Yesterday I posted about the independent movie Resolution. It’s actually part of a set, the other half of which is titled The Endless. In The Endless the director and cinematographer, and co-directors of both films, interject themselves into the story. While some suggest it’s only a partial sequel, to me it felt like a part of the same tale, giving, as it were, resolution to both movies. Philosophical horror is something I always associate with Thomas Ligotti, but Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have given it a double punch with these two films. So a pair of brothers (Justin and Aaron) go back to visit a “UFO cult” in which they were raised. This immediately puts you on edge because Aaron doesn’t seem convinced that it was such a bad life, compared to that which they’ve been able to find on their own after leaving.
There’s definitely something very weird going on at Camp Arcadia, though. Justin had convinced Aaron that it was a suicide cult (think Heaven’s Gate), but it turns out that everyone’s still alive, and apparently thriving. Their means of livelihood was threatened when Justin went public that they were a cult, but they’re nevertheless glad to see their ex-members. Once they get integrated into the camp, characters from Resolution begin appearing. Both movies feature the same monster and the same means of delivering messages via media—often outdated. The brothers come to understand that they are being trapped in a time loop and—spoiler here—that the cult members are in a sense dead since they live the same loop over and over.
In addition to being philosophical horror, The Endless contains substantial theological sophistication as well. Discussions about God, and church, and belief systems run through the movie. Thinking deeply can lead to horror scenarios such as this. People tend to feel trapped when caught in nothing but repetition. We’re curious and we seek a variety of experiences and new stimuli. Eastern religions recognize the problem as well and offer ways to break out of the cycle of reincarnation (samsara). The idea of using such things to suggest that this kind of repetition is a monster—when Justin sees it he’s convinced it’s a monster—is rich fodder for a thoughtful horror film. At the end, it seems that “UFO cult” is an unfair characterization for the commune at Camp Arcadia, but, with enough determination, it’s just perhaps possible to break out of the cycle. This one’s worth pondering.
