At the End of the Hall is a horror short written and directed by filmmaker Eric Albert Branstrom. The film was released to YouTube on June 12th, 2024. A link to the film will be provided at the end of this review. At the End of the Hall stars Sam Sage, Sophia Vitello, and Christian Herominski. 

At the End of the Hall tells the tale of George (Sage), a man desperately trying to hide a dreadful secret from the residents of his community.

Many readers may feel that last sentence was the vaguest, most watered-down of plot descriptions… and they would be right. It is a vague description of what the film is truly about, and deliberately so. You see, while At the End of the Hall might not be a film built around shocking twists and surprise developments, things do unravel at a slow pace, properly allowing the audience time to make their assumptions about George and his life. Simply put, At the End of the Hall, in my opinion, works better the less you know about it going in.

Naturally, this makes the task of reviewing the film a tad more difficult, having to balance discussing the film objectively while simultaneously trying not to give away too many details. That said, the images used for this review regretfully reveal more about the film than I would have preferred. Oh, well. Truth be told, as the film is only 21 minutes, it shouldn’t take you too long to figure out George’s secret.

One of the first things that viewers may notice about the film is the limited use of dialog, at least in the early stages. Instead, the film relies quite heavily on the use of audio cues, usually in the form of various noises around George’s house, as well as a score by Stalk the Owls, whom I readily admit to knowing nothing about. Thankfully, both are handled quite brilliantly, often propelling the film more than the dialog, adding its emotional weight and establishing the gradually escalating sense of tension.

Eventually, George’s secret faces exposure once a local priest begins to take an interest in his well-being. From here, At the End of the Hall morphs into something more of a full-on horror film, featuring at least one trope commonly associated with the genre. However, instead of ending with one big scare or a display of effects, At the End of the Hall climaxes with something more of a gut-punch, veering into much more dramatic territory that many may not have expected… and that some, unfortunately, may not appreciate.

While performances from the film’s limited cast are quite solid, Sage respectfully has to receive some additional consideration, especially considering just how much he is asked to convey through facial expressions and body language alone. Although the character remains something of an enigma throughout the majority of the film, he manages to exude a sense of desperation that feels more relevant and relatable as the layers of his situation are gradually peeled away.

If I have to give one point of somewhat negative criticism towards the film, it is with a visual choice by the filmmaker that somewhat confounds me. At the End of the Hall features some sort of filter that is meant to give the film a vintage, lo-fi effect, as if emulating what one would experience with dirt and dust on an old film print. While not something that I believe hurts the film nor consider particularly distracting, I do find the choice to be unnecessary. Again, this is a miniscule detail that I do not believe truly effects the film in any way.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by At the End of the Hall, finding the film to be a stellar piece of horror storytelling, albeit one that surely won’t appeal to all audiences. There’s much more focus on story and character than on scares and spooky atmosphere, and even a message to be found within, although there is sure to be a divide between viewers on whether that message is one of love, hope, and acceptance of that which we cannot change or one of selfishness and not knowing when you are just making the situation worse. Viewers looking for a horror tale with a little more heart should check this one out.

As promised, here is a link to watch At the End of the Hall on YouTube. Please be sure to share your thoughts on the film in the comments section below, and please consider subscribing to the site if you haven’t done so already! Thanks!

LINK: At the End of The Hall (2024) – Short Film