James Morris’ feature debut, He Never Left, opens with text that helps set the scene for the story to come. The on-screen words tell of a killer known as ‘Pale Face’ who stalked the town of Larsen City for over a decade, before suddenly disappearing. Although the events occurred many years in the past, the community still lives under the shadow of tragedy. Unaware of the town’s history, Gabe (Colin Cunningham) checks into the local motel and quickly discovers that Pale Face might not be as gone as the town had hoped…
He Never Left is a slow-burn thriller that embraces the power of paranoia. Gabe hasn’t arrived in Larsen City for a holiday, or even business; the reality is that he is on the run. An escaped convict, Gabe is a federal fugitive, and enlists the help of his former girlfriend to hide him. After winding up at the motel, Gabe has one job – waiting for his criminal contacts to extract him. Until then, Gabe must remain inside the room and not be seen by anybody. His isolation places him in harm’s way, and upon hearing strange noises from the room next door, he finds himself in all kinds of trouble.
With little to see outside of the confines of Gabe’s room, He Never Left builds an effective claustrophobic atmosphere. As Gabe becomes more upset and frustrated at being trapped indoors, the walls seem to close further in. The more time that passes, the more unhinged Gabe becomes, memories of his past mistakes both haunting and taunting him. The pressure cooker environment plays well on screen, with Colin Cunningham giving a great turn as the paranoid Gabe. As events start to expand to include Pale Face, ambiguity sets in. Is Pale Face really back, or is the killer a by-product of Gabe’s tortured mind? This uncertainty gives the viewer enough to keep them entertained.
The primary issue with He Never Left is that it struggles to fully get out of first gear. Much of the movie remains on one note, and it doesn’t evolve as interestingly as it could. In fact, He Never Left is at its greatest during the end credits. Here secrets and revelations are shared that, although a little obvious in the wake of what has been seen, are very disturbing. It is in these closing moments that He Never Left is at its darkest and most compelling, and some will certainly lament that this wasn’t more of a focus of the film. This quibble aside, He Never Left is a solid feature debut, with a strong central performance by Colin Cunningham.
He Never Left
Summary
A paranoia laced thriller that shows potential from first-time director James Morris, He Never Left has plenty of interesting ideas.
He Never Left was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Halloween 2023.
