Alexandre Aja’s latest film, Never Let Go, stars Halle Berry in post-apocalypse survival mode with her two boys. This has strong A Quiet Place / Birdbox / Arcadian vibes going for it. The trailer for the September 27 release just dropped. You can check it out right here.
I have always been a big Halle Berry fan. When I, that is when we were young, (we are near contemporaries in age), she was enchanting and a stunning beauty. As she developed into an A-list actress, her career careened all over the place, alternating great performances with some really lousy ones, and her status as an A-list Hollywood star has waxed and waned. She occasionally dipped her toes into the horror genre, with Gothika and The Call under her belt. Neither of those films made much of a dent within the genre.
This time would appear to be different.
This time, Berry is paired with a first-tier horror director, Alexandre Aja. With High Tension, Piranha 3D, Mirrors, Horns, The Hills Have Eyes, and Crawl, he has serious horror bona fides. Granted, by looking at that roster, he has produced some high highs and some low lows. This Lionsgate production could be special if Berry and Aja are at the top of their games.
I can’t say I saw Never Let Go coming, though, which is a little worrisome. A major studio release usually has a bit more buzz coming into the year than this. When the new year broke, there was only a vague “New Alexandre Aja Project” announcement. Never Let Go is still in post-production, and isn’t due to land until September 27. The trailer has me convinced, and it leaves plenty of mystery. Besides setting the rough scenario, the trailer does not present any apparent spoiler materials.
From visionary director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl) and producers of Stranger Things and Arrival comes NEVER LET GO. In this new psychological thriller, as an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award® Winner Halle Berry (Actress in a Leading Role, 2001 – Monster’s Ball), and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.
Official Lionsgate description
The Never Let Go trailer and narrative plug suggest that this film is in the neighborhood of A Quiet Place, Bird Box, Arcadian, and What Comes at Night. It shrouds the outside evil in mystery, leaving the door open to the threat being gone or all in their minds.
In addition to Halle Berry, it stars Anthony B. Jenkins and Percy Daggs IV as her two sons. Ominously, it also stars Stephanie Lavigne as “The Evil.” I wonder what that means. It is encouraging that the producers have experience with Stranger Things and Arrival. So, from seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Never Let Go is now firmly on the Scariest Thing’s Radar.