Low- and micro-budget horror films have been performing well at the box office in recent months, with Obsession and Backrooms both finding success. Now, a new contender is entering the conversation, and it is a strange one. It Ends takes an intriguing concept, following a group of friends whose drive turns into a seemingly endless journey along an infinite road. Written, directed and edited by young filmmaker Alexander Ullom, the film draws on ideas associated with liminal horror and places them in a backwoods setting. For the most part, it works.
While the film is uneven at times and overstays its welcome as it moves into the third act, the core concept is genuinely unsettling, especially for anyone who has experienced the monotony of a long drive.
The story follows four friends. Recent graduates James (Phinehas Yoon), Day (Akira Jackson) and Fisher (Noah Toth) are picked up by their friend Tyler (Mitchell Cole) as they begin what they expect to be a routine drive. Things start to become strange when the road seemingly never ends. At first, they are simply confused about where they are or how they got lost, but they soon find themselves running for their lives as mysterious people emerge from the woods whenever the car remains stopped for too long.
The strange journey only becomes more unsettling as they discover the car does not run out of gas and they do not seem to need food or rest stops. It begins as an ordinary drive but becomes a journey with no apparent end, accompanied by the constant fear that things could turn ugly at any moment. It Ends makes excellent use of its setting and limited budget to create a film that feels tense, bleak and like a journey into the unknown. It is impressive to see what these young filmmakers have accomplished on such a shoestring budget, and the film has several strong ideas at play.
“It Ends makes excellent use of its setting and limited budget to create a film that feels tense, bleak and like a journey into the unknown.”
While the concept had me hooked as soon as I saw the trailer, the dialogue is what made the 90-minute film worth watching. This is not a movie that spends much time explaining why or how these characters became trapped in this endless, tree-filled hellscape. Instead, it focuses on the characters, and that is what kept me invested. While the four friends do question what is happening and how they might escape, much of their conversation centres on life, death and what comes next.
Phinehas Yoon, Noah Toth, Akira Jackson and Mitchell Cole bring a natural chemistry to their roles. It quickly becomes clear why these people are friends, how much they respect and understand one another and how deeply they want the best for each other. Their conversations feel like those any group of college friends might have, with a natural flow and genuine sense of camaraderie. Even when tensions arise, the way events unfold feels believable and authentic to the bizarre situation they find themselves in, helping sell the circumstances to the audience.
I will admit, there is an ending to the movie, and you will want to take it all in. It Ends is not about the destination so much as the characters and their struggles to push through the world they find themselves trapped in. This is not a movie that offers easy answers, but that is not what it is trying to do. Without putting on my film studies hat and analyzing the meaning beyond what we see on screen, the journey feels oddly human as the characters continue forward and slowly lose people along the way.
The biggest issue I had with It Ends is that it runs out of steam a little too early, with the final 15 to 20 minutes feeling as though the film is running on empty. The fear and dread the characters experience early in the journey begin to fade as they move farther along the road. What initially feels like the imminent threat of crazed people running at them from the woods gradually gives way to the monotonous boredom of an endless journey.
The film maintains some dread through concern for the main cast, but even that begins to fade. You are eventually left wondering what comes next and hoping for a resolution that makes the journey worthwhile. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but viewers looking for a strong payoff or a sustained sense of urgency may come away disappointed. It Ends simply is not that kind of film. In many ways, that seems to be the point, with the existential dread becoming part of the payoff itself.
It Ends is a strange little movie that managed to make me think, even if it did not have the same impact on me as something like Backrooms. I could easily see it developing a cult following, with video essays exploring the meaning behind it all. That kind of experience will not appeal to everyone, though, and viewers who prefer more immediate or urgent horror may find it less satisfying.
While not everything about It Ends worked for me, there is little doubt Alexander Ullom is a filmmaker worth watching. I cannot wait to see what he does next.
