‘End of the Line’ Blu-Ray Review: An Underrated And Terrifying Subterranean Horror
Blood Babes, Gorehounds, everything else that goes bump in the night… It’s happened. After pleading to the primordial lords of physical media, my prayers have been answered. Thanks to the fantastic fiends over at Terror Vision, Maurice Devereaux’s End of the Line has FINALLY gotten a Blu-Ray release!
In the film, “Karen boards a late-night train and fights with several other passengers to survive a murderous night after becoming trapped in a tunnel.”
End Of The Line definitely feels more thoughtful than one would expect from the premise. The whole idea of being stuck in a subway tunnel with a bunch of knife-wielding zealots is enough for a feature on its own. The film decides to go further, however, introducing ideas of a biblical apocalypse, nightmarishly-distorted demons, and assisted delusion to the mix to bring it up to a whole other level. It’s not arthouse, but there’s enough there to chew on once the movie’s done.
Also, the gore is glorious! I’ve mentioned this before, but sounding like a broken record is a skill of mine—I love how the blood is Kool-Aid red! Against the dimly-let bluish setting, the stark color contrast is so visually appealing. Sure, it’s not necessarily realistic, but when has that ever stopped a movie from being great? The ways blood is dispensed are also a lot of fun — stabbings, hackings, lip bitings, demon-body emerging, baby-out-of-a-pregnant-stomach cutting… I’m aware that I called an impromptu C-section “fun”… no, I’m not walking it back. When it comes to death, this film has no problem going all the way, so neither will I.
I’ve mentioned the demons a few times… I should probably elaborate on that. Yes, there’s a creature feature element in the form of slimy-skinned, glowing-eyed hellish beings that I’m sure are inspired by the titular dwellers of C.H.U.D. Though if you ask me, they look a whole lot creepier and menacing than their 80s counterparts. While they’re not explicitly on screen for more than a few scenes, they still feel like an ever-present threat to our heroes due to Devereaux’s crew thickening the atmosphere with equal parts eschatological fear and clerical dread.
Did I mention that the demons are all done practically? The special effects look fantastic, making the demons appropriately spooky while also being fun to gaze upon. Seriously, if a remake of C.H.U.D. ever does get off the ground, they should get this crew on board. They know what they’re doing!
This feature deserved a new release, and the fact that it now has one gives me hope for future releases of other films that are unjustly left to the wayside. Like… you know… Carnosaur. What god do I have to sacrifice to for THAT Blu-Ray? Which friend? They won’t mind, it’ll be worth it.
Pick up Terror Vision’s release of End of the Line right here!
Until next time…
Ciao, friends!
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