Matthew Percefull
As we get older, we often find ourselves yearning for the past. The memories don’t even need to be positive to evoke a sense of nostalgia. I’ve personally been guilty of romanticizing parts of my life that were, in fact, rather destructive or sad. These memories are often no more than escape. Your brain is making the dead grass on the other side of the lawn appear healthy and lively. But it’s all a trick. The unnerving part, though, is that these feelings didn’t come from thin air. Somewhere in the despair of your past trauma sits a version of you that you can’t help but want back. In the 2018 film The Endless, this quest for closure is put to the ultimate test.
In The Endless, we follow two brothers, Justin (Justin Benson) and Aaron (Aaron Moorhead), who were raised in a cult. The youngest, Aaron, remembers their upbringing as peaceful and full of love, while his older brother is convinced that it was a death cult. After about a decade away from the cult that raised them, they find themselves at a dead end. They’re broke and running out of options. A mysterious videotape arrives at their house one day, revealing that the members of their former commune were still alive. Seeking closure, Aaron begs Justin to return for one more night at the commune. When they arrive, they become entangled in a time loop that threatens their relationship and the very fabric of reality.
The camp is basically unchanged from when they left. Everyone looks the same, as if they haven’t aged. Justin keeps his distance, but Aaron is instantly sucked back in by this familiarity. These people remember things about him that he forgot about himself. Being around his former community puts him back in the mindset of a child. He becomes impulsive, naive, and overly emotional at times. Aaron ignores all of his brothers’ warnings and even lashes out at him. Justin rides a very thin line, attempting to convince his brother of the sinister nature behind this whole camp. Both brothers take their own journeys, seeking similar answers.
Though Aaron’s view of the past is distorted by nostalgia, Justin’s memories are not exclusively reliable either. Half of what he told the media about this cult was proven to be made up. We see that this group of people is weird. Their rituals and strange behavior are palpable, but at the same time, they also appear to truly be the supportive, nurturing community that Aaron was seeking. In a way, neither brother is wrong. They’re both making the best decision they can for themselves and each other. They just come at it from two different perspectives. As frustrating as Justin’s reluctance to leave can be, I fully sympathize with his need for community. He’s been alone for years, and any source of connection looks like a warm blanket to him, even in the form of a UFO death cult.
The antagonist of The Endless isn’t the mysterious cult or the Cthulhu-like monster that traps them. The villain of The Endless is control. Every character is either bound by their lack of control or is suffering from a need to control everything. Justin, for example, feels so responsible for his younger brother that he meticulously controls many aspects of his life. They must work the same job. They must drive the same car. They must move as one. Aaron wants to control his future by running back to his past. Running back into the arms of comfort. He has a sense of autonomy at the camp. He rekindles his love for fishing. He reconnects with his childhood crush. He finally feels human again. This all comes with one huge cost: his future. Justin is worried about the future, but he’s limiting it by trying so hard to curate it.
The most jarring scene in The Endless is a simple one. It’s a symbolic game of tug of war against someone on a ladder. Only we come to realize there might not be a ladder at all. A rope dangles from seemingly nowhere, pulling and tossing our characters around with inhuman strength. The image of the rope coming from the sky stuck in my brain after watching. The simple nature of a game of tug of war is being tackled by the unknowable nature of the universe. The cult embraces this and embraces their lack of control; thus, the being allows them the most time. Their loop last years, while others are minutes or even seconds. There’s something creepy but enticing about this. You live out the best days of your youth. No aging. No dying. Just your nostalgia on repeat. I know some people who would jump at something like that in a heartbeat. On my bad days, I may even be one of them.
The horror of The Endless isn’t in your face like a masked slasher or a demonic possession. It’s a subtle unease that gets into your bloodstream. This uncomfortable feeling culminates in full existential terror. It isn’t the type of film that will make you jump or scream. It’s the type of film that sneaks its way into your brain during quiet moments. Michael Myers, you can see. You can fight Jason Vorhees physically (even if you may not win, you at least have a chance). You can call an exorcist to get rid of a demon. But a time loop created by an unimaginable deity is impossible to beat because you can’t even comprehend it. The Endless mixes folk horror aesthetics with the dread of Lovecraftian storytelling effectively.
In cosmic horror, it can be hard to balance when to hide the monsters and when to show them. The Endless navigates this flawlessly. For such a small budget, you really feel the scale of the being that has trapped our characters. It’s not going to eat them or stomp on them. It’s barely even going to show itself. The imagery of the rope in the sky or a giant shadow in the lake is enough without fully revealing what we’re up against. This keeps a mysterious tone while allowing our characters to still be grounded by human stakes. The main issue is not the time loop; it’s the choice that Justin and Aaron are faced with. Do they stay and live in this loop forever, or do they go back out on their own?
Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have established a wholly unique and intriguing filmmaking style. It’s ultra-low budget, but the ideas are so rich and the performances are so raw that after a few minutes, you forget and just sink into the story. The Endless is actually a stealth sequel to the duo’s debut film, Resolution, featuring the main characters from that film in small but important roles. These connections add a deeper layer to the world of this film and also connect the work of these directors in a cool way. The Endless is like Moorhead and Benson doing a loving sendoff to this type of independent filmmaking before going on to work with bigger budgets, recognizable brands, and A-list stars.
The cult featured in The Endless was inspired by a mix of real-life groups. There’s obviously Heaven’s Gate in the DNA, given the whole UFO death cult angle. The self-reliant commune gives shades of Jonestown but with a dirty, grimy underbelly like the Manson family. There’s also just a vibe of an extended family among this group. This group feels lived in and like something you’d hear about on a true crime podcast. Cults in horror movies can sometimes go over the top. Silly coordinated costumes and showy rituals. The people in The Endless are just normal people. These could be your coworkers or your neighbors. They just happen to worship an ancient deity that controls time. Which is even scarier.
While not a perfect film, The Endless has plenty to chew on. For such a sprawling and complex narrative, the film doesn’t ever become convoluted. References to past films tie in very nicely. You can enjoy this film just fine without ever seeing Resolution. I appreciate what Moorehead and Benson were able to achieve with The Endless. It shows that with a great idea and a passionate group behind you, budget doesn’t have to dictate quality. The Endless is unnerving and cosmic, but it has a sensitive, human layer underneath. Justin and Aaron’s journey is a relatable one. When moving forward in life seems impossible, the easiest thing to do is retreat into your past. Justin and Aaron learn this the hard way. Moving forward is always better than going backwards, no matter how tough the road ahead may look.
