One of the big opening night offerings at this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas (more coverage to come from easily one of the highest-profile genre festivals in the world) is horror director Alexandre Aja’s (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes remake, Crawl) latest, Never Let Go, written by KC Coughlin & Ryan Grassby. Halle Berry plays as character known only as Momma, who is convinced that the rest of the world has been destroyed or taken over by (or both) evil forces, as in supernatural evil forces, which are only held off from consumed her and her young fraternal twin sons Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) because their isolated cabin in the woods is blessed. All three are able to leave the home for supplies or to go hunting if they tie a rope around their waists and never remove them.
We get glimpses of what Momma sees, including terrifying images of her dead mother (Kathryn Kirkpatrick) in what appears to be zombie form, but these visions only appear to her when she is forced to take off her rope in the woods. The boys never see these visions, and although they’ve been preached to about the perils of going off the rope, they get sensations that something around them isn’t right. This may sound fishy, and it’s meant to. The film isn’t attempting to pull a fast one on its audience; we suspect from the early parts of this movie that Berry’s character is mentally unwell and is seeing these things in an amped-up, hallucinatory state. At one point in the film, Momma exits the film, and the boys are forced to take care of themselves, which is difficult because they are already tired and hungry with few supplies left in the cabin. One of them takes on the belief system of Momma, while the other has stopped believing any of it and is eager to cut the rope and see what’s beyond the limits of its length.
Don’t Let Go is part folk horror, part delusion-driven thriller, but director Aja makes certain we’re never quite sure what the truth is. While the boys are alone, he throws in a couple new characters into the mix who just happen to be passing by the cabin on a hiking trip and offer help to these forlorn and rail-thin kids. At a point, the boys don’t know whether to listen to their rumbling stomach or take a chance with potentially demonic forces in the woods. The atmosphere is effective and creepy, and the questions the film asks about the role of sanity in the horror realm are smart and elevate the otherwise simple story.
All of that being said, Never Let Go isn’t especially scary; all the true jump scares happen when small animals jump out from their hiding places among the trees. The acting is good, but having Berry disappear for a good chunk of the movie was probably a mistake, though I get why the filmmakers thought it necessary. Her type of crazy feels like the fuel that’s keeping the movie going, and without her, things seem less than. Still, in a year that’s seen quite a few solid horror offerings, this one is subtle, impactful, and has something to say about family, religious beliefs, and off-the-radar living.
The film is now playing in theaters.
Did you enjoy this post? Please consider supporting Third Coast Review’s arts and culture coverage by making a donation. Choose the amount that works best for you, and know how much we appreciate your support!