If the soul-crushing terror of post-grad existential dread wasn’t enough, NEON is officially taking it to the open road. The studio is preparing to release It Ends, a striking, Gen Z “horror hangout” movie in theaters this August. To celebrate the upcoming theatrical run, NEON has unveiled a creepy brand-new official poster for the film.
A Road Trip to Nowhere
Written and directed by newcomer Alexander Ullom in his feature debut, It Ends follows four recent college graduates (Akira Jackson, Phinehas Yoon, Mitchell Cole, and Noah Toth) on a late-night drive that turns into an inescapable nightmare.
However, the group finds themselves trapped on a sinister, sprawling stretch of highway that seemingly has no end. As the miles tick into the thousands, they develop a bizarre, routine rhythm to survive occasional attacks from nocturnal stragglers. Yet, despite the exhaustion and constant threat of danger, they keep pressing the gas pedal—driven solely by the desperate belief that something better must be waiting at the end of the road.
Living with the Horror
Unlike traditional survival thrillers, Ullom designed the film to mirror how young adults normalize trauma and uncertainty in the modern world.
“This was always a movie that was more about how we live with horror than about the actual horror,” Ullom previously shared with Bloody Disgusting. “I make this joke too much, but I always wanted to see the family in Hereditary give a postgame interview and just be like, ‘Yeah, that was terrifying. That was absolutely terrifying.’ Then, they all die, obviously, but like they go about their lives. The movie is constantly recontextualizing the things that happen in it.”
The unique approach has already won over festival critics. In her glowing 4-star review for Bloody Disgusting, Meagan Navarro praised the film’s thematic depth:
“It Ends captures a universal fear, that anxiety-inducing transition into full-blown adulthood where we’re all expected to become responsible contributors to society. It’s a lot of pressure with no clear guide. As such, it runs through every emotion that comes with that journey.”
A Filmmaker to Watch
Ullom’s distinct voice is already making major waves across the industry. The rising director was recently tapped to helm 4 X 4: The Event—a high-concept thriller being pitched as a chaotic mashup of Battle Royale, Saw, and Climax.
Clear your schedule and gas up the tank: It Ends hits theaters on August 21.
