Halle Berry is returning to the horror genre with Lionsgate’s upcoming Never Let Go, which seems to be taking a page from A Quiet Place and Bird Box.
Berry is no stranger to the horror and thriller genres, having starred in Gothika, Perfect Stranger, Dark Tide, and Kidnap. So it’s exciting to see her return with Never Let Go, a new survival horror thriller. There’s been a recent uptick in films that explore the concept of humanity adapting in difficult ways to an apocalyptic world. In A Quiet Place, humans escape death by not speaking or making any noise to avoid a blind extraterrestrial species with heightened hearing. Meanwhile, in Bird Box, humans must be blindfolded or keep their eyes closed at all times to survive a mysterious force that kills those who look at it.
However, what if the key to survival wasn’t remaining quiet or averting one’s eyes, but holding onto a rope? This is the concept for Never Let Go.
Lionsgate drops the first terrifying trailer for Never Let Go
On May 16, Lionsgate dropped the first official trailer for Never Let Go, which is set to hit theaters on September 27.
The trailer sees Halle Berry’s character living a very isolated and strange life with her two young sons. She has long told her boys that nothing can hurt them as long as they never let go of the rope that connects them to their house. Every time they leave their home, they each hold onto a long rope tied to their home. According to Berry, some kind of “clever” evil arose after “the world ended.” Touching the ground outside without holding onto the rope is all it takes for that evil to get a hold of them. Over and over, they repeat the mantra “never let go,” which they live by. However, one of the boys appears to doubt the necessity of the rope, bringing on a number of nightmarish and supernatural occurrences.
As mentioned above, Berry leads the film as the unnamed mother of two boys. Portraying her sons are Percy Daggs IV, the son of actors Jontille Gerard and Percy Daggs III, and Florida Man star Anthony B. Jenkins. Starring as “The Evil” that Berry warns her sons of is actress and dancer Stephanie Lavigne. Rounding out the small cast are Christin Park, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Mila Morgan, and Cadence Compton.
The official synopsis for Never Let Go reads:
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, 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.
Based on the synopsis, it seems the protection from evil could be both spiritual and physical, as the family must not only hold onto the rope but also maintain their intangible familial bond. The trailer and synopsis raise a lot of curiosity about what’s really going on in Never Let Go. While one can understand why the characters in A Quiet Place and Bird Box were forced to live a certain way, it’s difficult to understand how holding onto a rope—or a familial bond—can ward off evil. The only explanation would be if perhaps something supernatural is happening to this family, but why is the rest of the world seemingly affected, too? One can’t help but wonder if an evil presence is haunting the family or if perhaps the threat is imagined, which is why the boys doubt the rope.
Ultimately, although Never Let Go has a similar vibe to A Quiet Place and Bird Box, it does seem to have its own unique twist and mystery to draw viewers in.
