REVIEW THE GATE.CA

"eye-catching cinematography, haunting music, and incredible effects"
W. Andrew Powell, THE GATE.CA
http://www.thegate.ca/tiff/2006/end-of-the-line.php

End of the Line
Rated: 7/10

Review By: W. Andrew Powell

There just aren't enough horror or action movies coming out of Canada. At this point I'd be happy with a few b-grade movies once or twice a year, but so far that just hasn't happened, either because of the problem of raising funds, or the lack of a decent market. Thankfully, the film festival is a great place to find fresh talent, and with End of the Line you even get some nice, fresh corpses too.

Directed, written, produced, and edited by Maurice Devereaux, the film stars Ilona Elkin as Karen, Nicolas Wright as Mike, and Neil Napier as Neil; they find themselves, along with a group of other subway riders, fighting to survive what could be Judgment Day. Complete with cultists, monsters, lots of gore, and the ever-present fear of what's around the next corner, End of the Line is a delicious horror film.

Sure, it's not always the most well-acted horror film, but it's at least twice as intelligent as most of the big budget horror films I saw last year.


Shot over a few short days, and on a tiny budget, End of the Line provokes more than a few jolts as cultists leap out of the shadows, or creatures crawl upon that unsuspecting character. But what really sets the film apart is the eye-catching cinematography, the haunting music, and the incredible makeup and effects. For a film on such a shoe-string budget, you certainly can't help but be impressed.

End of the Line also provides a bit of an example to something I heard Bruce Campbell say once - when it comes down to it, some of the best horror ideas aren't made with big budgets and big name stars - they're being made on little budgets, under b-movie titles. When budgets are tight and filmmakers have to really push to make their ideas stand out, that's where you'll find the most creative horror stories.

What End of the Line also proves is that Devereaux is on the right track, and it's only going to be a matter of time before he strikes it big. As a Canadian horror fan, I'm definitely eager to see what he can do and if he might have a chance at getting the blood really flowing.