Alexander Ullom, a 28-year-old filmmaker, has released his debut feature "It Ends" in cinemas, prompting Variety to profile him as a rising horror director. The road-set thriller follows four young friends whose night drive takes a nightmarish turn when they are attacked and find themselves trapped in a seemingly endless, otherworldly journey. Its release is notable because the film nearly went straight to YouTube after failing to secure a distributor despite acclaim at its SXSW premiere.

The $80,000 production was rescued after filmmaker Nicolas Curcio's online praise caught the attention of Letterboxd's CEO, who featured it in the platform's new Video Store for undistributed films; this in turn drew interest from distributor Neon, which acquired the film and also signed on for Ullom's next project, "4 x 4: The Event". To promote "It Ends", Neon is running a 36-hour "Endless Screening" marathon at a New York cinema, with four-person teams competing to be the last standing for cash prizes of up to $540 per person, plus bonuses and concessions credit.