Maurice Devereaux's End of the Line possesses the kind of raw ambition that reminds me of why I love horror films in the first place. It's an original and highly imaginative effort, even more so when you realize the director had to finance the film out of his own pocket. It hasn't received too much attention, but I think it's a low budget treat that deserves to be seen. That, combined with certain story aspects that are ripe for discussion, has led me to recommend this to many people since my initial viewing.
Taking place in a subway, the story involves several members of a large religious cult who simultaneously receive notice via pagers that it's Judgment Day. This gives them the go ahead to bring out their special daggers and "save" all the nonbelievers by way of murder. Karen (Ilona Elkin) is a psychiatric nurse who gets caught up in the mayhem when her ride home from work turns into a fight for survival. I bought the Canadian DVD blindly back in November 2008 and thoroughly enjoyed the film. The director's prior effort, Slashers, was a most cheesy affair. This, on the other hand, is quite serious. The film can be rather unnerving, especially if you find fanatical cult members to be disturbing sorts. I'm a big fan of religion themed horror in general. Throw in apocalyptic scenarios and you have my attention entirely.
I didn't catch it the first time around, but note the emphasis on muffins throughout the film. It has been theorized that perhaps something in the muffins was causing hallucinations, thus setting everything into motion. This theory seems to receive further support if you watch the beginning of the film carefully. There's a telling scar on Karen's shoulder. Little things like this, which I didn't even catch onto until I'd read other opinions on the film, are elements that I greatly appreciate when it comes to filmmaking. Hints that keep you guessing, but don't beat you over the head... these really enrich the viewing experience.
As far as the ending is concerned, I think it goes out on a particularly strong note. The earlier conversation about smiling in the face of proof comes to mind, but the final image still feels like a punch in the gut. The strength of the finale is carried over into the end credits thanks to the eerie song which plays over them. Say what you will, but this piece of music strikes a chord with me. It's flat-out haunting, yet beautiful at the same time. I'm glad the DVD included the full soundtrack as an extra, as it's nice being able to listen to it on it's own.
End of the Line is not a perfect film. There is some poor acting which stands out a bit more on repeat viewings, the bald maintenance worker being the worst offender. Some of the gore and attack sequences aren't as well staged as I'd like either. Regardless, I feel that the film rises above a few spotty performances and low budget pitfalls. Far above. Devereaux has done the genre proud.
Taking place in a subway, the story involves several members of a large religious cult who simultaneously receive notice via pagers that it's Judgment Day. This gives them the go ahead to bring out their special daggers and "save" all the nonbelievers by way of murder. Karen (Ilona Elkin) is a psychiatric nurse who gets caught up in the mayhem when her ride home from work turns into a fight for survival. I bought the Canadian DVD blindly back in November 2008 and thoroughly enjoyed the film. The director's prior effort, Slashers, was a most cheesy affair. This, on the other hand, is quite serious. The film can be rather unnerving, especially if you find fanatical cult members to be disturbing sorts. I'm a big fan of religion themed horror in general. Throw in apocalyptic scenarios and you have my attention entirely.
I didn't catch it the first time around, but note the emphasis on muffins throughout the film. It has been theorized that perhaps something in the muffins was causing hallucinations, thus setting everything into motion. This theory seems to receive further support if you watch the beginning of the film carefully. There's a telling scar on Karen's shoulder. Little things like this, which I didn't even catch onto until I'd read other opinions on the film, are elements that I greatly appreciate when it comes to filmmaking. Hints that keep you guessing, but don't beat you over the head... these really enrich the viewing experience.
As far as the ending is concerned, I think it goes out on a particularly strong note. The earlier conversation about smiling in the face of proof comes to mind, but the final image still feels like a punch in the gut. The strength of the finale is carried over into the end credits thanks to the eerie song which plays over them. Say what you will, but this piece of music strikes a chord with me. It's flat-out haunting, yet beautiful at the same time. I'm glad the DVD included the full soundtrack as an extra, as it's nice being able to listen to it on it's own.
End of the Line is not a perfect film. There is some poor acting which stands out a bit more on repeat viewings, the bald maintenance worker being the worst offender. Some of the gore and attack sequences aren't as well staged as I'd like either. Regardless, I feel that the film rises above a few spotty performances and low budget pitfalls. Far above. Devereaux has done the genre proud.