10 Terrible Horror Movies That Reward You For Staying Until The End

The Twilight Zone-like drama Dead End opens with Frank Harrington (played by Twin Peaks' Ray Wise) driving with his family to see the in-laws. Bored of the scenery, Frank decides to take a shortcut. During their detour, the Harringtons get lost, pick up a strange woman in white, almost get involved in a car crash, and find themselves being followed by a mysterious hearse. 

Unfortunately, Dead End isn't as gripping as it should be, since the majority of scenes involve the family squabbling. There are a few intriguing mysteries, but the bickering quickly grows tiresome, especially since the characters keep repeating the same questions over and over. The cast do a solid job, but they're fighting an uphill battle, since they don't have much to work with.

Having said that, the finale is a real jaw-dropper. It turns out Frank fell asleep at the wheel in the opening, crashing the car into the woman in white's vehicle, killing everyone except his daughter, Marion. Waking from a coma, Marion realises she has imagined the events depicted throughout the story.

Although "they were dead all along" and "it was all a dream" are as cliche as they come, Dead End gets away with it, since it was so unexpected.