Lets do the time warp again...

The first thing I have to really applaud on this film is it's clearly an indie film that never feels cheap. The production budget was $1M according to google and even in 2017, that's not a lot to mess around with. This was really my first introduction to the team of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. They've done a number of projects together, including what I believe is a precursor to one narrative elements of the film called "Resolution" from 2012. It's set in the same space with some characters that make their way into The Endless which was a fun connection to learn after the fact. Being that this movie IS almost a decade old, I'll speak a little more candidly but I also feel like this film is far enough off the beaten path that it would very much still qualify as a hidden gem for a lot of folks simply because of it's obscurity. I also have to say, if I'm crediting the duo responsible for this film first and foremost, that I'm eager to see other stuff they've done in general. They were not only behind the camera for many elements of this film, they were also in front of it as the two main protagonists. I believe this was an effort to save on that limited budget but there's a piece of filmmaking I think that comes together in a holistic approach like that where you get a more comprehensive vision of the full story. In looking into the pair even more, it seems like many of their projects have them involved at multiple levels so that eagerness to explore their catalog only grows, hoping that other works by the duo are equally as impressive.

My favorite horror element of this movie is the tone. The film does a wonderful job of never letting you stray too far from a meandering eerie vibe present throughout the film. There are times where the weight of it is more prevalent and there are other times it's tucked away in elements you simply feel while connected to the events unfolding on the screen. I also really appreciate that the fearfulness takes on different forms and fashions. You feel on edge but you're not entirely sure why. Are the protagonists in jeopardy? Is danger lurking out there in the dark waiting to pounce in some form or fashion? Can new characters have a duplicitous nature we are meant to constantly question? There's so many questions and what I really liked was I felt like I was never really obligated to be answering them in real time. There were almost too many to really allow my mind to work in the background to try and "figure out" what was going on. By leaving the antagonist a significant measure of anonymity I felt like something could potentially happen at any time but there was so much noise that it forced me to just focus on whatever was happening on screen.

Additionally, I really liked that while they kept that tonality fresh throughout the film, there were plenty of scenes where it was merely driven by dialogue and acting. It's one of my favorite elements of a lot of indie films. When you don't have a budget for a lot of visual cues, if you have talent you will keep the audience engaged through writing and acting. That's what this film offered. I should note that it was not lacking in visual viability. The on screen presence of everything in every shot felt right. Whatever you were looking at was what was supposed to be on screen. Nothing was omitted simply because it was too expensive to produce and they didn't tip the scale the other way by relying too heavily on expensive visuals to make a scene feel important. There were several times I felt like the stylistic camera work and interaction with supporting cast reminded me a lot of how "Donnie Darko" continually built towards the crescendo visually through creative angles and techniques.

The last thing I'll say visually is that I enjoyed the use of a visual continuity. There were many times where an overhead shot was employed to really highlight a contrast between vantage points and the juxtaposition of some of the persistent visuals used in those overhead shots on both a large and small scale felt very unifying and intentional in how the audience was invited to participate in the imagery being utilized throughout the film. Circular imagery was very important to connect to narrative elements and that felt well applied. There were pieces of the visual puzzle you were given and then filled in later making callbacks a big part of reveal. All of that intermingling between the story and the seen came together very nicely in the end. I am a sucker for the distinct intentionality a directing team like these two apply to how they take a two dimensional story and bring it to life in that way. There's a significant payoff in my estimation on how, when done with skill, that really pays off for the viewer in the end.

Ok so again, I don't HAVE to say something bad about every movie but this whole vehicle feels dishonest to me if I'm just positive about every movie I ever watch. Which is a misnomer because I've already been significantly unkind to a number of the garbage films I've watched so far this year. But I will say that the one piece of this movie I took issue with was the wandering. I think this movie could have tightened up a fair bit and would have been a stronger all around presentation. If you trimmed 8-10 minutes off this movie, I think it would feel like a more straightforward production. It's not to imply that my vision is by some means more coherent than Benson and Moorhead. I think they did a fantastic job overall. But I do know that there were a handful of times where it felt like the film was just beginning to reach past a linger or a meander into the territory where your attention drifts. It wasn't often and it wasn't egregious but I don't think the final runtime needed to be quite what it was. Like I said, if you tightened this film up in a handful of places and trimmed a little fat all around, I think the overall presentations comes across a lot sturdier.

I have to imagine that this film is one that other modern horror filmmakers have seen and been impacted by. I could see elements of Ari Aster's "Midsommar" taking notes from this film. I could easily see traces of Jordan Peele's "Nope" in this film. Seeing as how both of those came AFTER The Endless, I have to imagine that as indie of a film as this is, those directors would have been easily drawn to this one. So I quite liked what appeared as at least the presence of connection to much larger projects that have seen success in the modern era of horror. And it was really nice to see that deftness of hand when it comes to really accessing the tension of the film. Because that feels like a much stronger piece than standard horror beats. There's a very real presence of an eerie tone and there's an ominous nature to the world directly around our brothers. Couple all of that with a deeper nature discussing the relationship between family of both the real and implied closeness that is achievable between brothers both in and outside of peril is a very interesting case study in relational boundaries. The role that control plays in all our relationships. How its a help and a hindrance. The ways it guides and poisons relationships. These are all deeply ingrained in the narrative and explored in a very satisfying way.

In the end I feel like this movie is another A movie for me. I was tempted to downgrade to A- because of some of the pacing but in the same way that Insidious frustrated me minimally at times, it never felt so lopsided that I really needed to take something away from this movie. I'm currently searching to find a good price on an Arrow UK release of this one as well. With all the thought provoking that the story and structure lend itself to, I feel like this film is not one that simply needs to be added to the catalog, I need one with a mountain of extras from Benson and Moorhead. I need commentaries and featurettes expounding on choices they made and what different levels of imagery were intended to accomplish. I have my own thoughts but the intrigue they executed is palpable and needs to be further unpacked if possible. I'll gladly recommend this one as well with the caveat that this is far from much of the standard Halloween fare. There's not a killer on the loose or a ghost causing jump scare chaos. There's no creature lurking in the woods or a monster hiding in the closet. This one is a thinker. Not quite the "Tenet" of horror flicks but the low budget indie version, quite possibly. So bear that in mind before you fire it up on Prime Video. But if you like your horror with a little eerie elevation and stylistic mystery, check this one out for sure. That wraps up day 11 so we are over a third of the way done. I think I'll be back in the driver's seat tomorrow. I'd like to continue this run of really good horror flicks so maybe it's time I broke down and did Obsession. Who knows. You'll simply have to come back and see what happens then. In the meantime, I'll catch you on the flip side.