Horror Movies are known for their ability to create suspense and intense thrills but sometimes they can go too far!
Never Let Go and Its Shocking Moments
Recently released, Never Let Go, starring Halle Berry, has gained attention, as a psychological horror film and its use of unsettling suspense has left some feeling uneasy. What’s even more remarkable, however, is how it avoids some clichéd, overused tropes. One that stands out the most, is how it deftly avoided killing off the family dog, which really is a controversial moment.
The Story of Never Let Go
The movie takes us to a family dealing with immense challenges. Berry’s unnamed mom and her two sons try to survive in an isolated place, hidden in the woods. The mother creates an isolated world claiming it is a reality after an ambiguous "evil" devastated their planet! The only hope is that they remain isolated, staying far from civilization. The oldest son, Nolan, questions the mother’s strange pronouncements. The other son, Samuel believes her version of the events wholeheartedly. However, one moment is so unique and makes the entire experience what makes it special! This tension makes audiences squirm, and what is even more compelling is this "evil" almost crosses a dark boundary by creating an exceptionally unsettling situation!
Avoiding A Horror Trope
One moment truly defines Never Let Go! When the family is in dire need of food they consider something extreme.
The mother talks about an impossible decision: the possibility of killing their pet. Nolan makes it very clear that they cannot take the life of the family dog.
The film takes a clever approach that makes audiences reflect and that helps them think twice before deciding whether it was worth doing what this mother suggested.
What unfolds is the mother's death, ending her struggle!
Even the movie’s director Alexandre Aja really thinks that it made the best choice to avoid the dark trope.
Why Killing The Dog Would Have Been A Mistake
Killing the dog may seem like a small, possibly forgettable detail, it's a pivotal choice.
The horror of actually portraying that moment! There was potential to take things into a dark, sad reality.
It makes this movie more interesting. It feels like an dark fairy tale, where this supernatural Evil hangs over the family. It starts as a thriller and moves into a strange type of fantasy. Yet, having the mother kill and eat the dog is way too much for the viewer and brings an unexpected feeling of being sad and miserable and takes away from all the excitement and thrill!
A Controversial Trope
This particular moment seems like something to take into account, when thinking of horror Movies. Plenty have had pet deaths and there have even been times where scenes were cut because audiences were simply not ready for that! That moment stands out as a really specific trope in these films.
The creators of the classic, Gremlins even thought it better to make a decision to not do that moment. The site "Does the Dog Die" is full of fans talking about all the times that movies make these types of shocking, tragic decisions and what impact that had for everyone who watched.
The Impact on the Movie
The horror of actually watching this character do something like killing and eating the family dog really is a hard, difficult reality to bear and wouldn't have made a really enjoyable experience for Never Let Go. The tone is quite specific and creating another tone wouldn't make much sense for those seeking thrills and scares!
Movies like "The Devil's Bath" or Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse go for grim situations where they aim for bleak experiences and this wasn't exactly what Aja was aiming for with Never Let Go.
Avoiding A Tired Trope
What can be said is that killing off a dog as a twist. Well, some are pretty good and have made the moment successful but this type of twist is rarely truly enjoyable. For every movie that pulls off a special and truly unexpected, compelling scene with this trope. What also seems to be the reality is that this isn't even that good, in other films that used this dark trope and audiences felt unhappy because it served no true purpose, but made viewers simply want to quit watching, creating some negative sentiment.
There were instances where audiences just weren't enthralled. Movies like Funny Games use this shock factor, only creating predictability which doesn’t really work.
Never Let Go avoided these clichés and aimed to make a fresh new take and brought in its own uniquely satisfying story! For now, it’s currently showing in theatres! So for those horror movie lovers. Make sure you catch it while it's still showing. While this might be what got many paying attention it’s still full of moments that you simply don't want to miss!
