Montreal Dead End is a 15 part horror anthology set while a supernatural mist seeps through the cracks of the city, stirring up a paranormal chaos across the different boroughs. Within this lies a First Nations legend, a shamanic amulet and a guardian in search of a book of prophecies.
A fifteen-part horror anthology that runs over less than an hour and a half is a marathon in itself. Some of these are barely snippets, short films set in the different boroughs of the city. Between these shorts is one film of the anthology called The Guardian (Le Gardien) directed by Remi Fréchette that is the key behind all the chaos, intertwined throughout all the seemingly disconnected stories, brings them all together. The beauty of Montreal Dead End is that it acts as a tour of the island of Montreal, panning scenes taken by drone giving extended aerial views of this city, highlighting many of the more popular tourist areas. Truthfully, having knowledge of city probably adds to the film’s experience because of the familiarities and the preconceptions of each neighborhood.
Maybe calling this movie a ‘beauty’ is not entirely accurate because it is definitely a very quirky little title. Many of the stories grow from some very odd ideas, like Part 10: Who Listens to Celine Anyways?, where anyone who listens to Celine Dion music will become possessed or Part 13: Folie Legumineuse, that feels a bit like the gingerbread man scene in Krampus. There isn’t any story in particular that is all that horrific however. It’s more of a horror comedy with perhaps a few slight exceptions. Some stories are indeed creative, even if the execution is overly obvious. Some are unsettling.
The anthology does sort of have a main plot with a guardian played by Marco Collin, going in search of a book of prophecies that only he can control. His appearances are well-timed, these small snippets having him jump from one location to the next like we’re on a treasure hunt, dropping clues to help us better understand what is going on. Too bad the resolution of it all though is a little hasty.
Movie anthology’s are often a mixed bag, most with a few great stories, some good and a lot lackluster. Having thirteen moving parts leaves Montreal Dead End leaning more to the latter of that description. It’s definitely not for everyone. Maybe one story or another will please but with so many very odd ideas at play, it’s possible it might put off more than it pulls in. There’s not a director on the list here is doesn’t work to bring a twist and there’s not denying some genuine outside-the-box creativity. As such, it gets a solid if reserved recommendation for fans of the genre.
Montreal Dead End is showing on November 24, 2018 at 9pm at The Royal Cinema for BITS Festival.