‘It Ends’ Cast Say Their Existential Road Movie Is Like “If Linklater Made a Horror”

It Ends is an existential highway horror, and greater than half of it takes place inside a cramped Jeep Cherokee. The entire film is carried by an ensemble of younger actors, based mostly on a screenplay by writer-director Alex Ullom in his debut directorial movie, which he describes as “if Linklater made horror.”

Within the film, 4 faculty grads get collectively for one final hangout earlier than going their separate methods. Piling into their buddy’s Jeep, they head out for some meals, take a fallacious flip, and discover themselves trapped on a endless highway as terrors unfurl within the wilderness surrounding them.

Ullom and the film’s stars, Phineas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Mitchell Cole, celebrated the World Premiere of It Ends at SXSW 2025, the place they stopped by the Collider Media Studio on the Cinema Middle to talk with Steve Weintraub concerning the impartial filmmaking course of. Throughout their dialog, which you’ll try within the video above or the complete transcript beneath, the crew discusses telling this “comedy-horror hangout” via lengthy stretches of dialogue on lengthy stretches on the Quantity stage highway. They share tales from the Florida wild, break down their love-hate relationships with their characters, and tons extra.

Why Horror is a “Godsend” for Unbiased Filmmaking

“You may simply do no matter you need.”

COLLIDER: That is your first movie, first pageant, first the whole lot for you guys. What was it really just like the night time earlier than the premiere? Did you sleep in any respect, or did you drink arduous to fall asleep?

ALEXANDER ULLOM: That was my first time ever screening something in entrance of an viewers. I had no clue the way it was going to go. I used to be simply winging it. I feel it went alright. Good reactions. I didn’t sleep, could not preserve meals down, nevertheless it was mild work. It was fairly straightforward. It was good.

I actually loved your film, and I respect that it takes swings and does issues {that a} studio film would most likely not do. I do not wish to get into specifics, however that is all I am going to say. The style that you simply guys are doing permits for extra experimentation. It isn’t a traditional method film.

ULLOM: Completely. The horror area proper now in impartial cinema is a godsend for indie as a result of it is the one factor folks will present up for with out well-known folks. You may simply do no matter you need. You may simply play with the style. It’s a really business framework to strive stuff out and throw stuff on the wall, so I am actually grateful for that.

Everybody watching proper now won’t have seen the film. How have you ever been describing it to family and friends?

AKIRA JACKSON: Comedy-horror hangout!

NOAH TOTH: I have been telling my mother and father and relations that it is like an existential horror hangout movie. Emphasis on hangout. I do not wanna spoil something.

ULLOM: After I was making an attempt to get financing, I used to say, “If [Richard] Linklater made a horror film,” however, yeah, horror hangout is sweet.

JACKSON: We’re 4 children. We’re simply graduating faculty, and we’re on our method someplace, after which some loopy stuff occurs, after which some crazier stuff occurs, and it simply retains getting crazier from there. You bought to maintain them guessing, you recognize?

ULLOM: Yeah, 4 youngsters come to phrases with meaninglessness.

JACKSON: “Youngsters” is loopy.

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“Child, you might be gonna miss that aircraft.”

I learn that you simply did casting slightly bit on Instagram.

ULLOM: Yeah, all of us met via very fortunate circumstances.

TOTH: The frequent denominator was Instagram. We have been all reached out to via Instagram. There was phrase of mouth and sort of unfastened connections. All of us had mutual associates and stuff like that. However all of us bought a DM from Alex at one level or like, “Wanna learn via my film?”

It isn’t regular for folks to get forged over Instagram, it’s not the common factor; nevertheless, it may be the long run factor.

JACKSON: I imagine so. There’s a lot undiscovered expertise, particularly as a result of social media is so prevalent these days. All people has it. I really feel like a part of being an actor is you want an Instagram simply to have the ability to join with folks and community.

Particularly initially of your profession.

Who Are the Characters of ‘It Ends’?

The forged share who they play within the film and their love-hate relationships with them.

For all 4 of you, you all play such completely different folks on this film. You are 4 utterly completely different characters. What do you wish to say about every of your characters? What did you’re keen on about them? What did you hate about them?

JACKSON: For me, Day is a really complicated woman. That is the place we relate probably the most. The place we differ is Day’s extra jaded in her demeanor initially of the film, after which additional alongside the story, close to the hangout-specific components, she’s extra open and accepting together with her circumstances. However she’s a cool woman. She loves her associates. She has no downside saying she loves her associates, however she’s she’s extra closed off as an individual. So I feel it will be actually attention-grabbing for folks to see her develop as a personality all through the movie.

MITCHELL COLE: Tyler’s a badass. I do not hate something about him. I wish to assume I’d most likely wish to do the whole lot he does on the highway. I am not that badass in actual life, although, so I most likely would not.

PHINEAS YOON: It isn’t true. He is being modest.

COLE: I like that character. Alex wrote a extremely good character with Tyler. I do know lots of people like Tyler again the place I am from. He’s actually cool. There’s lots beneath the floor, however on the floor, man, he is simply this difficult shell.

TOTH: For certain. It was actually cool attending to know Fisher as a personality. I feel all of us can say that none of us have labored on something tougher than this mission. I’ve by no means labored on something tougher in my life, personally. Fisher, for me, represents acceptance. There’s sort of this mantra of, like, I am unable to change any of this; I can solely change what I’ll do with it if that is sensible. That is the place Fisher was coming from. I hope there’s an arc that individuals see there.

YOON: I like how you place that. There was sort of a love-hate relationship with that character as a result of it is such as you love him as a result of there’s one thing so mental about him, and he is the neatest particular person…

Or so he thinks.

JACKSON: Very a lot.

YOON: With different characters that I’ve performed, I needed to create a backstory and actually delve into my very own psyche and slightly little bit of their psyche, however with James, it actually felt like I used to be sitting down with him and having a cup of espresso with him. There’s one thing about him that is simply so distinctive and so individualistic, simply in the best way that he phrases issues. He has one line within the movie that I actually love, which is he is speaking about his future, and he is saying one thing like, “I feel I would wish to be put into some form of medically induced coma, hooked as much as serotonin oxy cocktails which can be launched through huge enjoyable buttons I press.” I do not know anyone who says that, and explains his future in that method.

JACKSON: Alex.

HULLOM: I’ve by no means mentioned something like that

JACKSON: Enjoyable truth: these characters are all loosely based mostly on Alex and his life, so all of us bought guides to review in a method whereas we have been filming. All through the filming course of, we bought to develop with these characters and actually be capable to turn into and be snug with these characters. We added completely different components of ourselves into them, which I believed was actually cool.

YOON: The characters are so fleshed out in that method simply because they’re so trustworthy. With James, I cherished him, and I hated him. I cherished him due to how good he’s and his perspective on life, and I actually favored quite a lot of his opinions at occasions. Then, generally, I sort of hated him as a result of he additionally form of hated himself to a sure diploma. So, it was actually a love-hate relationship with him that I believed was actually, actually compelling as I continued to get to know him.

One of many issues I actually favored concerning the movie is that I don’t get pleasure from motion pictures that attempt to clarify the whole lot; the creativeness is probably the most highly effective factor that you’ve. Once you have been writing and if you have been engaged on it, and also you have been speaking to producers, did it ever come up, like, “Ought to we clarify extra? Ought to we clarify much less?” What have been these conversations like?

ULLOM: First off, I am very fortunate that there was not quite a lot of producer interference right here as a result of that is indie in each sense of the phrase. I bought to strive no matter I needed and fail by myself. However I feel the best way I talked about it extra is that it is much more concerning the emotional expertise of being inside a thriller than it’s fixing the thriller. It is much more about what it really feels wish to be there. It is extra concerning the feeling of not realizing why something’s taking place and what something means and making an attempt to return to phrases with that emotion than it’s fixing the precise, like, “a demon cursed our household,” or no matter. But in addition notice I like demon motion pictures.

Even among the studio horror motion pictures, generally there’s a lot fucking exposition that’s pointless. It is simply it isn’t wanted. However quite a lot of studio notes are like, “Oh, we have to clarify that.”

TOTH: I really feel like this film could make an viewers really feel empowered in that method. They do not should be spoon-fed the whole lot. We are able to depend on folks watching this to make use of their heads a bit, they usually’re gonna get pleasure from it and give it some thought. The essence of this film is typically you get solutions, generally you do not. From an viewers perspective, that is sort of what we would like.

The Crew Took Aside and Constructed a Jeep on the Quantity Stage

They shot about 50% on the sound stage and the remaining within the Florida warmth.

One of many issues I learn is that you simply shot this in two 20-day shoots. To be particular, there’s quite a lot of stuff in a Jeep, and there is quite a lot of stuff within the woods, and the stuff within the woods. The stuff within the woods you probably did exterior, and the stuff within the Jeep you probably did on the Quantity stage. I learn that with the Quantity stage, the Jeep would not match into the studio, so that you needed to take it aside after which construct it within the Quantity.

TOTH: That is all manufacturing.

JACKSON: Shoutout Carrie [Carusone] and Evan [Barber].

ULLOM: And the man that gave us the plasma cutter. Shoutout to that man, too.

What’s that like when somebody tells you the Jeep just isn’t going to suit via the door?

ULLOM: It is like, “Yeah, we’re finished. Film’s over. We’re not going to tug it off.” We shot this, really, thrice. I am very fortunate in a method—basically, all of us bought to return of age with this film. I actually wrote the factor after I was 22, which is sweet and unhealthy as a result of I am on the display watching it, and I am like, “What the fuck was he considering?” But in addition, I bought to return, and my voice bought to evolve. It was simply actually movie college, this film. It was simply movie college for me. It was like, “Oh shit, that is what occurs if you attempt to tempo for longer than 20 minutes.”

You shot it thrice. Is something from the primary shoot nonetheless on this film?

ULLOM: I take into consideration 20% or one thing. There are a few scenes in there. It was a a lot slower authentic film. After the primary 20 minutes, it used to drop off lots. However a few scenes are in there.

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What precisely is that this new expertise?

The outside stuff they did within the woods, was that just a few days? How lengthy was that a part of the shoot? Was most of it within the Quantity studio?

ULLOM: It is cut up fairly evenly.

YOON: 50/50, I’d say.

ULLOM: Really, the one cause we may accomplish it on this funds is as a result of there are lengthy dialogue scenes in a automotive. Spoiler warning. Simply speaking for lengthy intervals of time in a automotive, and so we may knock out, like, 15 pages in a day.

YOON: It was undoubtedly a really difficult and enjoyable course of in the best way of simply being on the highway and on the bodily set, which was an precise highway in Tallahassee, Florida, or round that space. It might simply be this lengthy stretch with forest on each side. We’d simply be hanging out, and we would be within the trenches. I am from Los Angeles—I am born and raised there—and I’d simply be standing within the woods ready for the subsequent shot and stepping into the headspace of what is taking place, and I’d look to my left, and I’d see a spider that is, like, the dimensions of his… It had, like, muscle tissues on it. I’ve by no means seen a spider that had muscle tissues on it.

That is a giant N-O. That is after I stop the film and run.

TOTH: To not point out the ticks.

COLE: Bugs apart, it was simply scorching as hell. I am born and raised in Florida, and I am used to the warmth, however rattling, it was scorching. The primary time we shot it was in October, so I feel the wardrobe was sort of designed round that. So, I am carrying a fleece jacket within the film. Then, as soon as we began taking pictures once more, it was extra like spring and summer season months, and the humidity was unreal. I used to be really actually glad we bought to shoot quite a lot of it on the sound stage as a result of we have been an air conditioner.

ULLOM: All of the sweat you see within the film is actual.

YOON: It is like being within the trenches on set. It was so insane as a result of it’s so unpredictable. However then you definitely’d be on the sound stage, and it’d be good, and also you’d have AC, however we would even be there for 12 hours a day on this automotive. I would be doing a scene as James and I’d look over, and I would see Evan Barber on the ground with the rope related to the Jeep.

JACKSON: Kicking the automotive!

ULLOM: We needed to simulate the shaking of the automotive.

YOON: He’d be on the market for, like, 10 or 20 minutes at a time.

Folks do not actually perceive how glamorous moviemaking is.

JACKSON: It is a very distinctive course of. I like being on the sound stage, however I do not know, there’s one thing about being outdoors within the woods. It simply immerses you. I put my headphones in, and I’d have my little day playlist going, and I would just be in it, particularly for the extra critical scenes.

ULLOM: It really speaks to all of their expertise as basically first-time characteristic actors. It’s the primary time that they are actually in a darkish room surrounded by the crew simply watching them appearing on the stage, they usually all simply killed it. It is unimaginable.

YOON: By this manufacturing, I bought launched to… They requested us what snacks we needed, and what did you say?

JACKSON: Oatmeal creme pies.

YOON: Oatmeal creme pies! I am like, “What’s an oatmeal cream pie?” And she or he goes, “That is an oatmeal cream pie.” I ended up having, like, three of them or one thing.

JACKSON: Alex was like, “You actually cannot try this. You may’t have that many oatmeal creme pies.”

ULLOM: I am fairly certain the FDA says, like, three a day.

JACKSON: He was scaring me! I am actually 19, I desire a freaking cookie.

By the best way, it isn’t three a day. It is three to your life.

YOON: I had, like, 5 in the future.

JACKSON: I do not do caffeine, they usually’re chugging Celsius day in and day trip.

ULLOM: Oh, yeah. Celsius bought us via the set as nicely.

JACKSON: I used to be like, “I can eat slightly oatmeal creme pie.”

YOON: So we would be taking pictures this movie three or 4 weeks at a time, taking pictures within the trenches and taking pictures on the stage 12 hours at a time, and it is this cramped room, and I would be excessive on 5 oatmeal cream pies and two Celsius, and I would see a man shaking the automotive, and I would be taking a look at this LED wall. I didn’t know if I used to be outdoors, if I used to be inside—all of it simply form of blended collectively. I’ve by no means finished medication, however I really feel like that was the closest.

How did you pull it off? Quantity tech, lots of people wish to use it, and it is costly. Additionally, it is best to clarify that one of many advantages of the Quantity tech is which you can set the sunshine precisely the way you need it.

ULLOM: We bought so fortunate that Florida State, unexpectedly, simply constructed one proper on the time we have been making an attempt to make this factor and wanted somebody to assist determine it out slightly bit. One of the best half is you are able to do blue hour for, like, a full day. There are full scenes which can be in blue hour. It is superior. We simply bought actually fortunate that they allow us to use that.

You must clarify what blue hour is.

ULLOM: The blue hour is the a part of the day that is actually fairly when the solar is setting, and it makes the lighting very nice, particularly when you do not have quite a lot of lighting assets. It’s similar to free, good cinematography.

JACKSON: Shoutout to the crew and all of the gaffers. Shoutout to Chris Violet. Manufacturing was an extended course of. He was capable of completely match each time we went again. He was superb.

ULLOM: He taught himself Python to program the lights that may cross by the automotive. Thanks, Chris.

Alex Ullom Whittled ‘It Ends’ From a “Three-Hour Hangout Model”

“The Lord of the Rings Prolonged Version goes to be insane.”

I am at all times interested in enhancing as a result of it is the place all of it comes collectively. How did this movie finally get formed within the enhancing room in methods you did not count on?

ULLOM: So I mentioned that I had by no means screened in entrance of an viewers in a theater, which I hadn’t, however I did display to numerous associates and acquaintances in basically early cuts, and being like, “Oh, this sucks. Okay, this isn’t working.” Then simply chopping it down, fixing the pacing. I edited it as a result of I needed to. I simply bought to develop up and, fortunately, form it over two years. I bought to edit over two years.

TOTH: What number of occasions did you watch it?

ULLOM: Dude, I do not know. Sufficient occasions that, like, in case you’ve seen sufficient faces in battle or flight, there’s some form of psychological impact on you.

I’d say he watched it 1,000 occasions.

ULLOM: Yeah, that is an excellent quantity.

Realistically, in case you’re enhancing for that lengthy, lots of people that I’ve spoken to about enhancing say they see the identical scene so many occasions that it turns into meaningless, they usually need to produce other folks watch it to know what the fuck is even working right here.

ULLOM: Shoutout to all my associates who watched, like, a three-hour reduce. I am so sorry. Thanks.

Now that you simply introduced up an meeting that was three hours. Was there quite a lot of stuff that was finally reduce out? Was all of it conversational stuff?

ULLOM: There’s a three-hour hangout model of this film.

JACKSON: The director’s reduce goes to go insane.

?: The Lord of the Rings Prolonged Version goes to be insane.

ULLOM: There’s a scene the place they only talked concerning the Russian brick video for, like, three minutes.

JACKSON: Are you aware the Russian brick video?

I feel I do.

ULLOM: They’d simply speak about it and speak about how they noticed that video once they have been all 13, and like, “Rattling, we shouldn’t have seen that. We shouldn’t have been on the web.”

TOTH: And what it does to this technology. That is part of rising up is you see one thing fucked up on the web.

00;21;50;02 – 00;21;50;18

Speaker 2

It is.

00;21;50;18 – 00;21;51;08

Speaker 4

Your total.

00;21;51;09 – 00;21;55;05

Speaker 5

All people can bear in mind the conflict and chemistry modifications. Your perspective is like, what was yours?

00;21;55;05 – 00;21;55;14

Speaker 4

It is a huge.

00;21;55;14 – 00;22;08;27

Speaker 2

Factor. Yeah, nicely I used to be I am older. So I’ll say it was I used to be going to make a joke. It is a journal of some type. Okay. You recognize, after I was a child, there was no, the web was not what you guys are experiencing. Gotcha. I am going to say it like that. Yeah, it was print media. Yeah. You recognize, these items that printed.

00;22;09;00 – 00;22;13;24

Speaker 2

They killed the bushes. Yeah. To print issues. Yeah, they killed the entire thing.

00;22;13;26 – 00;22;15;26

Speaker 3

You recognize? So is that like a PDF?

00;22;15;28 – 00;22;20;12

Speaker 2

Sure. Okay. It is like, it is like a, it is like a real model of the PDF.

00;22;20;13 – 00;22;21;17

Speaker 3

Received it, bought it, bought it. You recognize.

00;22;21;17 – 00;22;29;10

Speaker 2

Wow. Yeah. That is loopy I do know man, I may I may preserve going with the horror tales of my childhood. You would be alarmed right here for utilizing paper.

00;22;29;10 – 00;22;31;01

Speaker 1

That is what the film’s about. That is what the film’s I.

00;22;31;01 – 00;22;33;23

Speaker 2

I nonetheless I nonetheless use paper, although, you recognize, that tells you.

00;22;33;23 – 00;22;38;15

Speaker 3

Have a look at that on the desk. It is like, what’s like, yeah. What’s it that is a pill protruding.

00;22;38;16 – 00;22;40;14

Speaker 2

Yeah. I do not even use the expertise beneath it.

00;22;40;14 – 00;22;44;15

Speaker 1

It is paper for all generations. Nicely,

00;22;44;18 – 00;23;01;25

Speaker 2

Hey, pay attention, I, I trustworthy to God, I actually would have cherished to speak spoilers and get into among the specifics of this movie. I’ll simply say that I am actually impressed with what you guys pulled off, and I actually suggest it. And I am so completely satisfied you guys bought to premiere at South By and, mutual. You recognize what I imply?

00;23;01;25 – 00;23;08;08

Speaker 2

And I want you all nothing however the very best. Thanks. And in case you loved this interview, please proceed watching different interviews on Collider.

00;23;08;12 – 00;23;09;10

Speaker 3

Shout out folks I do not.

00;23;09;10 – 00;23;10;03

Speaker 1

Know no matter over is.

00;23;10;08 – 00;23;11;12

Speaker 2

Oh, you may shout out.

00;23;11;14 – 00;23;12;00

Speaker 1

Colliders.

00;23;12;02 – 00;23;12;29

Speaker 3

Shout out acclaimed.

00;23;13;02 – 00;23;15;11

Speaker 1

South by.

00;23;15;13 – 00;23;17;01

Speaker 3

caramel Macchiatos.

00;23;17;04 – 00;23;18;06

Speaker 2

I used to be going to say, oh.

00;23;18;06 – 00;23;19;24

Speaker 3

Yeah, guys, there is a man.

00;23;19;24 – 00;23;21;06

Speaker 1

Who posted a Russian brick video.

00;23;21;06 – 00;23;24;03

Speaker 3

When my mother.

00;23;24;06 – 00;23;24;24

Speaker 2

the humidity of.

00;23;24;24 – 00;23;25;20

Speaker 1

Florida paper.

00;23;25;26 – 00;23;26;25

Speaker 3

Which I simply came upon about.

00;23;26;27 – 00;23;27;15

Speaker 1

Filmmaking.

00;23;27;15 – 00;23;29;29

Speaker 4

Love FSU. thanks.

00;23;30;01 – 00;23;31;13

Speaker 1

Carriker so, and Barnes.

00;23;31;17 – 00;23;35;19

Speaker 3

Which is actual sweat and the film that was actual sweat that wasn’t that wasn’t a sprig bottle.

00;23;35;23 – 00;23;37;07

Speaker 1

Yeah. See. Oh.

00;23;37;10 – 00;23;38;06

Speaker 6

I wish to see me sweat on.

00;23;38;12 – 00;23;38;23

Speaker 1

The.

00;23;38;25 – 00;23;39;06

Speaker 3

Spice.

00;23;39;06 – 00;23;41;17

Speaker 1

Ladies. I like the spice Spice Ladies, the.

00;23;41;20 – 00;23;42;20

Speaker 3

Spice Ladies are nice.

00;23;42;23 – 00;23;45;27

Speaker 4

By no means thoughts shout out them.

00;23;46;00 – 00;23;47;25

Speaker 1

Cool. So now we’re similar to.

00;23;47;27 – 00;23;49;22

Speaker 2

No, I do not assume music’s not a spoiler.

00;23;49;25 – 00;23;51;17

Speaker 4

Oh, let’s shout out Viva!

00;23;51;19 – 00;23;53;17

Speaker 1

It isn’t a film. I do not understand how I do know.

00;23;53;20 – 00;23;59;28

Speaker 3

It isn’t a that was reduce, reduce, that was reduce. You bought to chop us off as a result of we’re simply going to maintain going. Are you going to burn via all of your time? I feel.

00;23;59;28 – 00;24;01;12

Speaker 4

Our, our playlist.

00;24;01;13 – 00;24;03;10

Speaker 1

For all of the.

00;24;03;12 – 00;24;07;15

Speaker 4

Years we have been within the automotive folks of you to time and again.

It Ends

Launch Date

March 7, 2025

Runtime

87 minutes

Director

Alexander Ullom

Writers

Alexander Ullom