Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A group of strangers, trapped in subway tunnels, are hunted by a religious cult as they believe the Apocalypse has begun.
Review: If you're looking for a cool horror film that, like, 99.9% of people have never even heard of, then this is probably that movie for you. Brought to us by the fine folks in Canada, this movie is a surprising blood bath of mayhem mixed with my beloved apocalyptic introspection. Although a lot of the plot elements feel inspired from many other films, there is a sensation of originality in both the direction and presentation that makes the whole experience feel refreshing. It's kind of funny (well, not really), because I already have two reviews waiting in the wings that loosely involve trains. Then I plan to review a Japanese horror movie called "Ghost Train" that reminded me of "End of the Line" when I read the plot description. So what is this--some kind of horror and trains month? Oh god, I'm such a dork...
Essentially, the story is that random people riding a late night train come to a sudden stop in subway tunnels when all hell breaks loose figuratively and literally (possibly). The lead, Karen, a nurse, is seeing visions of monstrous beings and of her dead patient who committed suicide earlier that night and left an ominous final message. But come on Karen, what other outcome would you expect for a mentally unstable, tiny Asian girl wearing a miniskirt at night in a horror movie?! A quiet evening in her Hello Kitty pajamas reading "The Notebook?!" Anyway, we are introduced to many characters as we learn a brainwashed cult of religious fanatics are onboard the train and have been activated in a manner of speaking. The cult's insane leader believes the Apocalypse has begun and, in order to save the souls of humanity, they must kill everyone they see before the demons can claim them. The passengers must unite and fight for their lives in order to escape the endless tunnels alive. But do they face a greater threat above? Are Karen's visions true? Has the Apocalypse truly begun? Oh shit don't leave me hanging!
Probably the best aspect to this film is that the action starts rolling immediately and relentlessly continues until around the 50 minute mark, where the characters take a slight breather, only to come out swinging even harder. The atmosphere and intrigue are done superbly putting the audience in the right frame of mind to bask in the crazy storyline; there is a lot of room for speculation, but a careful understanding of the events will reveal the truth despite how much I wish it hadn't. There is that washed out, grainy as fuck look to the film quality that makes the movie look decades older than it really is; if you didn't know the date, you'd swear it was 1991 or something. As I've said before regarding this infamous, shitty film quality, it can work in a movie's favor which it does here--adding to that end of the world tension the film tries to convey. The effects are pretty good despite what some naysayers would have you believe; even the demons looked pretty damn good, when compared to CGI, even though they only get precious moments to shine. Practical effects are always the way to go and it enhances the visceral feel to the gory deaths which there are aplenty. By the way, just because this film is low budget doesn't mean they weren't taking chances; this film has a lot of ballsy moments like killing kids, a more realistic approach to a beheading, and a pregnant woman being stabbed to death with the baby ripped out. The acting can be all over the place with a wide range of performances from great to laughable, but this doesn't change the fact that most characters are likable and you want to see them survive; even a lot of the cultists felt real and you could see how their brainwashing led them astray. Lastly, the film plays around with the order of events in an unorthodox way. Scenes will play out normally, but every so often time will rewind a bit as we see other characters' perspectives leading up to the scenes we had previously viewed; this was a welcomed addition that gives the audience a fuller scope of the events.
The ending is fantastic and the film closes things out at just the precise moment to leave you and your significant other or friends or whoever guessing as to what was real or not. The only problem is that the film has all the answers and they kind of negate this awesome conclusion if you take the time to decipher it all. As for my understanding of what is really going on, the film is a lot more straightforward than you'd think. The final shots leave things up to your imagination, but a closer examination of the beginning of the film reveals that the opening scenes actually take place after the final shot; the evidence lies in the radio report Karen hears as well as the scar on her shoulder. So, I guess the Apocalypse didn't happen after all...womp womp. But why all the visions of demons then? The evidence for that is all this discussion about eating muffins from the cult and a plant that is believed to be connected to the Salem witch trials which is slyly written on a paper in Karen's first dream (which would be after the film's events technically). We can then assume the muffins had an almost LSD-esque effect on the individuals making them see, well, pretty much whatever they want to believe. But don't let these tiny details hinder the introspection and philosophical debate that this film proposes. It's interesting to see how humans would react given the same circumstance, and it allows the viewer to think how they may behave as well in an end of the world scenario. Plus, it would have been one hell of a badass twist if the cultists really were right and demons were about to take over the world!
With seemingly unlimited amounts of direct to DVD garbage, it's becoming increasingly rare you discover a gem amongst the shit. I have to say, this movie came as a delightful treat when I was sitting around with popcorn and no new movies to watch. This is how you do low budget horror correctly! I love the attention to detail like the TVs showing an ocean of blood, the cult leader showing chaos around the world, and those pesky demons lurking in the shadows. The atmosphere successfully sucks you into an already compelling story as you follow likable characters struggling to survive; this would have made for one hell of a video game. Sure the acting is shaky at times, effects and film could be improved, and they sort of cancel out their own ending, but there are so many things done right and creatively that I can't believe this film has continued to remain this obscure. This film is fairly easy to track down, and is really cheap as well, so definitely check this one out.
Notable Moment: The opening jump scare. I'll admit it--I jumped. I did not think we'd be seeing anything interesting at two minutes in so I have to give credit where credit is due. Damn opening credits lulling me into a false sense of security!
Final Rating: 7/10
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