The End of Oak Street Film Review

 2026

 Directed by David Robert Michell

by robotGEEK

After seeing this film yesterday in the theater, I felt it was important enough for me to come back here and take the time to tell you how I felt because I'm worried people won't give this a chance because of it's wild premise, but I'm here to tell you, it's so good and a pretty great theater experience. 

The End of Oak Street is a genre-bending (but mostly horror), yet legitimately frightening tale about a very Spielberg-like idyllic early 80's suburban life that is thrown into chaos when their neighborhood is suddenly terrorized by dinosaurs. As they fight to survive and try to make sense of what's happening, they also realize that their neighborhood is entirely cut off from the rest of the world, and they are stuck, unable to leave.

What I love most about this is how we are along for the ride and trying to understand what's happening right along with this family amidst the chaos. No information is given to us. While this film navigates several different genre's, I would definitely say that it's a good 90% horror and had me on the edge of my seat. It's much darker than you expect, contains some genuinely frightening jump-scares, and carries plenty of dramatic weight to keep you invested. 

Everything is top-notch here. The tone, as wild and crazy as it sounds, works. The production and costume design is impeccable, the performances are strong, and the direction is clearly inspired by early 80's Amblin Entertainment. If I were to try and summarize the tone, I would say it feels like Stranger Things mixed with a very twisted episode of The Twilight Zone. I loved it, but I know it won't be everyones cup of tea. From the writer/director of It Follows (2014).

At the end of the day, seeing this at home will not be the same experience. It's a true theatrical experience, so I hope I've convinced you to give it a chance before it suddenly disappears, like so many other new films that don't seem to take off after their first week of release. 

~ robotGEEK