Horror Movie Review: He Never Left (2023)

Directed by James Morris, who wrote the story with Michael Ballif and Colin Cunningham, He Never Left is such a frustrating film. All because it doesn’t know what it really wants to be. Is it a horror? Is it a thriller? Are the slasher elements important? Or is this a tale about generational trauma? The answer? It’s all of these things, and while I enjoyed it for that, I also recognise the issues that come with this much confusion.

The overarching story is about a legendary killer called ‘Pale Face’ whose murderous rampage terrorised a small town. Everyone lived in fear, the police were useless, until one day, Pale Face just stopped. Nobody knows why and nobody was ever caught.

Colin Cunningham plays Gabriel, a man on the run for murder, looking for somewhere to lay low until he can escape across the border. He has enlisted the help of his ex-girlfriend, Carly (Jessica Staples) who has rented a room at a remote motel. There, Gabriel attempts to stay hidden until his contact comes for him.

A task made even more difficult when, through the wall, he hears what sounds like a murder happening in the next room. This event, and his ever-increasing paranoia about being caught, sets off a chain of events that connect to Pale Face in unexpected ways. The killer never left, and Gabriel is about to find out what that means.

Never Left excels in several important areas. The first being the story, which is told well and builds towards a thrilling, and shocking, climax. This story and how it plays out, drips tension throughout, making the film a constant ‘edge of the seat’ watch. While you might be able to guess some of the plot points ahead of time, the how and why of everything isn’t clear until the end, and that is delivered in a satisfying way. Provided you can see what the film is trying to say about generational trauma.

Everyone is a victim in this film, in some way or another, and while the connections might stretch believability, it all works well enough.

Part of that comes from the story telling, but a major part of why it all works is the acting. Everyone is fabulous in this, but Colin Cunningham is on another level. The range of emotions he goes through, the energy he throws into his performance, and the way he makes his character sympathetic, is staggering. There’s a point in the film where he talks directly to the camera about a childhood event. It is heartbreaking and a showcase of the actor’s power.

However, do you see the problem? How does such a scene, as brilliant as it is, fit in a film about a serial killer who may or may not be gone?

It’s also far from the only moment that creates this response either. As much as I enjoyed He Never Left, and I really did, I can’t overlook the fact that it’s a confused film. Inevitably, this will mean others aren’t quite as warm to it. It’s well worth watching though, even if it’s just to see an outstanding performance from Colin Cunningham.