END OF THE LINE exemplifies the problem with filmmakers that have an interesting premise but don't have the talent to develop it. After a promising opening third that sets up a nightmarish mood and tense atmosphere, the makers of this low budget paranoia slash zombie thriller take it nowhere. The script is witless. You can tell the writing is bad when the only thing the characters are allowed is f-bombs and barking orders to each other. The acting is adequate in a kind of "how frightened can I look" manner, and the horror set pieces are well edited and the direction is OK. But the fantastic but incoherent plot concerning the literal Apocalypse, as in what one might find described in Revelation, is sabotaged by repetitive seeming gore scenes. The dumb but well designed axe hits and knife deaths fill 70% of the movie in place of a storyline or characterization. If your standards are low you might enjoy the blood and guts.

Bought the DVD as was looking for some decent modern horror, and decided to check out audience awards as an indicator. This I believe won the audience award at the 'Dead By Dawn' festival, plus I also like films based around subways (Deathline anyone?).And this was not a disappointment. I'm just so impressed with its balance of tension, action, horror and sheer intelligence. It at no point patronises its audience - realistic and genuinely terrifying in its premise (and so believable - yes, just because it has pictures of demons on the cover, this isn't fantasy horror, its message is deadly serious).It has a 'make your mind up' ending that whilst superficially ambiguous, really isn't if you've been paying attention.The 'making of' featurette on the DVD depicts a director who has a strong clarity of vision, and is very dedicated to what he's creating (as well as seeming like a very decent human being).Hollywood needs to stop p*ssing money up the wall with derivative disposable nonsense and remakes, and start nurturing genuine talent and financing the likes of Monsieur Devereaux to make more intelligent fayre. I'm not advocating big budgets simply be handed to independent film makers (as that rarely goes well) - a lean budget generally creates innovation my necessity. But consider that we could potentially have 100 'End Of The Lines' for one 'Piranha' (a film the World really could have done without). Similarly we could have had 60 of Duncan Jones' Moon for the price of one Avatar. Mark

Karen(Ilona Elkin) is a psychiatric nurse struggling to cope with the suicide of a schizophrenic patient(released due to overcrowding)who threw herself in front of a moving subway train after seeing a demon. Karen has a series of ominous drawings Viviane had created showing demons in our world, warning of the dangers to come. And she wasn't joking. On board a subway train, numerous passengers are to be chosen for extermination when nutsoid religious fanatics, obeying a "higher calling"(their confirmation sent via text message), armed with "crucifix daggers", will target anyone not necessarily of the faith. We see that some of the devoted converted aren't exactly as determined to fulfill some horrifying command to slice throats and stab innocents multiple times in the torso to "clease/save their souls". The reverend(we see his smiling face with his family in a cardboard cut out in Karen's psychiatric hospital advertising himself)has an unquestionable following so convinced of whatever garbage he fed them, it really is religious fanaticism at it's most horrid. Voices of Eternal Hope has many members which certainly establishes how scary this menace could be to the outside world if told to cleanse more souls than those in a subway tunnel and train. We get a disturbing scene where a kid comes toward a motley group of passengers who were able to flee the train before being gutted like a fish, and gets hit across the skull..such casualties are expected when the flock is as dedicated as these members are. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting END OF THE LIGHT to be so ambitious in it's storytelling in regards to Armageddon, how chaos and anarchy actually derives from a religious fervor so poisonous that streets are in flames, running mobs trying to get away from hysterical maniacs, truly, with total faith, devout in the belief that they are doing God's will, a mission to save souls by actually killing people. I do think that this plot will offend some Born Again Christians with it's subject matter, the idea of those who believe wholeheartedly in the Lord, following "the voice" which desires for the lost to be saved through heinous violence. In one scene, we see a victim almost decapitated with a sword and another where a pregnant member wanting absolution from Satan with a plea(along with members round abouts expecting it as well)for her husband to use the dagger to "save her"..there's nothing more disturbing than seeing a husband stabbed by his own wife, only for others to take turns plunging daggers in her, cutting the unborn baby from her womb! I think many will find END OF THE LINE just plain blasphemous.There's a virgin named Sarah(Nina Fillis) who folds to her lustful desire, having sex with her boyfriend(Tim Rozon) who is later stabbed in the back. Sarah is manipulated by a fiend, Patrick(Robin Wilcock), a sexual predator who "wants his cherry popped". Unlike the flock, Patrick just kills out of sheer delight, using the mantra of the church as a means to an end. Wilcock, as Patrick, is one of those cockroaches with a demonic grin, you root passionately against, a real despicable heavy. His fate is rather interesting("Thank you."), though, and it asks a question as to whether or not he was in control of his devious nature.END OF THE LINE, beside the apocalypse theme, is ultimately a fight for survival, with numbers dwindling as time continues. Our heroes are trying to make it to an exit while the maniacs follow in pursuit. My favorite scene involves an ax embedded in a skull, pulling it out not very easy. Nicholas Wright is Mike, a love interest of Karen's who really endures some suffering. Others rounding out the cast of heroes includes Neil Napier as Neil(in a part written especially for him), with Emily Shelton as Julie(one of Patrick's near-victims). Joan McBride stands out as the female antagonist, her devotion to God unparalleled as she leads the extremists on their mission. Those ghouls(called muffins)are pretty creepy, their slithery walk, black skin, and glowing eyes(several of them scale the walls and ceiling, one even comes out of the body of a victim)quite memorable, things right out of a nightmare.

I just watched this movie and I immediately knew it was going to be awesome when it made me scream like a little school girl in the first 5 minutes of the film. OUT LOUD! I am a huge horror buff and not much even makes me yelp! It was a pleasant surprise, as most of the crap my brother brings over for me to watch usually doesn't make much sense or is just too out there to enjoy. But End of the Line is a great Canadian horror flick. Who needs zombies when you have religious fanatics trying to save non-believers with a razor sharp crucifix, sending them to the Almighty!? Sounds corny, but why not? How many hard core religious followers would kill in the name of their God if they were told the Apocylpse was coming? Not too far fetched to believe. And stuck in a subway during the whole thing!? The artwork on the DVD cover was right, "does what Jaws did for the ocean". I'll probably poop if I am ever caught down in a subway system after dark in a big city after seeing this. If you like horror movies, give End of the Line a shot. The acting at times is a small amount cheesy, but the story is great, so are the monsters and many of the unexpected awesome scares that a true horror fan will appreciate!