A resurgence in horror films has revealed a notable shift in the genre’s portrayal of fear, with a particular emphasis on themes of stagnation and entrapment that resonate with the experiences of younger generations. Several recent films reflect a collective anxiety about the uncertainty and monotony many young adults face today.

In Alexander Ullom’s “It Ends,” four recent college graduates find themselves trapped on an endless road, unable to escape a monotonous and unchanging landscape. The film uses the familiar horror setup of isolation and pursuit to explore deeper existential unease. While initially the characters panic over their bizarre predicament, the narrative soon delves into the psychological toll of endless, repetitive motion without progress. The characters’ responses reveal a generation grappling with the daunting transition to adulthood amid a backdrop of crisis, including the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and rapid technological advances like artificial intelligence. The film hints at a sense of generational malaise, with one character’s meticulously planned future unraveling and another’s recent suicide attempt underscoring the mounting pressures young people face.

The COVID-19 lockdown experience informs the thematic concerns of other horror stories as well. Netflix’s “The Last House” portrays a family confined for years within their home, a setting initially offering safety but gradually becoming a source of claustrophobia and despair. The film examines the psychological effects of isolation and the struggle to maintain sanity amid prolonged confinement, echoing broader pandemic-related fears.

Another notable example is “Backrooms,” which has garnered significant attention as a cultural touchstone for Generation Z. This film centers on Clark, a middle-aged man stuck in a failing marriage and business, who discovers a surreal, labyrinth-like space hidden behind his furniture store’s walls. There, he confronts a monstrous, otherworldly version of himself that embodies his life’s stagnation. The narrative’s endless, unvarying corridors symbolize the inescapable nature of personal and existential inertia.

While many of these films end with characters succumbing to their circumstances or facing indefinite entrapment, “It Ends” offers a slightly more hopeful perspective. Its conclusion finds the last passenger reaching the literal end of the road, confronting a bleak void and abandoned vehicles. Yet, instead of collapsing into despair, he chooses to return down the road, inviting another stranded traveler to join him. This act of endurance and shared movement suggests that persistence, even in the face of uncertainty and stagnation, can foster a renewal of hope.

Together, these films articulate a potent metaphor for the psychological state of a generation marked by uncertainty and constrained mobility—both literal and figurative—highlighting how contemporary horror has evolved to capture the pervasive dread of feeling trapped in a rapidly changing yet persistently challenging world.