It was quite a journey finding a film as impactful as Southbound (2015). Classics like The Ring (2002), Scream (1996), and Saw (2004) called to me from a young age, but it was the hidden gems that truly did it for me. One day, I struck gold.
Southbound, What is It
Southbound is an anthology film composed of multiple connected episodes. As opposed to more loosely connected anthologies like All Hallows Eve (2013), or early entries in the V/H/S franchise, its connective tissue runs much deeper. Instead of relying on a clunky frame narrative or a viewer watching cassette tapes in a basement, the stories blend seamlessly into one another. It quietly crafts one of the most compelling depictions of purgatory ever put on screen.
Southbound is broken into the following five episodes:
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The Way Out – Radio Silence
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Siren – Roxanne Benjamin & Susan Burke
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The Accident – David Bruckner
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Jailbreak – Patrick Horvath & Dallas Hallam
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The Way In – Radio Silence
Set along a dusty, sun-bleached stretch of desert highway, the atmosphere feels oppressive from the first frame. Overhead, floating skeletal reapers stalk travelers, while an eerie, charismatic radio DJ guides sinners running down a road with no exit.
Where to Watch
Southbound, Questionably Underrated
When Southbound debuted in 2015, it flew under the radar. It holds a modest 5.9/10 on IMDb, yet sits at an impressive 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. This divide stems from how the film delivers its horror. It resists easy answers, choosing surreal dread over cheap jump scares.
The genius of Southbound lies in its subtlety. The film avoids force-feeding explanations or over-explaining its mythology, opting instead for subtle visual cues, background details, and thematic rhymes that reward repeat viewings. By collaborating closely from the start rather than working in isolated bubbles, the creative team built a cohesive pocket dimension where the rules of reality are constantly rewritten.
Southbound’s Ending & Purgatory Lore Explained
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
The film shines a new light on purgatory horror, creating a barren “South” where characters are trapped in a never-ending loop, hounded at every turn by their pasts. This isn’t just a physical location; it is an active, moral processing center for damned souls. The film pulls the audience into its eerie, gritty atmosphere, placing them right in hell alongside the characters.
Every segment bleeds directly into the next, operating on nightmarish dream logic. Characters cross paths and interact across timelines in ways that reinforce the inescapable trap:
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Illusion & Manifestations: The desolate town functions like a tailored psychological trap. Many residents are not real people—they are punishment constructs, ghostly apparitions, or demonic enforcers designed to torment trapped souls.
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Sin & Consequences: In the opening segment, two blood-soaked men flee an unknown terror, only to find themselves running in circles. Later, a home invasion targets a man who killed a young girl, but his vengeful killers become trapped in the cycle as well, proving that vengeance yields no salvation in the desert.
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Atonement Is the Only Way Out: In David Bruckner’s standout segment “The Accident”, a man named Lucas accidentally hits a woman with his car. Guided by a bizarre 911 dispatcher, he takes her to a deserted hospital and performs frantic emergency surgery. Instead of fleeing, he genuinely tries to save her life. Because he chooses remorse and accountability over self-preservation, he earns the rare ability to escape the loop and return home.
As the radio DJ proclaims at the opening: “Regret and Remorse. Amends and Atonement.”
An Underrated Gem
Although the film hasn’t gained the massive cult following it deserves, Southbound has influenced almost everything I write. From short stories to failed novels to poems, it remains the benchmark for my plots. It demonstrates how horror can be intellectually rich, emotionally resonant, and visually striking without sacrificing core genre thrills.
Some film reviews talk about horror movies that grab you by the throat and never let go; Southbound actually does it. If you watch it, understand it, and realize its beauty, it will stay with you long after the credits roll.
I urge you wholeheartedly to give this movie a go. And if you’ve already seen it and thought it was average, watch it again through the lens of its purgatory mythology. There’s never been an anthology film quite as unique and inspiring as Southbound.
Southbound (2015) - The Purgatory Gem That You Missed - Malevolentdark
Director: Brad Miska
Date Created: 1970-01-01 00:33
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