By Becca Johnson August 22, 2024
Directed by D W Medoff and starring Kenneth Trujillo (The Suicide Squad) in the leading role, I Will Never Leave You Alone follows Richard, a brooding man with a dark past, after being released from prison. Richard is forced to stay in a haunted house to clear it of its spirits, but there’s a catch - if he leaves, he goes straight back to prison. Will Richard be able to withstand what the haunted house has to offer, or will prison become the better option?
Exploring intense themes include grief and depression, I Will Never Leave You Alone is a dark, difficult watch that despite taking a while to find its footing, boasts an intense story with a great central performance.
Review
If a movie ever deserved trigger warnings, I Will Never Leave You Alone certainly qualifies. Without entering spoiler territory, the movie is exceedingly dark. Not only does it deal with difficult topics including isolation, depression and grief in a very in-depth and intimate way, but it regularly aims to disturb with it’s shock-inducing imagery that goes where you’d never expect a movie to go… even one of this calibre. This is a film that regularly pushes boundaries, giving even the current most harrowing film of the year a run for its money.
Even within the horror genre, there are no-go’s when it comes to what a movie should show; I Will Never Leave You Alone seemingly ignores those. With zero moments of levity and a plot that becomes bleaker, darker and more dangerous by the second, this is not for the faint of heart, and those brave enough to check it out should brace themselves to be shocked and disturbed to their very core. It does have some more traditional scares alongside its boundary-breaking approach include jump-scares, witchy imagery, all-encompassing darkness, claustrophobia and the tropes you’d expect to find within a typical haunted house affair. However, the films aim is more so to shock, disturb and unsettle rather than traditionally scare - it has many a moment that will sear itself into your brain and refuse to leave. Enjoyment, or perhaps more accurately acceptance, of this film will depend on your tastes when it comes to messed up cinema.
I Will Never Leave You Alone does have an interesting story at play, but it takes its time to get going. The first act of the movie is merely setting the scene, with repetitive moments simply involving our lead character creeping round the house in the dark. This approach does become uninteresting pretty quickly, and even with it’s dual timeline regularly showing us flashbacks to fill us in on Richard’s story, it feels far too formulaic and monotonous to start. However, the further the run-time progresses, the more this proves that it has much more to offer than a man getting creeped out in an eerie house. The flashbacks become bleaker by the second, as it drip-feeds us information and keeps its shocking climax close to its chest. We slowly piece together why Richard was in prison, why he is mute and most importantly, why he is so broken by grief, heartbreak and loneliness. The flashbacks become more regular, the horror kicks into gear and although it’s slow to get there, it certainly delivers an outcome worth waiting for. You will have a lot of questions during the first two acts, but rest assured that you won’t leave with any. The team also ensure that the movie has plenty of interesting film-making to guide you through its slow first act, with fantastic use of spooky lighting, unsettling visuals and great set design. The majority of the movie is set in one place, and despite its small size and seemingly plain interior, it’s utilised well enough to help us forget this.
I Will Never Leave You Alone aims to shock, and although it undoubtedly achieves this goal, it occasionally feels like it forgets about everything else involved in telling a cohesive story to fully commit to this. The storyline is very slow and repetitive, with a bland first half that leaves much to be desired in terms of scares, pace and intrigue. However, once it shows its true colours, I Will Never Leave You Alone turns into an absolute beast of a movie that will unsettle even the most seasoned horror fans. The lead performance from Trujillo is fantastic, which is even more impressive given that his character is mute, the cinematography is stunning, the score compliments the tone perfectly and the story becomes more gritty and dark as the run-time progresses.
With daring and bold reveals, excellent acting and a unique story that certainly picks up during the second half, I Will Never Leave You Alone will go down as one of the most memorable horror films of this years FrightFest, and maybe even the years horror films in general.
Star Rating
I Will Never Leave You Alone premiered Thursday 22 at Frightfest London 2024
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