 An anxious shut-in moves into a haunted apartment, hiring a stranger to perform an exorcism which quickly takes a horrific turn. (IMDB) Warning – there are some minor spoilers in this review Ken Barber (Geno Walker) is trying to start afresh. He’s suffered a breakdown, a split from his wife and it sounds like alcohol was a contributing factor. His fresh start means moving into a new apartment as he tries to build a life for himself away from the issues that brought him down. Ken also suffers with anxiety and is a shut-in, rarely (if ever) leaving his apartment, locked into a daily routine where every day is planned out and meticulous. He communicates largely via web-chats with his ex-wife Kelsey (Kate Arrington) and his best mate Terry (Felonious Munk) and fills his spare time through taxidermy, as well as recording a number of different video-blogs as he tries to grow a following on social media. The latter isn’t going so well, until Terry notices a bird fall off a shelf behind Ken in a very unusual way, leading to the suggestion that Ken’s apartment might be haunted, and he starts to gain an online following for his videos. As more strange things start to happen, Ken tries to capture the ghost using a spirit jar he designed based on passages from a book by famous medium/spiritualist Colin Albertson (Lawrence Grimm) and some stuff he found on the internet. Now, regardless of how much of a sceptic you may be, using random symbols you found on the internet is never going to go well for you! The attempt to trap the spirit results in a few surprises and more weird things happening in Ken’s apartment. Ken’s videos catch the attention of spooky streamer Dark Corners (Daniel Kyri) who arranges a live stream of a second attempt to capture the spirit using a spirit jar personally made by Lawrence Grimm. Ken’s ex wife and her new partner Isaac (Michael Shannon clearly having a ball) along with Terry, Ken, Lawrence, Dark Corners and fellow streamer Lyden Knight (Theo Germaine) all join the livestream as they attempt to trap the spirit in Lawrence’s spirit jar. And that is when thing get REALLY messy. Night’s End is a film of two halves. The first part of the film concentrates on Ken’s fresh start and his attempts to order his life with routine. Ken is someone who counts down from 10 when he is stressed to keep himself calm, or when he is preparing for sleep. He doesn’t leave his flat and his kitchen cupboards are lacking in content, but extremely well ordered and tidy. His routine is what keeps him sane so, when the weird stuff starts to happen, we watch Ken slowly unravel, unsure if what he is experiencing is real or his imagination. After the bird falls from the shelf, we have a slow build up of noises, things moving and misty apparitions. As Ken learns more about the history behind his apartment the bumps in the night take on a more sinister turn and he goes back to drinking, his routine screwed. For someone who had a problem with drinking and who has previously had a breakdown, the weird shit in the apartment will make you question your sanity. His family and friends see him drinking again and they begin to question his reliability and the truth in what he is telling them, pushing Ken further to the brink. I enjoyed this part of the film. I liked the way it built up slowly; the more psychological elements of the story and how it affected Ken, taking away his control and grip on reality. It reminded me of Host (for obvious reasons) and the way that builds up the terror by not really knowing what is going on and whether things are real. However, once the live stream kicks in for the final act, the film, for me, goes in an almost completely different direction which didn’t quite work. It was almost too much of a shift and took me into Prince of Darkness territory. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s a classic movie and it feels like Night’s End took some inspiration from it, right down to the soundtrack in places. But the tone in that film is fairly constant throughout. Part of the problem was Lawrence’s character which was comedic, but in a way that was out of kilter with the rest of the film which had not been played for laughs. I guess it is a tone thing, the shift just didn’t quite feel natural from the set-up. Perhaps if I had read the tagline on the poster earlier, that might have given me a different expectation, but I went in blind and just felt the shift into the third act was a little jarring. It’s tricky to criticise a film for something like this because it is a very personal thing, and it may well not be an issue for anyone else. Both parts work well, are shot and acted well, and I had no major issue with them other than the way I didn’t feel they gelled together. I am not saying that this is a bad film at all, let’s make that clear. For me it is a 3/5-star film which could have reached for 4 stars if it wasn’t for that switch-up. Now, some people will love the change and the way things pan out, especially if they are not expecting it. I think Jennifer Reeder does a great job with the movie and the cast are great, it’s just that one thing that niggled me. Anyway, there are no ratings on IMDB yet, so it will be interesting to see how other reviewers see it. I suspect I will be in the minority! Remember, art is subjective! Night’s End is due for release on 31st March on Shudder and I would definitely recommend you checking it out, just be ready for a shift in tone that will either mildly annoy you or delight you
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