It’s Halloween, and the season glows like a row of jack-o-lanterns. Each lantern offers something for every horror aficionado and casual fan of spooky season. We find He Never Left on the stoop, a slasher flick that feels like last year’s pumpkin—a run-of-the-mill slasher with no new tricks or treats. Even the creepy killer stalking this film feels like a low-budget knock-off of the silver screen ultimate slasher baddies. Halloween this is not, nor is it in the vein of In A Violent Nature. Instead, He Never Left is its unique blend of patented slasher that will not leave or mark a haunted memory.
Let me clarify: He Never Left is not an abomination of a horror film or an entirely toothless slasher. It is, however, dull and uninspired. They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but in this case, other films have successfully attempted and utilized everything this film tries. This film offers a slightly truncated story about a fugitive and his girlfriend trying to outsmart the killer roaming a motel.
We find a sleepy town with a dark history for the skeletal plot—a notorious murderer known as The Pale Face Killer is a specter haunting the quiet community for decades. In the present day we meet Gabriel (Colin Cunningham) and Carly (Jessica Staples). He is a fugitive wanted for murder, and she is his reluctant girlfriend helping him as he goes on the lam. They overhear strange noises from the next room when they holed up in a motel. As luck would have it, these abnormal sounds put them on the path of the Pale Face Killer just in time for Halloween.
The Pale Face Killer is a similar boogeyman urban legend akin to any number of slasher film villains. To some effect, the killer stays on the periphery, akin to Michael Myers in the early Halloween films. The killer is the one people speak in hushed tones and live in fear of the inevitable return. An exposition dump starts the film, which, in fairness, is more compelling than what we endure for the next ninety minutes. The problem is the main story is lacking. The characters, while motivated, need to be more interesting to hold our attention.
Instead, the film devotes itself to quick action. Halloween nods and spooky decorations. Now, the film is not all lacking. There is sweeping cinematography. The film screams Halloween and emotes autumn vibes. Even the mask on the Pale Face Killer is downright creepy. There is an ominous score to set the mood and keep our pulses dashing. However, the film is as hollow as a gutted pumpkin. All the elements are present in what makes a slasher generally work, but the film can barely elicit a boo, let alone a sustained gasp.
In addition to the lack of scares and the hollow story is the film’s extra measure to prolong the agony. Gabriel is a fugitive and hides out in a motel room for the majority of the film. When he is not dodging the killer, he plays a telephone tag game that waffles between Psycho and the opening of Scream. However, these homages, if intentional, are ham-fisted. There is a twist, but it relies on tropes and callbacks to more memorable and gripping films.
He Never Left leaves us wanting more. The hints of a legend are both fascinating and lacking. The film embodies a taste of a stalking slasher but never commits enough to maintain our interest. We have been terrified by enough masked killers and haunted by creepy clowns to know when something sticks the landing or carves the pumpkin. It does not mean the subgenre needs to reshuffle the deck for each outing with a knife, but at least if we’re going to retreat to familiar ground, at least sharpen the blade a bit.
He Never Left will debut in select theaters on November 1st followed by a VOD release on November 5, 2024, courtesy of DREAD.
He Never Left leaves us wanting more. The hints of a legend are both fascinating and lacking. The film embodies a taste of a stalking slasher but never commits enough to maintain our interest. We have been terrified by enough masked killers and haunted by creepy clowns to know when something sticks the landing or carves the pumpkin. It does not mean the subgenre needs to reshuffle the deck for each outing with a knife, but at least if we're going to retreat to familiar ground, at least sharpen the blade a bit.
-
5.5
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & Anora.
![‘Hamnet’ Review – A Devastating, Exalted Work Exploring Grief Through Art [TIFF 2025]](https://cdn.geekvibesnation.com/wp-media-folder-geek-vibes-nation/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hamnet-4238_D005_00229_R-300x169.jpg "‘Hamnet’ Review – A Devastating, Exalted Work Exploring Grief Through Art [TIFF 2025]")
