Yes, we know Arnold Schwarzenegger. We know him from his breakthrough role Conan the Barbarian. We remember him as one of the greatest action movies stars of all time, alongside Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, and Chuck Norris. With bulging muscles, an exceptionally overwhelming presence, and a whole lot of heart, he manages to capture audiences as heroes, villains, kindergarten cops, and even ruthless robots. What we don’t know about him, however, is that he doesn’t only do action movies. In case you don’t remember, the Austrian Oak also leaves his mark in the horror genre! Just take a look at the ‘End Of Days’ cast and you will know what I mean.
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‘End Of Days’ Summary: A Solid Horror – Action Fusion
While the earliest horror short films were directed by Georges Méliès in the 1890s, the 1990s saw a huge cultural shift, affecting the genre as a whole. During this period, grunge replaced “big hair metal”, lighthearted and fun rap music replaced by street poets and gangsters. As cable television and the internet brought us together, serial killers, riots, and religion caught the whole world’s attention. With all that going on, ‘End Of Day’ – Peter Hyams’ action-horror project – premiered in 1999, fully embracing the spirit of the time period in which it was born.
The movie begins with a comet arching across the moon. This, as seen in Catholic legend, signals the birth of the girl who will bear Satan’s child. Her safety is entrusted to a priest, while a group of Vatican knights believes they should kill the child. Eventually, Christine York is born in NYC. A group of Satanists, including her doctor Abel (Udo Kier), undertake a ritual to mark her as the chosen one.
20 years later, Satan possesses a banker (Gabriel Byrne) while he was having dinner at a local restaurant. Jericho Cane (Schwarzenegger), a former investigator, now works as a private security officer, gets on a new mission with his buddy, Bobby Chicago (Kevin Pollak). The one they have to escort is Satan in the form of the banker, but both are completely unaware of this. A priest tried to assault the banker, but Jericho caught him in the act.
Turns out, the priest named Thomas Aquinas has cut out his tongue, despite having spoken to Jericho just before he is killed. This revelation turns Jericho’s worldview upside down.
Jericho sets out to find the truth. It eventually leads him to Christine York (Robin Tunney) and the priest who has been protecting her all those years (Rod Steiger). Priest Kovak tells Jericho about the return of Satan. To complete the ritual, Satan has to make York pregnant before midnight. Being an atheist, Jericho doesn’t believe what’s going on at first, but over time he becomes more and more convinced since supernatural events keep happening around him.
With an 11% Tomameters and a 32% audience score, the “End Of Days”’ plot is clearly not appreciated by both critics and audiences. According to Peter Canavese from Groucho Reviews, “the plot is such hooey…and the plot holes so gaping that the movie proves more exasperating than enjoyable.”
‘End Of Days’’ Plot Raised Controversy
There is still one thing we should salute, which is the ‘End Of Days’ cast. Even when he rarely appeared in horror, Schwarzeneggers perfectly captured the depressed Jericho, though the alcoholic ridiculously manages to maintain the shape of a bodybuilder despite being an alcoholic with a messed up lifestyle. “The Craft” star Robin Tunney made a glorious return to the horror genre, this time as Christine York, Satan’s tortured victim. CCH Pounder has done a good job, but his time onscreen is way too short. Meanwhile, comedian Kevin Pollak gave the movie a much-needed dose of comic relief.
So much time has passed since then. We know that Arnold Schwarzeneggers has catapulted to stardom and become the legendary action hero, but do you know why he accepted the role in such a horror gig? What about other ‘End Of Days’ cast members? Where are they now?
So, Where Are The ‘End Of Days’ Cast Members Now?
Arnold Schwarzeneggers
Before appearing in ‘End Of Days’, Arnold Schwarzenegger had taken a long break from the screen. As he wanted to return from his two-and-a-half-year hiatus, the horror-action movie had everything he needed.
”It had the supernatural, which is important today because people today love supernatural movies like ‘The Sixth Sense.’ Second, the timing was perfect, because it was the only movie that dealt with the millennium. [Satan needs to impregnate a woman in the last hour of 1999 to spawn the Antichrist.]”, said the actor.
That’s why Schwarzenegger accepted the lead role. Although the movie didn’t contribute much to his fame, it proved to audiences how versatile he was, and he could rock not only action but also horror and other genres. Afterward, our notoriously pragmatic hero appeared in some notable projects, such as “Terminator 3: Rise Of A Machine”, “The Expendables 2”, and “The Last Stand”.
‘End Of Days’ Cast – Gabriel Byrne
The British actor had an impressive performance as Satan/The Man. It seems that he truly got a thing for horror movies, because right after “End Of Days”, he immediately booked a role in the horror flick “Stigmata”.
“Stigmata” wasn’t well-received by the public, but in the 2000s, Byrne finally got his lifetime role as the husband in 2018’s “Hereditary”. “Hereditary” is entitled “the scariest horror movie of all time”, and I have to say, it’s in large part thanks to Toni Collette. Still, we shouldn’t neglect Byrne’s marvelous performance: He grieves with pathos and conveys terror with intensity. The star is now enjoying life with his wife and two daughters, He also ventures into film production and is having some upcoming projects.
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Robin Tunney
As mentioned, the actress played Christine York – who was chosen to bear Satan’s child. But, before taking part in “End Of Days”, Tunney already gained recognition for her role as a suicidal teenager in the Empire records. She also got herself a fanbase thanks to appearances in “The Mentalist” and the long-running television series “Prison Break”.
2007 saw her debut as a voice actress as Tunney lent her voice to several characters in the animated series “Robot Chicken”. She was also spotted in several music videos. Furthermore, the actress еndоrѕеd ѕоmе оf thе fаmоuѕ brаndѕ lіkе Рrаdа, Nаturа Віѕѕе& NYDG ѕkіnсаrе, Сеlіnе, further contributing to her $10 million net worth.
‘End Of Day’ Cast – Kevin Pollak
It was a pleasant surprise to see Kevin Pollak in a horror movie. He starred in ‘End Of Days’ as Bobby Chicago. His character is the typical ridiculous sidekick we see in old school action movies, but because of Pollak’s charm, Bobby becomes much more lovable and less cliché.
The California native has an impressive career as a comedian, best known for the role in HBO’s special “Stop With The Kicking”. Of course, we are all familiar with Pollak’s special talent of impersonating people. Some of the well-known celebrity impersonations he can do are co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Peter Falk, Jack Nicholson, and Paul Reiser.
The comedian was married to Lucy Webb, but their marriage fell apart in 2008. He has been in a relationship with Jamie Fox since 2009.
‘End Of Day’ Cast – CCH Pounder
CCH Pounder appeared in ‘End Of Days’ as Detective Marge Francis. She was more active in the television world, with roles in shows like “Birdland” or “The X-Files”. Pounder also worked on many animated series, including 90s classics like “Biker Mice from Mars,” “Gargoyles,” and “Batman Beyond.”
In The Mood For Some 90s Horror?
In that case, Peter Hyams’ “End Of Days” would be one of the movies I recommend checking out. The storyline still has some flaws, but this flick sets itself apart for being a fresh supernatural horror-action combination. This is, in large part, thanks to the “End Of Days” cast. Featuring the right person for each role, it’s a spiritual successor of sorts well worth its 122-minute runtime.
‘End Of Days’ streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu.
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