Along the journey of winding, never ending roads, amidst forests full of dangerous strangers and misleading signs, one can often find a fitting setting for a horror movie. Dealing with similar themes of paranoia and conflicted relationships, here are five films stuck on looping, everlasting roads.
Dead End (2003)
Dead End, written and directed by Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa, is an English-spoken French horror film. The film follows the Harrington family, who are driving to their in-laws on Christmas Eve. However, when father of the family Frank Harrington takes a shortcut for the first time in 20 years, the family find themselves on a mysterious road where they encounter dangerous strangers. The tense situation stirs up past relationship troubles, the sins of the individual family members, and their complicated feelings towards one another.
The film stars Ray Wise as Frank Harrington, the father of the family who drives the car, Lin Shaye as Laura Harrington, the mother of the family, Mick Cain as Richard Harrington, the younger annoying brother of the family, Alexandra Holden as Marion Harrington, a college student studying to be a therapist and Richard’s older sister, and Billy Asher as Brad Miller, Marion’s boyfriend. Amber Smith plays the Lady in White, a mysterious woman whom the family encounters on the road.
Dead End can be watched for free on Amazon Prime Video or the CW. It can also be rented from Apple TV, Google Play Movies, or Fandango at Home.
In Fear (2013)
In Fear, written and directed by Jeremy Lovering, is a British psychological horror film. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. On their way to a camping trip in the Irish countryside, newly dating couple Tom and Lucy book a night at the Kilairney House Hotel the night before after briefly visiting a pub. On their way to the hotel, they find themselves looping around to the same cabin over and over again, lost and unable to find their way out. They encounter oddities along the way, such as the car keys briefly going missing after they exit the car, clothes belonging to Lucy being strung about the road ahead of them, and a mysterious stranger named Max.
The film stars Iain De Caestecker as Tom and Alice Englert as Lucy. Allen Leech plays Max, a man Tom and Lucy run into along the road.
In Fear can be watched for free on Tubi, YouTube, Pluto TV, or Amazon Prime Video. It can also be rented from Apple TV, Google Play Movies, or Fandango at Home.
Black Cab (2024)
Black Cab, directed by Bruce Goodison and written by Virginia Gilbert, is a supernatural horror film. It premiered at Grimmfest on October 3rd, 2024. The film follows Anne and Patrick, who take a black cab home after a tense night out. When their driver turns onto a haunted road, they must grapple with the situation they find themselves trapped in.
The film stars Nick Frost as Ian, the ominously cheerful cab driver, Synnøve Karlsen as Anne, and Luke Norris as Patrick.
Black Cab can be streamed on AMC+, Amazon Prime Video, or YouTube. It can also be rented from Apple TV, Google Play Movies, or Fandango.
Drive Back (2024)
Drive Back, directed by Cody Ashford and written by Jon Sarro, is an action horror film. The film follows newly engaged couple Reid and Olivia, driving on their way home from their engagement party as they take a shortcut. Along their journey, they experience visions, memory loss, and the reveal of old scars not quite fully healed – such as the fact that Olivia cheated on Reid several years prior, which Reid still holds above her head. The two bicker over financial troubles, their relationship issues, and how to escape their situation, all fueled by the confusing nature of the road. Additionally, Reid grapples with a distinct memory of hunting with his father as a boy, where he was forced to stab a deer to death and skin it.
The film stars Zack Gold as Reid, a struggling comic artist, Whit Kunschik as Olivia, Reid’s pregnant fiancée, and Robert Lewis Stephenson as Duane, Reid’s father.
Drive Back can be watched for free on Tubi, Pluto TV, Fandango, or PLEX. It can also be rented from Apple TV, Google Play Movies, or YouTube.
It Ends (2025)
It Ends, written, directed, and edited by Alexander Ullom in his directorial debut, is a road horror thriller film. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 7th, 2025.
The film follows a group of friends meeting up post-graduation, with some of them seeing each other for the first time in a year. As they drive along the road discussing life and other random topics, they realize they’ve ended up on an endless road. If they stop for more than 90 seconds, a horde of people attempt to take their car, forcing them to drive continuously. They find themselves not growing tired or hungry, making the drive seemingly as limitless as the road they find themselves on.
While initially presented as a horror film, It Ends ultimately falls into being more of a character study, focusing on the stressfulness of oncoming adulthood from a Gen Z perspective, full of slang and memes that many may find funny. The characters are all at different stages of their lives and careers, allowing for different perspectives on how to deal with the road and the seemingly eternal time ahead of them. The endless road serves as a metaphor for life and how they each approach it, the regrets along the way, and the potential issues of not enjoying the moment.
The film stars Phinehas Yoon as James, the most logical of the group with a thought-out plan for his life, Akira Jackson as Day, a Graphic Design graduate searching for jobs, Noah Toth as Fisher, who initially struggles with panic attacks throughout their early journey after being scratched, and Mitchell Cole as Tyler, an HVAC worker who briefly enlisted in the military.
It Ends can be rented from Fandango at Home or Letterboxd Video Store.
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