The Horror of the Everyday: Why 'It Ends' Might Be the Most Relevant Horror Film of the Year
There’s something about a horror movie that traps its characters in an endless loop that feels eerily familiar. It Ends, the upcoming thriller from writer/director Alex Ullom, isn’t just another horror flick—it’s a mirror held up to our modern existence. The trailer, which dropped recently, promises a journey into the surreal, but what makes this particularly fascinating is how it reframes horror not as a fleeting scare, but as a constant companion.
The Premise: A Road Trip to Nowhere
On the surface, It Ends follows a group of recent grads on a late-night drive that takes a turn into the surreal. They find themselves on a never-ending road, surrounded by horrors and cosmic forces beyond their understanding. Sounds like your typical horror setup, right? Wrong. What many people don’t realize is that Ullom isn’t interested in jump scares or gore. Instead, he’s exploring how we adapt when horror becomes mundane.
Personally, I think this is where It Ends diverges from the pack. Most horror films treat fear as an event—something you survive or succumb to. But Ullom’s approach is more existential. The characters in It Ends aren’t just fighting monsters; they’re grappling with the realization that their nightmare has no end. It’s a metaphor for our times, where global crises, political chaos, and personal anxieties feel like an endless loop. If you take a step back and think about it, isn’t that how many of us feel right now?
Horror as a Way of Life
Ullom’s commentary on the film’s themes is particularly striking. He’s said, ‘This was always a movie that was more about how we live with horror than about the actual horror.’ That line stuck with me. It’s not just about the scares—it’s about the psychological toll of living in a world where the extraordinary becomes ordinary.
One thing that immediately stands out is the comparison to Hereditary, a film known for its unrelenting dread. Ullom jokes about wanting to see the characters in Hereditary give a postgame interview, casually discussing their trauma. It’s darkly funny, but it also highlights a truth: we’ve become desensitized to horror. Whether it’s a global pandemic, climate catastrophe, or political upheaval, we’ve learned to coexist with fear. It Ends seems to ask: What happens when horror isn’t a moment but a lifestyle?
The Cast and the Cosmic
The film stars a relatively unknown cast, which I find especially interesting. Without big names to distract, the focus remains squarely on the story and its themes. Akira Jackson, Phinehas Yoon, Mitchell Cole, and Noah Toth play the group of friends, and their performances will likely hinge on their ability to convey the slow descent into acceptance—or madness.
The cosmic horror elements are another layer worth exploring. The endless road and the forces beyond human understanding evoke Lovecraftian dread, but Ullom seems to be using these tropes to comment on our lack of control. In a world where everything feels chaotic and incomprehensible, the characters’ struggle to escape their fate mirrors our own attempts to make sense of the senseless.
Why This Matters Now
What this really suggests is that It Ends isn’t just a horror film—it’s a cultural artifact. It taps into the collective anxiety of a generation that’s grown up with constant crises. From my perspective, the film’s true horror isn’t the monsters on the road; it’s the realization that the road itself is the monster.
This raises a deeper question: Can we ever truly escape our nightmares, or do we just learn to live with them? Ullom’s film seems to argue that the latter is our only option. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the scariest thought of all.
Final Thoughts
As someone who’s always been drawn to horror that goes beyond the surface, It Ends feels like a breath of fresh air—or maybe a gust of stale, claustrophobic air, given the premise. It’s not just about scaring you; it’s about making you think. Will it live up to the hype? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: this isn’t your average horror movie. It’s a reflection of our times, a commentary on our collective psyche, and a reminder that sometimes, the scariest thing is realizing the horror never ends.
So, will I be watching It Ends when it hits theaters in August? Absolutely. Not just for the scares, but for the questions it’ll leave me pondering long after the credits roll. After all, in a world that often feels like an endless drive into the unknown, maybe the best we can do is buckle up and keep going.
