purgatory it was found in the real world.

I think if I had been the director and this theory is what I was trying to show, I would have had the scene of the near miss end in an accident but than pass it off as though it was just imagined.

[–] sorigabit 13 years ago

The note was written before leaving, he was just making plans for the next year . To be honest, im sure that the note was there just to make us having this discussion

[–] scareylarry 13 years ago

Yeah I guess debating the note would be like debating the existence of purgatory and death as a man. The movie is what it is and to be honest I like the movie a little more having read this thread.

[–] joedkat 13 years ago

Oh, so the father wrote the note without knowing his daughter was pregnant? He was a psychic!

He only found out she was pregnant during the trip, not before leaving. Try watching the movie next time.

[–] joedkat 13 years ago

[–] TheBeardedWonder 11 years ago

You know that happens AFTER the car crash right? So in this crazy limbo or dream or whatever she just now told him yes, who knows the reality. We're never shown when or if he knew beforehand. The fact it happens after the crash means it can't be trusted from an objective POV.

As some condescending poster once said: Try watching the movie next time...

"What? Do you wanna just sit around and be wrong?" - Liz Lemon

[–] todk62 13 years ago

I disagree totally with the dead in purgatory. If you watch the last 5 minutes, they make you think it was caught in purgatory or inbetween worlds. I think the mother just went nuts when her son was killed and had nothing to do with being in-between anything. Just a swerve by writer.

Instead if you focus on last 5 minutes. The creepy guy with hearse says he just found her at the accident. Yet, when the Dr goes to leave, her car wont start? Her name the same as the town they were looking for. mysteroiulsy the creepy hearse dude is there and offers her a ride. Then they pan to the 2 clean up guys that find the note from dad. I say this creepy hearse guy is the devil or some kind of evil entity.

The lady in white is a tool of his to help as remember when she tells the lone survivor HE *IS NOT HER FOR YOU. I agree it is something to do with her carring the inccocence of the baby in her womb. He probably killed her and now she is destined to work for him on that stretch of road forever.

So I think this evil entity for some reason is going to kill the DR too. I thought that was implied when he asked her if she wanted ride.

So I lean more towards this being a ghost and evil entity story vs. the caught in purgatory. They swerve you towards it at end.

[–] Blackace 13 years ago

The TC got it right. The family is in limbo. The father fell asleep while driving (heck the whole family was asleep). The roadway has them locked in limbo after the crash and they are most likely being judged on whether they should live, die or go to the hereafter. Their actions during the time on the road effects their judgement. The note is there just to trip you up and make you think, "was it a dream or were they really in limbo". The guy from the hearse is "death" himself. He's come to take their souls away after they've been judged. You notice he only takes them away, one at a time. It's that simple. I think people read to much into these things.

[–] dolores_medina 13 years ago

"I think people read to much into these things."

I agree with you. The Movie maker included the note at the end, a note that the father only wrote after he died, because after all the death around him, he found a new appreciation for life, that was lacking when we first meet him. The Note, is supposed to tell us, that he wrote it after his death, it is the maker of the Movie confirming that this took place in limbo...

As I see it, there is a place for vagueness and ambiguity in films. There is also a place for questioning what " really" happened. A la..Inception.

But Once the Movie maker includes a plot element to discount other theories, all you have left is that theory that explains EVERY plot element based on things we SEE in the movie. Not sh*t we make up.

Someone wrote.." maybe he wrote the note before they left..." except the very first scene we see is them IN the car driving.

If you are gonna just make sh*t up, we can make up a Lot of crazy sh*t that didn't happen in the Movie.

Maybe they were all victims of an alien abduction, and a little grey wrote the note?

Maybe The cast of Glee showed up to0 wish them a bon Voyage, and Santana wrote the note?

Maybe The boy was visited my Jenna Jameson before they all went into the car, and after giving him a sweet.... gift, she wrote the note?

See if we do not Limit ourselves only to things shown in the film...or implied by the film, we can imagine anything.... and that way leads to chaos.

Look, I know it's the IN THING... to assume any movie that has a sort of ambiguous ending..to be " rationalized" away, because then it leads to the safety of " it was a dream".... but what this movie does....is raise the suggestion that it WAS a dream...then it rewards those that stay through the credits.... by dashing it.

[–] badass_drummer 13 years ago

I can agree with this being limbo, but I don't think this was their fate. I think that the girl was the one lucky enough to survive the crash. The main reason that I believe this is that the girl's boyfriend would've survived limbo as well. He was presented in the film as a good person that tried to please her family and have a happy Christmas (until the brother keeps pushing his buttons, where he was still mature about the confrontation). If she survived the crash based on how she lives her life, he would have too.

[–] dolores_medina 13 years ago

It's interesting no one picked up on this. The father falls asleep at the wheel, crashes into a car carrying a woman and her child, and the only survivor is the guy's daughter, and her unborn child.

I don't think this had anything to due with virtuous behavior, because, she is pregnant In spite of not being mattied. Last time I checked Most major religions frown on this, and this is something that her Boyfriend also commited, she didn't get pregnant by herself.

I do not believe who lived and who died, had anything to do with who behaved viruously and who didn't . Her brother may have been a d*ck...but did he deserve his fate?

[–] harifedr89 12 years ago

Your theory is just perfect. It makes complete sense and you're right about people reading too much in a movie, ambiguous or not. Though, I feel that your theory about them being judged on their actions is not what I think it actually was. Again, its just my theory, nothing more. If you take a good look, every member of the family except Brad, starting with the daughter, kind of encounter a black out(my mother tongue is not English, so forgive me if I didn't get the exact term) wherein they start 'expressing' things or 'revealing' things rather, about themselves that they otherwise wouldn't have. The daughter reveals that she is pregnant, the mother says that thing about Alan, the son Richard says that he smokes pot and finally , the father reveals his violent nature by beating his daughter. There are other tiny little details that become more clear as we watch it for a second time. Its good film making to say the least. At last, the thing about that note after the credits was simply meant to be a 'shocker'. Its just to shake the audience at the end. A nice little touch and nothing more than that, especially the one about the note being written before the accident.

[–] guardianange29 13 years ago

Thanks for explaining that.Im the first to admit it takes me longer to catch on.Its not always stupidity,its learning disabilities.I love movies but i always have to watch most of them several times if i really want to get the just of them.

Be happy you smart an catch on fast.

[–] mquezada82 13 years ago

Found the note after the credits so.. After the official end of the movie, right?

[–] True_Detective 12 years ago

"Once death had finished his job in "limbo" the flesh/bodies of the people and their vehicles were returned to our reality and the things within remained, such as the note."

What? So the bodies physically disappeared, and then reappeared later? So your view on Limbo is more like a parallel universe than a spiritual place?

I like the idea of Limbo, but not like this. I suppose that either, her father somehow knew she was pregnant and had written the note beforehand, or the scene isn't meant to be taken seriously, and that's why it's after the credits. The director may have just wanted to *beep* with the viewers a little bit, but intentionally put it after the credits as a way of saying it doesn't count.

[–] dorky_spunkster_i_am 12 years ago

Yeah, I agree about that last being thrown in to not be taken serious, just as an after thought. I mean how exactly does limbo work anyway? Is it just a spiritual thing that happens to our souls? Can it be real in a way where someone is almost dying, and goes through it? I mean who knows? It's just a fun and creepy thing to think of. Though I'll admit that when that last scene happened, my brother I were like WTF? So it really did happen? And we did try rationalizing that scene, like maybe the father did write that note beforehand, and the daughter had told them about the pregnancy before the trip--who knows? But I like to entertain the idea that they all really did go through limbo, what we saw DID happen and they died, and afterlife just is a little more complicated than what we think.

[–] Mudo675 12 years ago

I think the girl survived not because of her baby. I think she survived because when they got the white lady in the car, she left it. She never rode the car aside with the white lady.

There's a moment when the father tells a story, about a family riding a car, when they suddenly find a girl in the road and pick her up, and it ended up like she was a ghost.

When they gave the white lady a ride, they fell in some kind of evil sorcery, and the girl just escaped because she wasn't there with the white lady.

[–] bpollen 10 years ago

She survived the white lady because she survived the accident. When she got out of the car because she wanted to walk because she felt sick....that was her getting thrown from the car in the accident (the nurse at the end told the girl she survived because she was thrown from the car). She left the car both in reality and in the girl's unconscious interpretation of the accident.

I don't think the white lady was taking revenge. Or that the people were in limbo. I think all of it was the girl's interpretation of the deaths. Maybe she subconsciously thinks the lady would be pleased with the deaths, or maybe she blames the lady in white for the accident, or maybe she feels the lady in white would kill the family if she could, out of revenge.

This was the survivor's unconscious interpretation of the horror of the accident and all the deaths. The people who were supposedly killed by the lady in white suffered particular deaths because that's how each of them got killed in the accident. Remember when father swerves to avoid the accident (except we now know he wasn't able to avoid it)? The mother hits the back of her head really hard, and puts her hand to the back of her head and yells. Presumably that's how mom got killed in the accident. And that is how she dies in the survivor's interpretation of her death on the dark road.