John Dies at the End

Name: John Dies at the End
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Comedy
Released: January 25, 2013
Duration: 99 min
Rating: 53
Cast: Chase Williamson, Clancy Brown, Paul Giamatti, Rob Mayes

2013

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Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 75 Ratings

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6.7

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6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 75 Ratings

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John Dies At The End

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Movie Details & Credits

Magnet Releasing | Release Date: January 25, 2013 | R

Starring: Chase Williamson, Clancy Brown, Paul Giamatti, Rob Mayes

Summary: We're talking about a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair ofWe're talking about a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can't. Based on the novel by author David Wong, John Dies at the End was adapted and directed by horror auteur Don Coscarelli. [Magnet]… Expand

Director: Don Coscarelli

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 99 min

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Critic Reviews

Scott Wold

Apr 3, 2018

Cult favorite director Don Coscarelli knows which way to twist the knobs and navigate through the static of mindfuckery that follows. Read full review

Dana Stevens

Jan 24, 2013

A gleefully crummy buddy comedy that uses horror-movie conventions as catapults to hurl the audience down one "whoa, dude!" narrative wormhole after another. Read full review

Joe Williams

Feb 7, 2013

Some of the themes and the hallucinatory special effects are reminiscent of Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch,” and there are cheeky allusions to “Dawn of the Dead” and even “Eyes Wide Shut,” but a viewer with an open mind might say that this midnight-style movie is more enjoyable than any of them. Read full review

Empire James White

Mar 18, 2013

Gonzo freakiness in such doses that cult status is practically ensured. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Jan 24, 2013

Once the colorful anecdotes sprawl out into an actual narrative, the film gets convoluted and loud, amplifying the weirdness without doing much to clarify it. Read full review

John DeFore

Jan 9, 2013

A supernatural action comedy that can never live up to its exciting opening scenes, Don Coscarelli's John Dies at the End mixes horror-tinged mayhem with smart-alec laughs but loses momentum early and gets bogged down in exposition. Read full review

Nick Pinkerton

Jan 22, 2013

John Dies at the End is a product of a parallel universe where slacker flippancy never got old-and, oh, it is terrible. Read full review

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User Reviews

dm_punks

Mar 25, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A cautionary tale of the real secret of the universe, the title is not really a spoiler but more of a "side effect" of the film's supernatural narcotic called Soy Sauce, giving us a glimpse into a weird, exciting, and horrifying Earth where all that stands against ultimate destruction is David Wong and his friend John.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Siperfire

Jan 27, 2013

I personally enjoyed the movie, being a person who's never read the book. It's more intelligent than it makes itself out to be, it gets you thinking a bit, there are some enjoyable twists, and overall it's a cool movie. I would recommend it to a friend.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

RobertBrogan

Oct 3, 2015

John Dies at the End is one of those delightfully weird movies. Yes, it lacks here and there in various aspects (e.g. plot) but none of that detracts from the fun. While I found it to be a notch below classics such as Repo Man, still it is undeniably a good time.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

kris2fur

Jan 25, 2013

A quirky and unusual comedy/horror it's not anything special except it's really different. It should hit cult icon status. Oh BTW I never read the books. I did hear there were issues between the movie leaving a lot out. If your in the mood for something different and a comedy then this isA quirky and unusual comedy/horror it's not anything special except it's really different. It should hit cult icon status. Oh BTW I never read the books. I did hear there were issues between the movie leaving a lot out. If your in the mood for something different and a comedy then this is for you. The spiders bit cracked me up.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

TheQuietGamer

Oct 30, 2017

It gets points for originality, craziness, and pretty funny moments. It loses points for not making a lick of sense. This isn't some movie that's actually pretty deep once you look past all of the absurdity and immaturity. All of it's philosophical remarks feel like someone throwing a bunchIt gets points for originality, craziness, and pretty funny moments. It loses points for not making a lick of sense. This isn't some movie that's actually pretty deep once you look past all of the absurdity and immaturity. All of it's philosophical remarks feel like someone throwing a bunch of hipster crap together and hoping some of it sticks with some sense of cohesion. It doesn't really succeed. By the time this mess stops meandering about while rambling on about nothing and finds some semblance of a plot things get a bit better. Of course you've also lost all hope of understanding what's going on. It's also pretty much over. At least there's some crazy weird crap to keep you entertained.

It hooks you with it's nonsensicality and desire to throw as much crazy crap onscreen at you as possible. Gore, drug trips, hallucinations, maybe a little magic, and a stupid sense of humor all come together to create something strangely enticing despite all of the narrative flaws and cheap looking special effects. There aren't really any characters here outside of Dave. Everyone else is just kind of there to die violently or move the plot forward in incredibly weird ways. The non-stop feeling of "what the heck am I watching?" is what will keep you going. It's actually a pretty entertaining ride.

An unconventional experience to say the least. One that's enjoyable just because there isn't anything else like it out there. Yet, it can't entirely use it's quirkiness to escape the fact that pretty much everything feels slapped together in ways that just don't quite work that well. The movie is a mess. A creative mess, but a mess nonetheless. Perhaps with a better structure and actual fleshing out of the material, we could end up with something great for a sequel. Too much just goes under-explained. Darn, if it isn't fun though. It's definitely one you need an open mind for. Just be warned that if you try to dive into it's mysteries, you might just end up coming back up disappointed. This pool isn't as deep as it first looks, and there are some leaks.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

DirigiblePulp

Dec 7, 2016

It's all over the place. It has a dry deadpan delivery for dialogue and an over the top cartoony physical comedy for the real world plot stuff. It's a strange mix, one that does and doesn't work depending on the scene.

The climax is bad, bad, bad. But it's an interesting oddity, though notIt's all over the place. It has a dry deadpan delivery for dialogue and an over the top cartoony physical comedy for the real world plot stuff. It's a strange mix, one that does and doesn't work depending on the scene.

The climax is bad, bad, bad. But it's an interesting oddity, though not one on par with Coscarelli's more accomplished Bubba-Ho-Tep (never thought I'd be able to say that without a trace of irony)!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Kissellian

Apr 12, 2013

I went into this move with high hopes. I love quirky. I like horror comedy. I like non-standard narration. I like Paul Giamatti. The problem was that this never added up to anything. It was a series of gaping plot holes strung together for no apparent reason.

It did make me chuckleI went into this move with high hopes. I love quirky. I like horror comedy. I like non-standard narration. I like Paul Giamatti. The problem was that this never added up to anything. It was a series of gaping plot holes strung together for no apparent reason.

It did make me chuckle occasionally, but more in the I-can't-believe-something-so-absurd-is-happening way than something actually being funny.

Again, I have not read the books. I can only assume that this series of events had some sort of internal logic in them.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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