Parents sometimes tell their children things that may not necessarily be true to ensure their safety. Whether it’s a white lie that teaches young children not to talk to strangers or go places where they aren’t supposed to, children are impressionable. In the case of Never Let Go (2024), the audience is placed directly in the shoes of children who are forced to question the demonic reasoning their mother instills upon them for why they must never lose the protection their home provides.
The most effective entries in the horror genre build tension from their opening scene and only ratchet it up as they go on. In its first few moments, Never Let Go induces an initial chill down viewers’ spines with an unsettling jump scare. While jump scares are normally nothing more than a cheap gimmick that directors use to get a quick guttural reaction out of viewers to keep them engaged in lackluster material, director Alexandre Aja doesn’t take the easy route. Aja backs up this jump scare and a few others that appear throughout the film with intensity and environmental dread that permeates the entirety of Never Let Go.
Once the initial fright subsides, the audience is introduced to the core familial trio of characters and the evil threat they face. Brothers Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) live with their mother (Halle Berry) in a house secluded from the world by a dense forest. Their mother has raised them since birth to fear the outside world for reasons beyond their understanding. According to her, the world has been taken over by an evil presence that seemingly only she can see, which has killed the majority of humanity. As long as they remain connected to their house via a rope, they’re free to gather food and other materials around the property without fear of what she describes as “the evil” getting to them and infecting their mind.
The film is split into three chapters that serve as a clear breaking point for each act. The first act introduces the audience to the characters and rules, along with the central conflict. Nolan is beginning to question everything his mother has always told him. He suspects that she may have lied to him and his brother throughout their lives since neither of them has ever seen the evil she always sees.
As viewers, we are granted the ability to see certain events unfold from the brothers’ perspective and the perspective of the mother. Through the eyes of the mother, we see the ghosts of deceased family members, possessed by the evil snake-like being that is able to change its skin and force people to let their guard down. Whenever we see what the mother sees, the tension increases. Sometimes figures appear out of focus in-camera that we are not sure are there, only for their presence to be confirmed by unnerving sound design and a score by ROB that is sometimes reminiscent of The Shining (1980). However, the fact that the brothers don’t see or hear the evil for themselves makes the first two acts’ slow pacing interesting enough as the conflict between them grows.
Although Nolan questions his life, Samuel maintains full faith in his mother, creating an intriguing dynamic between the two characters that intensifies as the film continues. Their differing beliefs push the story forward into surprising avenues, especially in the third act, which takes multiple turns that elevate everything that came before.
Daggs IV and Jenkins’ performances reflect the urgency and uncertainty of their situation. A lot is asked of these two young performers, especially in the final act. They both meet the requirements of their roles exceptionally well and create an on-screen bond that distresses viewers whenever it shows signs of breaking.
Berry commands attention with her performance. Regardless of whether what she’s seeing is real, it feels real because she reacts to everything around her with such ferocity and fear. As a motherly figure, she’s forced to fight through that fear to protect her children and Berry excellently sells that sense of responsibility. Her character loves her children, but she is often forced to make difficult choices that make her seem vicious not only for their safety but her’s as well.
She demonstrates early in the film that she won’t hesitate to kill either of her children or herself if she believes any of them are infected with the evil. This viciousness doesn’t make her likable, but it forces the audience to empathize with her and her intense situation. The nature of Berry’s character conveys the film’s commentary on the impacts that unchecked inherited mental health struggles can cause distress within a family, especially when those struggles begin to get passed down.
Although the film reaches its potential in the third act after a dramatically unexpected veer in the story, its conclusion misses the mark. It’s when the story tries to provide answers that things get messy. When writers Ryan Grassby and Kevin Coughlin seem to lean toward one extremely compelling answer, they decide to lean another way that is less satisfying and doesn’t obey the film’s logic. They try to have it both ways and it simply doesn’t work. In a way, it cheapens and betrays the impact the story previously had.
Never Let Go had the makings of a successful horror feature. An intriguing premise, menacing atmosphere, and personal character drama set up a riveting film. It’s a story that makes nearly all the right choices until it decides it can’t commit to a proper ending that does its characters justice.
Review Courtesy of Evan Miller
Feature Image Credit to Lionsgate via Rotten Tomatoes