Peter Gutierrez on It Ends (2025) which opens Friday

“There’s not a bird on earth that could survive a human uppercut.”

After just a few minutes of experiencing IT ENDS on the big screen, it becomes clear why this is the opening night film. Assured, beguiling, and using sound in a way that can be described only as gorgeous, Alexander Ullom’s first feature promises to take you places even before it really gets on the road. Aided by the fine work of its talented young cast, Ullom’s script effortlessly succeeds where most horror flicks (cf. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER 2025) fail miserably: making us care about its friend group before anything remotely menacing takes place. There are no contrived character snapshots or forced interactions to convey likability—the film just lets us spend time with these engaging roadtrippers. Then, when the dread and terror kick in, we’re not only fully on board, but also enjoyed the time we spent getting there.

It's tempting to call the premise of IT ENDS “simple,” but “elegant” would be more accurate. Unabashedly wearing allegory both on its sleeve and in your face, the film manages that rare feat of working on a purely dramatic level as well. The script never sells out either dimension for the sake of the other. And the ending, which somehow manages to avoid predictability, feels utterly satisfying as it hits hard both thematically and emotionally. 

The story also works because it nudges you to consider what you’d do in the characters’ situation, but does so in a way that feels fresh and invisible. In short, you’re never bored. Except, that is, during those moments when you’re supposed to brush up against boredom, and then Ullom pulls off the always tricky goal of conveying tedium without actually putting the audience to sleep. The friends’ small, creative acts of rebellion against boredom are, in fact, central to the horror—there’s a kind of psychological “gore” that, while it can’t be seen, can definitely be felt. Think of this film as high-stakes survival horror, but in breathtaking slow-mo. Or, if it helps, you can view IT ENDS as an ingenious mix of THE SOPRANOS “Pine Barrens” episode and Sartre’s No Exit... except that wouldn’t begin to describe how heartfelt and original it is.