Alexandre Aja’s ‘Never Let Go’ is a horror movie that captures a mother and her two young twin sons trapped in a cabin with evil spirits. This movie makes people feel lonely, afraid, and insecure about their relationships within the family. When they are faced with a shortage of food supplies and evil spirits that twist their reality, the family’s bond, which was once so strong, starts to break apart, and their very lives are at stake.
The plot of the movie is full of tension, as well as the realistic and fantastic elements in it, where Halle Berry’s character, “Momma,” tries to shield her children using rituals and rules. But as one of the boys begins to doubt the existence of the evil forces, this leads to a dangerous situation. The film explores issues of parenthood, sanity, and survival, which are applicable to anybody and everywhere, thus making it quite thrilling and a heart pounding movie.
Is ‘Never Let Go’ based on a true story?
Nonetheless, despite its intense and rather disturbing premise, ‘Never Let Go’ is not a true story. The film plot was written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby and the whole concept of supernatural terrors was made up from scratch. The story of a woman with her sons who are battling evil spirits in a cabin in the woods is a work of imagination and therefore does not in any way depict real events but is a classic horror story that takes place in a remote area, which makes people afraid of the unknown.
Alexandre Aja, who directed psychological and supernatural horror movies, was asked about the themes of Never Let Go. Aja notes that the film moves a little beyond standard horror and touches upon such themes as parenthood and guardianship. Aja continued that the film is about the concept of the protective impulse as much as it is about the dangers of protectionism and said, “Where is the line between protecting your children and taking their freedom away?”
Aja was interested in the script because of the psychological aspect; he was intrigued with how it was going to affect him as a parent and a director. He drew the audience to the fundamental themes of the plot, the parents’ sacrifice, the struggle for survival, and trust, which turned the audience into doubting the actual threats the family encounters. That the audience is unsure if the evil is indeed real or just a projection of the characters’ imagination was something Aja worked on right until the last scene of the movie.
In Never Let Go, Halle Berry is a mother who is confined in a house with her two sons and they are being terrorized by an evil spirit. During an interview with Screen Rant, Berry explained her interest in the role saying that it was empowering to lose herself in a character that is as different from her as possible. She was intrigued with the concept of rearing children in seclusion and whether the evil was indeed out or was in her character.
Berry had words of appreciation for her co-stars, Percy Daggs IV, and Anthony B. Jenkins, she said they are very talented and contributed a lot to the success of the movie. She also appreciated the director of the film Alexandre Aja because he let her do her thing and add her input on the character.
All in all, Never Let Go is a mysterious and suspenseful movie that will send shivers down the viewers’ spines; however, they can be assured that the scary story shown in the film is not a reality.
