by Henry Pham
The title refers to the “road ends” sign and the phrase “It ends right here, right now.” It Ends is an 89-minute road horror-thriller movie directed by Alexander Ullom in his directorial debut. It follows a group of four friends, consisting of three college graduates and their driver, who go on a late-night drive. However, they accidentally turn onto a two-lane highway that appears to go on indefinitely. The film has been featured at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas, but hasn’t had an official theatrical release date until August 2026.
Alexander Ullom, produced by Carrie Carusone and Evan Barber, writes and directs the film. The story and the atmosphere are compelling, giving the feel of a movie distributed by A24, the Oscar-winning studio behind Everything Everywhere All at Once. It is actually distributed by NEON, known for producing the Oscar-winning Best Picture film, Parasite. The film’s short leading cast is incredible. They include Phinehas Yoon as James, Akira Jackson as Day, Noah Toth as Fisher, and Mitchell Cole as Tyler. The four carry out the film extremely well. But what is stunning (and profoundly confusing) is that the characters managed to go several days during their drive through the woods without food or water in the car.
It Ends is an out-of-this-world experience. Usually, in horror-thriller films that feature scary creatures, you can clearly see people attacking the four main characters as if they’re zombies instead of actual zombies or monsters. The attackers (possibly extras in the film) will startle you. This road horror-thriller is all new to me, but it is actually captivating. The storyline pulls you in like a steel trap, as the film’s theme mainly focuses on survival. It is nerve-wracking seeing the main characters as travelers trying to get out of this psychological neck of the woods. The cinematography by Evan Draper and Jazleana Jones is exhilarating, jaw-dropping, and creative. The entire forest setting has been shot in one location. And the scenes where characters are having a screaming session killed me with laughter.
It Ends is a never-ending road-horror movie by first-time filmmaker Alexander Ullom. The four actors really nailed their roles. It’s short and slow, but it doesn’t feel too short due to its balance, pacing, and the low budget. As much as I complain about not liking horror thriller movies, I’ll see this one again. Usually horror-thriller films scare me easily, but It Ends simply pulls me in because it is entertaining and suspenseful. This whole story feels like seeing yourself (or a friend) driving around in circles while on a road trip with your friends or family. This movie is a must-watch, and it’s a rare great choice for anyone aged 13 or older. And I’m sure it will be even better for those who are graduating from college. To me, this is like the road version of A24’s recent film, Backrooms, which was a critical and box-office hit.
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