The post-apocalyptic The Asylum zombie film “End Times” premieres today

Although the producers and distributors The Asylum are known for their cheap straight-to-video Hollywood rip-offs, now and then they surprise us all with an original release with a higher quality than one could expect from them. And post-apocalyptic horror End Times (2023) is one of those titles.

The movie follows a pair of mismatched travelers, Claire and Freddie, as they try to escape a deadly pandemic that has turned Los Angeles into a zombie-infested wasteland. Claire is a privileged young suburbanite ill-equipped to survive in this hostile new landscape until she meets Freddie, a retired soldier who lost his daughter to the virus. As they travel together to reach the perimeter, Freddie teaches Claire the skills that will enable Claire to survive, and the uneasy partnership between the two grows into something more akin to a father/daughter relationship. Before they can reach safety, the two will have to escape brutal gangs, cannibals, cults, and the undead.

Jim Towns, a genre filmmaker with over twenty years of experience in indie films including Prometheus Triumphant (2006), Stiff (2010), Manhaters! (2012), House of Bad (2013), and the segment “Arbor Day” in Grindsploitation (2016), is the writer, producer, and director of End Times (2023).

Jamie Bernadette, one of the most exciting new faces in the horror genre having starred in The Bunnyman Massacre (2014), All Girls Weekend (2016), Face of Evil (2016), The 6th Friend (2016), Killing Joan (2018), I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu (2019), The Bone Box (2020), Dead by Dawn (2020), Axeman at Cutters Creek (2020), and Ash and Bone (2022), Craig Stark, who has scored supporting roles in the most recent Quentin Tarantino films Django Unchained (2012), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and also present in 2001 Maniacs (2005), Honey Boy (2019), Licorice Pizza (2021), and Alice (2022), and Dominique Swain, forever attached to her breacking-through role of Lolita (1997) and also starring in Face/Off (1997), Dead in the Water (2002), Alpha Dog (2006), Dead Mary (2007), The Girl from the Naked Eye (2012), The Black Room (2017), and Minutes to Midnight (2018), star in End Times (2023).

Jessica Morris, Kaiwi Lyman, Dan Buran, Sadie Katz, Stefanie Estes, Maria Olsen, and Avi Bernard complete the main cast.

The protagonist Jamie Bernadette, who is also a producer on the film, says, “We have a heartfelt horror here that has not only scared those who have previewed the film but has also left them in tears at the end. Perhaps the toughest acting I have ever done is in the last 20 or so minutes of this film—yes, maybe even tougher than I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu (2019) if you can believe that haha. It tried me as an artist, pushed me as an actor, and tested me as a person. I owe a big thank you to actor Craig Stark for being an incredible scene partner throughout this film and to writer and director Jim Towns for his brilliant vision and guidance”.

Jim Towns says, “I’m excited that after a lot of hard work, End Times (2023) is being unleashed on the world. This film was a battle to make from start to finish, but I’m so very proud of it and of everyone who came together to make it. I think it tells a universal story about the bonds between people that get us through tragedy and disaster, and finally bring us to a place of hope. My thanks to my producing partner Jamie Bernadette, our stars Jamie and Craig Stark, Dominique Swain, Kaiwi Lyman, and Sadie Katz, and to the Asylum for their trust in the film”.

End Times (2023) is opening in selected theaters from July 14, 2023, and is also available on digital platforms on that date. Watch its official trailer here.