'Never Let Go' review: Halle Berry horror flick intrigues, then stalls

Lots of jump scares, but small cohesion.

Never Let Go creeps onscreen for illustration a acheronian fairy tale, enveloping its assemblage successful a wood scenery of gnarled character branches and mossy stones. At nan halfway of this grove lies a solitary woody house, location to a female known simply arsenic Momma (Halle Berry), arsenic good arsenic her copy sons Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins). According to Momma, they're nan only 3 group near successful nan world. A awesome Evil wiped retired nan remainder of humanity, and now it's coming for her family.

There are ways to conflict nan Evil, though. Like Never Let Go's wooded setting, these defense mechanisms travel consecutive retired of folklore. Momma, Nolan, and Samuel tether themselves to their location pinch a statement anytime they measurement outside. That hindrance grants them protection against nan Evil. The aforesaid goes for nan location arsenic a whole, which nan family treats arsenic immoderate benignant of beatified guardian. They touch its woody walls to cleanse their souls of immoderate interaction pinch nan Evil, reciting a well-worn rhyme that declares, "Heaven is present wrong our home."

All these elements shape an intriguing blend of people scary pinch belief undertones. Yet Never Let Go, directed by Alexandra Aja (Crawl, Horns), fails to present connected its promising start. The movie sometimes plumbs nan depths of sinking dread, but for nan astir part, relies connected inexpensive strategies to elicit immoderate benignant of scare.

What's Never Let Go about?

For Samuel and Nolan, nan location is each they've ever known. The aforesaid goes for Momma's insistence that they enactment attached to nan all-important statement and travel each of her rituals. Momma knows champion aft all, arsenic only she tin spot nan Evil. It manifests successful different forms for her, shedding its tegument for illustration a snake to return nan style of her deceased family members. Often successful zombie-like states of decay, these apparitions shamble towards Momma and taunt her pinch achy memories.

Mashable Top Stories

All that decidedly sounds scary, but since Samuel and Nolan person ne'er seen aliases knowledgeable nan Evil themselves, moreover successful nan little moments erstwhile they fto spell of nan rope, it's only earthy that uncertainty yet creeps in. Samuel, ever nan norm follower, remains patient successful his spot successful Momma. But Nolan grows bolder successful questioning whether nan Evil is moreover real. As starvation closes successful and tensions rise, nan shape is group for a family reckoning and each nan beliefs they erstwhile held dear.

Never Let Go raises fascinating questions, but ne'er goes heavy (or genuinely horrifying) enough

Unfortunately, that reckoning ne'er rather arrives. That's a shame, arsenic Never Let Go does wring immoderate dread from its ambiguous attack to whether nan Evil is really existent aliases not. Take Momma's communicative of nan clip she near a young, injured hiker to dice for fearfulness that she was 1 of nan Evil's galore forms. Are we definite that she outsmarted immoderate malevolent force? Or did she really wantonness a existent woman who needed her help? The different possibilities tin tear you successful two, and Never Let Go remixes that script a fewer times passim its tally for maximum dread.

Too often, though, Never Let Go turns distant from this complexity in favour of clichéd frights. Jump scares and nightmare sequences abound, prompting speedy moments of fearfulness that quickly springiness measurement to exasperation. I don't request to spot different mysterious animal dart crossed nan frame! Give maine unbridled panic astir losing that vital, protective statement aliases nan horrifying inevitability of starvation immoderate day.

Some genuinely fascinating ideas do radiance done Never Let Go, moreover pinch these half-baked scares clogging nan runtime. Real aliases not, location are different ways to publication nan Evil's value to Momma, particularly done nan lens of family trauma. There's besides nan perspective of children breaking distant from their parents: Is Nolan's skepticism a coming-of-age infinitesimal for him? Momma mentions she had a akin shape once, truthful is her family trapped successful a rhythm of rebelling against past conforming to rituals surrounding nan Evil? Never Let Go certainly seems happy to fto america support asking these questions, but aft its plodding pacing and scattershot climax, you'll wish it had held onto those ideas for conscionable a spot longer.

Never Let Go was reviewed retired of Fantastic Fest's opening night. It is now successful theaters.

This newsletter whitethorn incorporate advertising, deals, aliases connection links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You whitethorn unsubscribe from nan newsletters astatine immoderate time.