'It Ends' Brings 'Backrooms' Vibe to the Backwoods

Alexander Ullom's microbudget film "It Ends" presents a chilling premise: four recent college graduates find themselves on a road that seems to stretch into infinity, with no escape. James, Tyler, Fisher, and Day pile into a Jeep after graduation, only to discover the road offers no respite, no signs, and no destination. Their growing unease escalates as they realize stopping the car invites a horde of violent strangers intent on stealing their vehicle.

The film, which premiered at SXSW in spring 2025, shares thematic similarities with the viral "Backrooms" phenomenon, both tapping into a contemporary suspicion that ordinary existence masks a deeply unsettling reality. Ullom, however, is less concerned with explaining the peril and more interested in exploring the feeling of being lost. The characters grapple with a profound sense of existential dread, sensing that humanity itself is adrift.

Even before their journey turns nightmarish, the characters exhibit a bleak outlook on the future. James has meticulously planned his finances, anticipating a diminished sperm count, and concludes, "The future seems like it sucks ass." Tyler has resigned himself to a blue-collar existence, while Fisher and Day struggle to find employment, metaphorically and literally stuck in the back seat of life. This pervasive sense of hopelessness permeates the film, amplifying the terror of their inescapable situation.

The early scenes are marked by visceral, terrifying sequences featuring panicked close-ups of pursuers sprinting toward the car. Matthew Robert Cooper's unnerving ambient score and the relentless flashing of hazard lights contribute to a disorienting atmosphere. Cinematographers Evan Draper and Jazleana Jones, along with Ullom's editing, later shift to evocative montages that emphasize the passage of time, blurring days into an indistinguishable, agonizing stretch of driving. The camera remains tethered to the vehicle, immersing the viewer in the enveloping and unfathomable blur outside, while the internal dynamics of the car evolve as the friends invent rituals to stave off mutual screaming.

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To him, the future “seems like it sucks ass.”