The Endless (2017)
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Two brothers reunite with a former cult and find themselves trapped in a reality where time and space are warped by a mysterious entity.
The story
Brothers Justin and Aaron Smith receive a video cassette from Camp Arcadia, a group they belonged to as young children. Their memories of the commune differ: Aaron views it as a friendly community, while Justin suspects it was a dangerous cult. Seeking a change in their lives, the pair decides to visit the camp for one day. Upon arrival in the backwoods outside of San Diego, they are welcomed by members who appear not to have aged in a decade. As they spend time at the camp, the brothers begin to notice increasingly abnormal occurrences and strange clues left by an unseen presence, forcing them to confront the reality of their past.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After receiving a video from their former childhood commune, Camp Arcadia, brothers Justin and Aaron Smith travel to the site. While Aaron is charmed by the residents, Justin becomes suspicious of the group's 'ascension' rhetoric. The atmosphere turns eerie as Justin discovers an invisible entity is watching them and provides cryptic clues, including a photograph of a buoy and a warning about three moons. During a fishing trip, Justin finds a tape and a toolbox beneath the water. Tensions peak when a recording of the brothers' past lies is played, leading to a confrontation with a man named Hal. Justin's car fails, and he wanders into the woods, where he encounters people trapped in lethal time loops. He eventually finds Aaron, who is tempted to stay forever in the cult's 'eternal' life. The brothers ultimately reconcile and flee just as the entity destroys the camp, leaving the reborn cult members behind as the loop resets.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Justin Benson; Aaron Moorhead
- Writers
- Justin Benson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Justin Benson · Justin; Aaron Moorhead · Aaron; Callie Hernandez; Tate Ellington; Lew Temple; James Jordan
- Genres
- science fiction; horror
- Themes
- time loops; cults; brotherhood
- Tone and mood
- bizarre; cosmic horror
- Premise and plot tags
- time loops; cults; supernatural
- Franchise connections
- The Endless
- Reception
- The film received favorable reviews from critics, with praise for its grounded approach to a bizarre story and the performances of the lead actors.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 80 · scale: 100 · review count: 18
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in Descanso, located in southeastern San Diego County.; The film is a partial sequel to Resolution (2012) and Spring (2014).
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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