Likely to be confused with the similarly titled novel-into-film horror comedy John Dies In the End (2012), this mockumentary from tandem filmmakers Ian Tripp and Ryan Schafer is a similarly extra-chocolate-bitter-dark-humored horror-gore item. It is shot almost entirely in "found-footage" fashion and shapes up as enthused but limited-appeal dare-you-to-look stuff.
As one character sagely points out, Everybody Dies By the End is the title of film-within-a-film here, and it gives away the whole thing.
Premise: Alfred Costella (Vinny Curran) is a volatile, uncompromising, no-filters filmmaker, not unlike Quentin Tarantino or Eli Roth in his demeanor and culty appeal, with a filmography of hyper-violent titles like "Battery Acid." After a profane, hostile TV interview, Costella's career has suffered, but he vows a roaring comeback with his tenth (and farewell) feature, entitled—sure enough—Everybody Dies By the End.
To shoot behind-the-scenes material, Costella hires a few eager applicants, and it is through their hapless lens we see most of the proceedings unfold, at the private movie "ranch" where Costella and his ultra-dedicated crew do their work. Costella delivers long (very long) rants full of tortured-artist self-pity, ego, and self-justification, how the extreme killing he portrays in cinema is "truth," and so on.
When the shooting finally starts, the crazed director abuses and torments his minuscule cast of actors. Alfred Costella is flat-out insane, with an equally deranged team of loyal production assistants. So how far will he go in completing his masterpiece? Warning: the title is a spoiler. There is a punchline ultimately, but not enough to sustain interest when one can see fairly clearly exactly where all this is going (movie fans may trace the mad-homicidal-director cliche back to 1932's The Lost Squadron if they want).
Filmmakers Tripp and Schafer are first-time filmmakers, and like many first-time filmmakers have made their film about the main thing they know: filmmaking. Which sometimes finds a built-in audience at festivals (Day For Night and Living in Oblivion being shining examples), but here on video is a twice-told joke, not improved by skillful blood f/x. Extra points for the actors who imbue their movie-crazed characterizations with energy; too bad these are not people one would want to know in real (or reel) life. Not recommended.