Alexandre Aja’s new supernatural thrillerNever Let Goborrows a twist from one of M. Night Shyamalan’s most infamous films, but updates it for the modern day.Never Let Gocontinues the recent trend of high-concept horror, a subgenre of horror that involves simple yet captivating premises and story-telling. The drama and dread builds, as it should in any good horror movie, beforeNever Let Goendswith an explosive climax born from a twist reveal.
While many horror movies feature twist endings, one filmmaker has made a career out of providing a pivot that audiences aren’t expecting. From the acclaimed iconic thrillerThe Sixth Senseto the critical flopLady in the Water, M. Night Shyamalan typically ensures the ending of his movies are never seen coming, and he isn’t afraid to mislead the audience to do it. One of his most famous twists was copied forNever Let Goin regard to The Evil, although there are some significant differences in its execution.
Never Let Go Ending: Sam’s Polaroid, The Evil & Twins' Fate Explained By Horror Director
Never Let Go director Alexandre Aja breaks down the tragic ending, addressing some big questions like the Polaroid, the Evil, and the twins' fate.
Never Let Go Copies The Village’s Modern Setting Twist
Both Narratives Are Assumed To Occur In A Non-Contemporary Time Setting
M. Night Shyamalan’s period horror movieThe Villagewas marketed as a creature feature that occurs in a Puritanical village from early American history. In reality, it’s set in an isolated community within a nature preserve in modern day, built upon the town’s elders’ desire for safety from the evils of the outside world.The trademark Shyamalan twist is the reveal of the modern setting, which comes when one of the characters, who is blind, leaves the nature preserve to find help and discovers a modern outpost harboring a ranger who oversees the preserve.
It’s not an exact copy of the key twist in The Village, but all the major plot notes are present in Never Let Go.
Never Let Gomimics that plot development with the reveal thatthe events do not take place in a post-apocalyptic settingin which people have transformed into monsters and ashapeshifting Evil stalks the woods. Rather, the action is set in the present day, complete with iPhones and Hormel chili. Like the elders ofThe Village, Momma is behind the family’s isolation, which began as a means to protect her children from the outside world and evolved into something darker. It’s not an exact copy of The Village twist, but all the major plot notes are there.
Never Let Go Does The Village’s Twist Better Than M. Night Shyamalan
The Village’s Twist Was Harder To See Coming
The Villagereceived mixed reviews upon its release, although it has aged well with time. While both critics and fans agreed that Shyamalan had built a sufficiently scary premise and executed it well,many were disappointed by the twist ending. As opposed to being an above-average supernatural horror movie, the monsters inThe Villagewere revealed to be the elders in costumes, and the anxiety-inducing isolation of an old-world forest was revealed to be no more than a protected nature preserve. The thrills and drama were all manufactured, which is a let-down after 4/5ths of a good spine-chiller.
2024
$20 million
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Never Let Goexecutes the twist much better, mostly because the twist isn’t all that shocking. The entire movie is designed to cast doubt over whether The Evil is real or a product of Momma’s past trauma, sothe reveal that they are not actually in a post-apocalyptic world feels like the natural answer to a question, not a twist following a mislead. The sudden appearance of the modern hiker who shatters the image that director Alexndre Aja conjured for most of the movie is a welcome development, not a disappointing invalidation of the preceding events.
Never Let Go’s Setting Twist Has One Major Difference To The Village
The Time Periods Are Vastly Different
The key difference between the two movies is the time period in which they are initially presumed to be set. The star-studded cast ofThe Villageis placed in a town that, judging by the technology (or lack thereof), is set in 19th-century Pennsylvania. The elders of the village decided to leave the modern world and live as if they were in simpler times, largely free of evils like drugs, gang violence, and murder.
BothThe VillageandNever Let Goare uncommon in horror movies due to the caliber of their casts; both movies are driven by Academy Award winners.Never Let Go’s Halle Berry won Best Actress in 2002 forMonster’s Ball, whileThe Villagefeatures Academy Award nominees in William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Joaquin Phoenix, and Adrien Brody.
Never Let Go, on the other hand, appears to be set in the very near future, as Momma still has a Polaroid camera from years ago, and the people from her past that The Evil masquerades as are dressed in fairly modern clothing. The audience is meant to think that they are isolated in a forest in the southern half of the United States (judging by the flora, fauna, and lack of snow) in a world that has been taken over by evil forces. While the vast difference in time period is jarring inThe Village,Never Let Go’s near future time setting contributes to the strength of its big reveal.
Never Let Go
Cast
A mother and her twin sons are trapped in their house by a malevolent force, relying on their familial bond and physical connection for safety. When one son questions the reality of the evil, their unity unravels, leading to a terrifying battle for survival in this psychological thriller/horror.
