Haven’s End (2019) Review

Haven’s End (2019) Review

When major cities around the world burn in the aftermath of massive, coordinated terrorist attacks, Dr. Alison Olsen (Catherine Taber) and her friends escape Atlanta for the refuge of her family property deep in the heart of rural Georgia. What they find there is unnatural, violent, and anything but safe.

HAVEN’S END is the apocalypse but on a budget which may alienate some that prefer their ‘end-of-the-world shenanigans to have big bucks spent and splashed out onscreen. Aside from some minimal effects work director Chris Ethridge’s HAVEN’S END is a relatively low-key affair with its protagonists fighting amongst each other in the middle of nowhere as the world appears to be going tits up elsewhere.

As far as lower-budget movies go the acting is fine and the first third of the flick is crammed with an urgency and much shooting and shouting. As the story progresses the pace slows down and becomes more about the internal dynamics of the group before the last third takes a completely different turn as zombie-like unknowns invade their privacy. The latter third is deliberately ambiguous leaving it to the viewer to draw their own conclusions as to what is unfolding.

In researching HAVEN’S END online I came across a number of reviews for the film that were rather scathing. This is a shame as it’s definitely above par for lower-budget fare. Sure, it’s lacking in incident in the midsection and could prove too talkative for some but for those that don’t mind dipping into something that tries damn hard to offer up an alternative to the standard apocalyptic template then this is worth a look.

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