The directorial debut of Alex Ullom follows four friends on a late-night food run who take a shortcut and find themselves on a literal road to nowhere. The premise is beyond the ordinary, which is what NEON has built its reputation on: unique, outside-the-box projects that demand audience attention. It Ends is no different.
Traveling in a Jeep as a foursome, the group diverts from their navigation’s directions and winds up on a two-lane hellscape. In its simplest form, Ullom taps into the scariest place a human can go: the mind. The road appears safe, lined with trees and natural surroundings. The group gets disturbed when they notice they haven’t made a single turn since taking this “shortcut”. Tyler (Mitchell Cole), James (Phinehas Yoon), Day (Akira Jackson), and Fisher (Noah Toth) go from celebrating their last night together as college friends to surviving each other’s presence as the stakes grow higher each time they stop.
As opposed to some mythical force or an evil entity, the fear is built around mania. The suspense is tied to the torrential fear of the unknown: will we see our families again? Does this road ever end? How many others are there? Without wasting any time, the film gets to the meat and potatoes of what’s taking place and developing a plan. The friends have to keep driving because sitting still for too long attracts a mob from deep within the woods. 90 seconds. Driving day and night, taking turns. Monotony. The average adult may fare ok with such a task, but a group of Gen Z college grads? Not so much.
Shifting from traditional storytelling to chapters, the film flows seamlessly into character focus. Using everything available to them to keep their sanity, each one begins deteriorating from the inside. Creating a set of rules to abide by to survive each day, they take turns driving in the futile hope of reaching an end.
Ullom’s debut can be considered an overall success. He was able to draw fear without violence, weapons, or any elements from the occult, which is the norm for a horror/suspense film. A psychological horror without flashing lights, magic, etc. is an impressive feat and stands out among the masses. So as far as the plot, score, and overall experience, It Ends is an epic success. The only two things that may affect the audience experience are the annoyance of all four characters and the film’s ending. The conclusion wasn’t the worst, but was dry enough to make you conceive how you would’ve ended it. The mindless banter between the kids bounces back and forth between wildly entertaining and “doing the most.” If you can picture the most obnoxious 20-somethings waxing idiotic about the mundane and trying to problem-solve their way out of an impossible situation, and you don’t have a headache, then you’ll survive this film.
It Ends gets an 8 out of 10. It Ends is a creative psychological thriller that’s sure to do well for its intended audience (those under 30). With just four characters, a car, and a stretch of highway, Ullom’s first crack at a feature is respectable. This is the type of suspense that needs to be experienced in the theatre.
It Ends arrives in theaters on Friday, August 21.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Courtesy of NEON
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Drama/Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: August 21, 2026