Karen is traumatized from some kind of horrible event on a subway train. We get to see a few flashback pieces from what she apparently went through, until we go all the way back to see what actually happened to poor Karen. We learn that she worked as a nurse at a psychiatric hospital, and on her way home she is approached by some weirdos on the subway train. What follows is a tension-filled ride where no one is safe.
End of the Line is a horror film from 2007, written, directed and produced by Maurice Deveraux. The film debuted to a limited release, received fairly positive reviews from critics and also won a few prizes a festivals. The film didn’t get a Blu-ray release until 2023, however, and have remained a lesser known movie.
Now, the horror genre has a lot of religious-themed movies (demons, possessions, cults and more), but more often than not the movie’s portrayal of such are often depicting them as the ones who are right, and sometimes ending up throwing away what could have been an excellent portrayal of religious madness (looking at you, Frailty!) in favor of a supernatural simplification. After all, there’s an even more unnerving horror behind the concept of individuals having such an unwavering faith in something that they would do “anything“ in the name of their god or savior. History has already proven how horribly that can go, and today is no different. The world is a place filled with people who would do pretty much anything for their faith, and would easily justify all means possible to achieve what they believe would be the “right“ thing. Religious fanaticism and the hypocrisy from therein is more than a good enough theme for horror movies, and End of the Line is a prime example of this.
While there are limited surroundings, the film doesn’t overstay its welcome and keeps everything at a decent pace. There’s enough tension to keep your attention, and it also keeps things behind a slight veil of mystery. There’s also some decent gore to appreciate here. While the crazy cultists are enough of a threat by themselves, there is of course a character that makes for a bigger villain than the rest: a guy named Patrick, played by Robin Wilcock. In many ways, this character works well in representing how cults and groups of certain types of people inevitably attracts those who join them not because they believe in their cause, but because they want to join in the mayhem and chaos they’ll evoke. Patrick isn’t a religious fanatic, but he finds himself attracted to the group as a means of doing what would otherwise be perceived as bad deeds but which he can now commit under the disguise of being “good“.
Other than knowing the obvious, that a religious cult is causing trouble at a subway station, I think this movie is best seen without too many spoilers, so I’m going to refrain from saying more. Overall, End of the Line is a fine low-budget thrill ride with some story aspects that easily ends up for discussion once the movie is over. What was really going on? Were the cultists right? While the film doesn’t give it away openly, there is actually a very clear answer to this which is shown early on during the film. I’m not gonna spoil, but I’ll give a little hint: muffin.
Writer and director: Maurice Devereaux
Country & year: Canada, 2007
Actors: Ilona Elkin, Nicolas Wright, Neil Napier, Emily Shelton, Tim Rozon, Nina Fillis, Joan McBride, Danny Blanco Hall, John Vamvas, Robin Wilcock, Kent McQuaid, Robert Vézina, David Schaap
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0494224/
