All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. As an added bonus, I’ll be adding a secondary review that may be somewhat related to the main review or slightly missed the countdown by inches. Follow along the countdown every day in October. Feel free to agree, disagree, or better yet, give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies of the year. Happy Halloween!

#21 – NEVER LET GO (2024)
Released on September 20, 2024, and available On Demand and digital download from Lionsgate Pictures!
Directed by Alexandre Aja.
Written by KC Coughlin, Ryan Grassby.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/ZDfRp_ukHDU
Halle Berry plays Momma, the mother of two young boys Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) who all live in a wooden cabin in the middle of the dense woods. Momma believes that there is a great evil lurking in the woods outside their house’s perimeter, but as long as they stay connected to the house by a long rope when they go outside, they are protected from those evil forces. As Samuel and Nolan grow older, they begin to wonder what is beyond the length of the rope and doubt their mother’s warnings.

Reminiscent of a few other horror films released this year, specifically ARCADIAN with Nic Cage in the role Berry plays and a little bit of LOVELY, DARK, & DEEP thrown in along with some sprinkles of GOODNIGHT MOMMY (the original not that lame remake with Naomi Watts), NEVER LET GO distinguishes itself by way of acting talent. Sure, those other movies were well acted, but in this movie specifically, Berry and the young actors playing the two kids stand out as exceptional. Berry is in an unflattering role with no makeup and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Her character does some horrible things in order to survive and protect her children on and off screen, and Berry is ruthless in the role. If anything, this is a movie that proves what a talented and underutilized actress she is.

Supporting Berry is the two boys, Anthony B. Jenkins and Percy Daggs IV (who play Samuel and Nolan, respectively). While again, these roles are far from original with one unquestionably following his mother’s orders and the other tempted to go against them due to curiosity and sheer child rebelliousness, these two little actors offer up wonderfully natural performances. There are large sections where Berry isn’t around, and these two actors fill the void with their talent with ease.
Well, the big question in NEVER LET GO is whether or not Berry’s Momma is nuts or if there really is something horrible haunting the family. In many ways, the answer doesn’t matter, though we do get some hints by the time the movie ends. Is this story about a demonic possession that overruns the world or is it a more down to earth story about one very mentally ill woman trying to protect her sons from her hallucinations? The movie kind of answers both of those questions without doing so outright and those who like a buttoned up and tidy ending might wince at how this one wraps up.

That said, NEVER LET GO is a very rich film in terms of theme. One can apply all sorts of meaning from all corners of theory to this film and it can work. If you want to look at the film through a psychological lens, whether the world-wide possession is real or not, the selective way Momma sees the monsters, her rationale about why the children don’t see the monsters, and how they seem to be developing the ability to see these creatures—again, whether they are real or not, can be seen as representative to schizophrenia and how it is theorized to be passed on from parent to child. One can also attribute these visions to a shared psychosis, or some kind of group think where the children, exposed to Momma’s rants for so long, begin seeing the visions as well. Then again, if you want to look at this from a more Freudian lens, Momma ties her children to home as a way for her to keep them from leaving her care and signifies her selfish refusal to let them lead their own lives and form their own beliefs. Want a cultural angle? How about the rope tying the children to their home representing the American black family’s quandary whether to stay stagnant and stuck in the past or venture forth into the future where freedom lays? Want a Feminist angle? Berry’s Momma is a strong female character, not flawless, but constantly struggling to keep her family together despite insurmountable odds. Throughout the film, Berry must not only assume the role of mother, but also the role of the breadwinner in this fractured family. This film interested me because it can be dissected from many angles with many critical tools. And while most critics seem to only want to use one or two tools in the critical toolbox, I find looking at these films from various ways makes criticism more interesting to me and hopefully for you as well.

Back to the film. While I wouldn’t call NEVER LET GO terrifying, I was heavily invested in the characters plights and concerned for their safety in this wildly unpredictable story. Most of the effects scenes were spoiled in the trailer, but they are quite creepy and makes for some treacherous challenges for our three heroes. I will admit, though, that I shot back in my chair very early in the film due to a very well-timed jump scare.

NEVER LET GO is very similar to other films we’ve seen this year, but it does every one of those familiar aspects exceptionally well. The film could be examined from a dozen different angles and that is due to a story that plunges forward and keeps the audience guessing. It’s also due to some very solid talent involved in front of and behind the camera. While Alexandre Aja has had his share of hits and misses, NEVER LET GO is one of his better ones. Knowing that Aja was behind the mind-scrogging HIGH TENSION, the surprisingly twisted HILLS HAVE EYES remake and the mainstream and fun CRAWL, it’s no wonder how thematically hefty and thoroughly entertaining NEVER LET GO turned out to be.

Plus – LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP (2023)
Released on February 23, 2024, and is streaming on Tubi from XYZ Films!
Directed/Written by Teresa Sutherland.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/zrqNHTkUPDs
BARBARIAN’s Georgina Campbell plays Lennon, a rookie park ranger assigned to an outpost deep in a national park. Lennon passes her time studying a map of the forest, where as a child, her sister was lost and never found. When a camper goes missing, it triggers Lennon to relive that feeling of loss and emboldens her to find lost camper on her own. But finding the camper might be the least of her worries as the woods seems to have its sights set on Lennon to devour next.

If you’re an avid conspiracy nut like me, you most likely are familiar with David Paulides’ 411 theories about the North American National Parks. If you don’t know anything about it, here’s the short version. It’s not a mystery that getting lost in the forest is a bad thing. While most likely, a lot of these missing persons succumbed to the elements and their remains were lost in the thick forest or eaten by wildlife, there are a vast number of cases where someone was there one second, and the next it is as if they simply disappeared. Paulides attributes these missing persons cases to everything from other-dimensional portals to UFO abductions to Bigfoot. If you’re interested in further research on the subject, it’s pretty easy to find on Youtube, but beware, it is a mighty deep rabbit hole to dive into.

With all of the hours of videos dedicated to disappearances in the National Parks, it is about time a movie comes along and makes use of the theories and LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP is just that movie. Writer/director Teresa Sutherland makes this a deeply personal tale by having her main character Lennon enrapt in these Missing 411 podcasts. She is bound and determined to get to the bottom of why her sister went missing all those years ago, even if it puts herself into danger. And into danger Lennon leaps as she ignores orders to stay at her post and constantly goes hiking all over the area, looking for some kind of clue to this mystery that has plagued her. Luckily, Georgina Campbell’s large, lost eyes and chipmunk cheeks make her an actress you almost automatically root for. Campbell plays a stubborn, yet naïve ranger well. She’s likable and seems haunted by her past, feeling responsible for losing her sister. Given that Lennon’s motivation is so deeply important to her, you almost understand why Lennon keeps putting herself in harm’s way over and over again throughout this movie.

Still, I found myself frustrated how many times Lennon simply ignores the orders of her superiors. She is well intentioned, but often finds that she does more harm than good by being this dedicated to finding the lost. This proves to be the central challenge of the film as many 411 theorists believe that park rangers know about the mysterious disappearances but keep secrets for unknown reasons. Throughout LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP, we find out why those secrets are kept. It’s a wonderful and somewhat subtle transformation we experience through Lennon who goes from rookie to someone who is beginning to understand what the park ranger’s role is. But that learning experience is an arduous one.
Filled with all kinds of claustrophobic shots of being surrounded by trees, surreal buildings that appear and disappear, dream-like interactions with people who seem like ghosts, and some absolutely terrifying imagery of simply batshit crazy stuff going on in the woods, LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP whisks the viewer up onto a rollercoaster ride into a thickly wooded nightmare that refuses to allow you to wake up. The entire film is carried by Campbell, for the most part, as she endures all kinds of dream-logic the deeper she gets into this never-ending forest. Director Sutherland is able to capture some shocking and warped images that feel original, yet also strike a primal nerve.

By the time the film ends, Lennon does find some answers, though they may not be ones she will like. It’s a somewhat vague ending, but one with a great sense of poeticism and poignancy. If anything, you’re going to find yourself thinking twice before camping after watching LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP. It captures the stuff of pure nightmare at times, yet grounds it with a deeply personal story, acted out by a very capable actress in Campbell. This is a good one. And if you’ve ever been in the woods and even had the smallest notion that you might be lost, LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP is going to hit very close to home.

The Best in Horror Countdown 2023-2024
#31 – HERE FOR BLOOD (DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS)
#30 – THANKSGIVING (THE SACRIFICE GAME)
#29 – MILK & SERIAL (LOWLIFES)
#28 – PROJECT SILENCE (FROGMAN)
#27 – THE SEEDING (DARK HARVEST)
#26 – BEEZEL (THE FRESH HELL TRILOGY)
#25 – ABERRANCE (COLD MEAT)
#24 – OUT OF DARKNESS (ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH)
#23 – ARCADIAN (A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE)
#22 – YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME (GHOSTS OF THE VOID)
#21 – NEVER LET GO (LOVELY, DARK, & DEEP)

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Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
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