The idea of ​​a decades-spanning serial killer is one of the horror genre’s most iconic tropes, with HalloweenMichael Myers proving to be the most notable. With his feature film directorial debut in He never leftwriter/director James Morris looks to bring a new twist to the slasher subgenre by creating a menacing new serial killer, and although the film’s final act stumbles a bit in its attempt at a big twist, it proves to be a refreshing take on the formula.
He never left follows Colin Cunningham’s Gabriel, an ex-con on the run after an incident at his first job outside of prison results in the death of his young boss. Holed up in a small town motel with the help of his girlfriend Carly, also an ex-convict and recovering addict working to regain custody of her son, Gabriel hears what appears to be a murder in the next room. As he tries to convince her of the situation, while at the same time wanting to escape from the authorities, Gabriel and Carly realize that they could be the Pale Face Killer’s next targets.
He Never Left’s one-room focus creates a unique character-driven story
The film makes effective use of its fugitive subplot to keep the tension high
One of the most intriguing elements He never left it’s the fact that the film takes place almost entirely in one location – Gabriel’s room. Considering that one of the staple elements of the slasher subgenre is featuring a high body count, filmmakers often incorporate a variety of locations into their story, even if they are multiple rooms in one location, such as Halloween: Resurrectionset entirely in Michael’s family home, or in the Shudder Original film Hauntin which a haunted house attraction turned out to be something much worse.
The fusion of a fugitive story with the slasher genre proves to be a winning mix for He never left…
That doesn’t mean that He never left takes place exclusively in Gabriel’s hotel room, as we see a good amount of story following the two US Marshals tasked with tracking him to a few locations, and flashbacks show what led up to Gabriel’s arrival at the room. However, Morris, Cunningham, and Michael Ballif, the latter two who helped develop the film’s story, smartly keep most of the film’s 90-minute running time focused on Gabriel as he is trapped in the hotel room.
The fusion of a fugitive story with the slasher genre proves to be a winning mix for He never leftas the tension almost doubled. While he may not be the most sympathetic character, the fact that he’s introduced as our protagonist makes us compelled by his journey to avoid prison, making it all the more fascinating to watch as he struggles to do the right thing and stop the potential return. of a local serial killer and planning his escape.
Morris offers a refreshingly honest look at the life of an ex-convict
Between thought-provoking monologues and Cunningham’s dedicated performance, we care
He never left offers a very honest description of what life is often like as an ex-convict. After initially coming across as a bold figure, Gabriel quickly shows a sense of vulnerability that we don’t often see in similar characters as he explains to Carly the situation that led to him running away and her being his accomplice during it. Chronicling his struggles to find a job and regain a sense of normalcy, it feels reminiscent of The Shawshank Redemption, in the best way.
As the film progresses, this begins to fall by the wayside, as the life-and-death stakes become real for Gabriel and the rest of the group. He never left cast, but Morris never fully forgets it. Instead, the writer-director smartly maintains a thread of growth and reflection on responsibility, as the legends of the Pale Face Killer prove ever more true. This, in turn, allowed me to connect with Gabriel as he asked Carly and the others for forgiveness and embraced his past crimes at the end of the film, which Cunningham is fully dedicated to.
The lackluster final act of He Never Left almost derails the proceedings
An underwhelming reveal and baffling character choices undermine almost everything else
Despite so many more engaging elements of the film, He never left it almost succumbs to its efforts to wrap up its story in the final act. Treat the killer like Bruce in JawsMorris largely gives Pale Face minimal screen time, with the final 30 minutes seeing Gabriel learning his true identity and even that they are not alone, having accomplices that we have been watching throughout the film. While the big turnaround may not have occurred effectively, it’s really in the handling of everything after that that it fails.
Between Gabriel making a series of baffling decisions for the film to end on a note quite similar to Bryan Bertino’s The strangersall the good graces earned have, admittedly, turned a little sour. Instead of staying true to the subversive approach they took with the rest of the film, it feels like they failed to come up with a genuinely effective ending, opting to leave the door open for a sequel, be it a prequel or sequel. While I was open to seeing any of them, it still doesn’t fit the mold of the rest of the film.
He never left is now playing in select theaters and will be available on VOD on November 5. The film is 89 minutes long and is not rated.