REVIEW: ‘It Ends’ Is A Stretched Out Existential Crisis In Film Form

Imagine a road that never ends, a car that continues to drive, and you begin to lose hope because what’s the point? It Ends, directed and written by Alexander Ullom, tackles existential dread and the scariness of adulthood. But does it warrant its feature-length runtime, and is it satisfying enough as a horror film? 

It Ends follows four friends whose late-night drive turns into a looping nightmare, in which the road keeps going, and they are unable to escape it. Along the way, they discover they aren’t the only ones stuck in the area, and it becomes a matter of whether they’ll keep driving or they’ll admit defeat. 

It Ends relies heavily on its performances and atmosphere.

At the start of the film, the characters are already asking questions and engaging in conversation, but they haven’t yet realized the perils they’ll be facing. We’re introduced to James (Phinehas Yoon), Day (Akira Jackson), Fisher (Noah Toth), and Tyler (Mitchell Cole), and they’re certainly an assorted bunch of individuals. The chemistry within the group is established immediately, which is one of the film’s better aspects.

When the group realizes they haven’t gotten off the road and haven’t seen any cars drive by, that’s when the panic sets in. Everyone’s reactions are different during the first half of the film. James consistently seeks answers about why or what is happening to them; Day and Fisher go with the flow as much as they can; and Tyler grows sick of the repetition quite quickly. None of their reactions are unrealistic and are quite reflective of the various reactions people might have in this situation. 

A horror-thriller film like this relies more heavily on the performances, the questions it raises, and the atmosphere it creates. Especially as the film isn’t heavy on action, nor does it feature many characters beyond our core characters. Very little actually happens in terms of visually engaging events in this film, which makes it relatively difficult to spoil.

It Ends is too stretched out as a feature-length film.

The most important thing to understand going in is that you’re not going to get bloody moments, stereotypical jump scares, or a monster coming out of the woods to rip them apart. It Ends isn’t about that, and it’s original in that respect. 

However, the issue lies in how stretching this film to feature length makes for a boring experience. When a film asks a lot of questions but never answers what’s going on, and the characters are left with unknown fates, it can be pretty frustrating.

Despite the fact that the point of It Ends is existential dread, facing the unknown, and the weight of adulthood, it doesn’t change the fact that this film would’ve been better as a short film. Unless you’re going for something similar to Dead End (2003), it’s hard to sell someone on a horror film that doesn’t offer much else other than mostly conversations and car rides. Even as we reach the end of the film, we’re still in the vehicle trying to figure out why the situation never ends. 

It Ends is more about the vibes than anything else.

All four cast members deliver good performances, and their chemistry as a group of friends comes across as authentic. Phinehas Yoon offers the audience a realistic portrayal of someone who refuses to simply accept their circumstances. Meanwhile, the others all bring performances that portray various stages of acceptance of the humdrum of repetition. 

Visually, the film isn’t doing anything you haven’t seen before, and there are no grand cosmic horror visuals. It Ends is more about the vibes than anything else. It’s a horror film that doesn’t throw much in the way of startling imagery. Which is a shame because a concept like this could’ve introduced something beyond what it does. 

At the end of the day (or the road, if we want to be funny), It Ends is too stretched out as a feature-length film. For horror fans, it’s unlikely to keep the attention of those who are hoping for something that properly combines the isolated setting of a car, cosmic horror elements, and more than just a focus on conversations and driving around. The existential dread will likely be relatable for some, whether they’re Gen Z or otherwise. However, you’re not missing much if you skip out on this one. 

It Ends releases theatrically in the U.S. on August 21st, 2026.