In Never Let Go, the new psychological-horror film playing in cinemas and starring Halle Berry, demons are not warded off by the power of prayer — all it takes here is a thick, long piece of rope.

A woman called Momma (Berry) and her two young sons Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) don’t venture out of their rundown small cottage in the woods. The forest, they know, is haunted by “The Evil” which has killed humanity. If they must venture out though, it is in pairs, with their bodies tied to the long aforementioned rope that is tethered to their house; the place keeps them safe, at the price of a daily incantation.

It takes but the viewing of the trailer to know that something is not right with Momma, and that the story will have a late M. Night Shyamalan-like twist. The screenplay, by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, or the direction by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors), though, are far removed from the refined intelligence and surety of hand Shyamalan had in his early films.

The big reveal — is Momma possessed or is she just crazy — is far from eye-opening, and Berry’s performance, leagues better from her recent Netflix comedy-actioner The Union, leaves little room for guesswork; possessed or not, the character definitely is unhinged.

If you are looking for convincing logic or even appealing characters, Never Let Go is not the film for you

If one is looking for answers — or even appealing characters — then this is not the film for you. The origins of “The Evil” are never explained; in fact, it feels as if the origins weren’t even developed when the film went into production. The plot gives one enough evidence of its existence, and the indication that Momma may not have been crazy, nearly negates the psychological angle.

With the way the scenes are handled, one doesn’t buy that.

The story, though, keeps zig-zagging between fake-horror set-ups and the intrigue, hoping that jump-scares, and not actual scenes of horror, will keep audiences awake through the draggy three-quarters of the story.

There is a good idea here, but premises aren’t enough to make good movies. The characters’ plight (they’re forced to eat frogs and tree barks, since the rope can only take them so far), and their actions, especially in retaliation, are situated without convincing build-ups. The woods, seclusion, evil manifestations also feel half-baked — everything, in fact, feels like a product of indecisions. Indecisions do not make for a good watch.

Released by Lionsgate, Never Let Go is rated “A” for adults, and features disturbing themes and scenes of self-harm. Go watch an early M. Night Shyamalan film instead

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 29th, 2024