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If the highway/town actually . . . MAJOR SPOILERS

posted 8 years ago by Stovepipe99
5 replies | jump to latest

Based on the movie and some other comments here, it seems like the idea is that the town is a purgatory of sorts.

But I have to wonder (and sorry if someone asked this in another thread): what do you then make of the innocents in the story? I'm thinking specifically of the wife and daughter of the man at the end (though you could also count the other two band members from the band). The wife seems genuinely shocked when the one man whispers in her ear what the husband did--I think the most she's guilty of is maybe suspecting something. And the daughter seems definitely to be an innocent. She does commit acts of violence, but only in defense of her own life and the lives of her parents (and she does not know about what her father did).

So are they then transformed into the vengeance creatures (the floating skeletons) and become a part of the purgatory? Do you think their "spirits" are taken somewhere else?

Do you guys think that the men from the beginning/ending would have made it out alive if all they'd done was go after the father/husband? Do you think that "righteous" killing would have still left them trapped?

[–] StaunchWoman 8 years ago

I think the only 'real' people are the corrupted ones. And this world is here for them, by them. They get themselves into this mess (be it revenge, criminal negligence...), and they reenact it until they do it right.
Everyone around them is just a supporting player. They're not real, they're only there for our corrupted. Their innocence only exists so the scenario can exist, and it exists for the main character on the road to 'redemption'.

We've met before, haven't we?

[–] Stovepipe99 8 years ago

they reenact it until they do it right

But how would the girl from the band do anything differently to "do it right"?

I guess I can accept that they are trapped in infinite loops, reliving the same scenario over and over again.

[–] StaunchWoman 8 years ago

Hmmm, you got me there. Since it seems her 'crime' took place before the events of the segment, with her friend Alex, I'm really not sure.

We've met before, haven't we?

[–] jfriesne 8 years ago

I think we should consider the possibility that the malevolent spirits behind this movie's curtain aren't particularly interested in guilt or innocence, but rather mostly just like to mess with people. If someone is guilty of something, they'll be happy to exploit that guilt as a vulnerability to torment them with, but even if someone isn't guilty of anything, they'll torment them anyhow because they're demons and that is what demons like to do.

[–] ilsamarx (42) 8 years ago

Correct in the issue of her crimes happening before. In order to stop their loop they need to not get in the car with the strangers. The rock band chicks crime was Alex dying because the rock band chick decided to sleep with a stranger and go with him instead of not letting her friend leave. That's why their car broke down. Two fo the girls wanted just leave with strangers but the rock band girl wanted to stay with the van. The opposite of what happened with Alex. Her friends represent Alex. She simply needed to stop them from leaving and to add to it with strangers like the rock band girl did that night when Alex died. Alex probably died in accident much like the rock band girl did in her segment. If she convinces her friends to stay with the broken down van then they might get saved or maybe have to do one more thing to get out. Her friends are guilty of accusing her.

If the highway/town actually . . . *MAJOR SPOILERS*

If the highway/town actually . . . MAJOR SPOILERS