Alexandre Aja (Crawl, The Hills Have Eyes) is back with his latest feature, Never Let Go, a psychological thriller about a mother named June (Halle Berry) who will do whatever is necessary to protect her children from The Evil in the world. Aja creates a world that appears to be apocalyptic, where this mother and her two boys are all that is left after The Evil caused every other person to turn on each other in violence. With dwindling food and resources and fear of becoming untethered, this story quickly becomes one about survival. But, does it work?

June and her twin sons, Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins), live in a cabin deep in the Tennessee woods completely alone. We learn, because it’s repeated many, many times, that the family must remain tethered to the house with ropes whenever they are outside because if The Evil touches them, it will get inside the house and cause her to kill them. Because they can only venture but so far from the house with these ropes, it’s becoming hard for them to find food. Nolan is starting to question if Momma is telling the truth about The Evil and begins wondering of there are more people out there. Samuel, on the other hand, believes Momma and isn’t willing to disobey her in search of other people or food. Aja uses this dynamic to keep us on our toes, wondering if what Momma is saying is true or if it’s all in her head. Because of course, Momma is seeing literal monsters from her past, that only she can see. But these moments make for some gory, good scare sequences.

Never Let Go‘s cinematographer, Maxime Alexandre, is known for his work on films such as Annabelle: Creation, The Nun, and his previous collaborations with Aja on Crawl and Oxygen. His work here is precise and intentional and also is a huge part of the story. The film gives off a Southern, twisted fairytale aesthetic with its wooden cabin lit by oil lamps and country music being played on the record player during a breezy, Fall night. Tied together with the eerie tone, unsettling sound design and bone chilling score by ROB, Aja immerses viewers into a demonic fairytale that settles in around you like the overwhelming sound of frogs in its opening sequence.

This cast delivers some of the best performances in horror so far this year. Jenkins, who recently appeared in the Netflix film, The Deliverance, and Daggs both command attention when they are on screen. Halle Berry is compelling and flawed as June/Momma, unapologetically so. Her character is wrapped in faith and fear and Berry displays the staggering weight of that coupled with motherhood and her will to protect her boys.

While Aja fiddles the strings on the changing dynamics between the characters, the scares and the emotion ramp up halfway through the film. Momma starts to unravel as we see her hold a knife out as she forces the boys to recite a mantra while touching the wood to the cellar. Nolan takes his questioning to another level and causes a tragic shift, leaving the boys to uncover the truth about what is beyond the end of the ropes. And in true psychological horror fashion, we are left to decide what is real and what isn’t on our own by the end of the film, which is where the ball drops for me.

Never Let Go is a straightforward story with some complex components that may leave some viewers unsatisfied in the end. The film dances around religious references, what evil really looks like, and family trauma. We have all the elements of a Southern, gothic horror narrative but not enough to really dive deep into the threads of the themes presented.

Kristie (she/her) is the co-host of In Love with Horror’s YouTube channel and podcast where she and her husband, AJ discuss horror movies, games, and books. Their mission is to connect others to their love for horror, bring awareness to Black horror media, and build a community all about horror. Her favorite horror movies are Hellraiser and Jurassic Park.
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