He Never Left

Arriving at a run-down motel, a woman prepares for her significant other to appear so they can start a new life together, but as they stay at the motel come to believe that a savage killer from local folklore has taken up residence in the room next door and must try to get away alive.

This was an enjoyable enough effort, but it did have some issues. The biggest factor with this one is the strong setup that provides a great opportunity for this one to go with an intriguing thriller premise throughout. The central premise offering a fine bit of world-building with the backstory on the killer terrorizing the town and going uncaught for years since with them believing that there's a chance he's returned makes for a great setup, much like the resulting storyline about the couple staying at the next-door room. The way they come together with the room being used as a hideout after his fugitive status makes him go on the run and arrive there which sets him off into a panic when everything starts going wrong waiting for a pick-up to get out of the situation as the escalating tension trying to ensure nothing happens to him means that getting involved in the potential murder next door is all handled quite well. Given that this all goes with a strong secondary storyline about the potential killer following the girlfriend to her house as the atmospheric setting and tense stalking give this some great moments. Beyond this, there are some big factors here that come about more from viewers' expectations more than anything. With the setup about the legendary killer supposedly returning from an absence to start up a rampage once again with the setting taking place at the remote motel where the couple going through their own issues at the same time, the potential is there for this to delve into a stalk and slash template knocking off the rest of the motel guests before turning to the remaining couple. Instead, this opts for a thriller route about him trying to evade capture at the location rather than dole out the kind of body count or even slasher setpieces usually associated with the genre and leaves this one with a generally lackluster tone which leaves everything somewhat underwhelming with more focus on these factors that don't lead to the type of content you want. It's what lowers this the most.

Rated Unrated/R: Language and Violence.

In a town that's plagued by the memories of a killer in a mysterious pale mask, the setting takes place primarily in a small motel, where a wanted criminal has decided to post up from the police. Quickly you find out that not all is right in this motel as things begin to reveal themselves.

Actors give a solid performance that helps sell the uncomfortable uncertainty of this modern slasher.

The color grading, as well as the Halloween aesthetic, make for the perfect setting during the spooky season but doesn't limit this to a seasonal watch.

Simply, this was a beautifully shot, well acted, thrill ride.

The best parts of the movie were the fall colors as the car drove through parts of Utah on the way to the motel. Carly has Gabe in the trunk of her car, as Gabe is a very wanted man. Carly pays for three nights at the motel. For almost the rest of the movie we are regaled with a very paranoid driven Gabe, who has to stay out of sight in the room. There are some flashbacks which fill in some of the background. There is some use of jump scares, and also seeing people that are not there. There is a scene where the motel manager tells Gabe that Carly's credit card didn't go through, something about the address being wrong. The last act seems a bit rushed and incoherent. But do stay for the credits, as much is revealed, and it also seems this movie got some crowdfunding. But this movie is best forgotten, and even not viewed.

This is not a slasher...it is something more. It is a fantastic character study, executed with a stylish sense of filmmaking whilst bathed in Halloweentime ambience. The writing and presentation recall a time when horror films (thrillers, if you prefer) were just as much about mystery and intrigue as they were about shock and schlock. He Never Left has all of this to offer in spades, plus a few surprises along the way. The wonderful Witching Season Films family never fails to impress, with James Morris masterfully manifesting the macabre mise-en-scène both behind and in front of the camera, beside Michael Ballif, who poignantly paints each frame in dual roles as cinematographer and editor and never allows the same motel setting to get stale. Randin Graves' score is composed with as much compelling, calculating complexity as the performances from Jessica Staples and Colin Cunningham who evoke unrelenting empathy as David McMahon and Charla Bocchicchio meanwhile offer quiet quirkiness to round out a truly classy cast. Also true is that this film may not go the way you want or expect, but it stands currently as an antithetical to so many of its contemporaries in the zeitgeist and if it doesn't find massive success now, it will certainly find a cult of its own in due time.

While I had never heard about this 2023 horror movie titled "He Never Left", from director James Morris, of course I had to watch it as I stumbled upon it here in 2025, given my love of all things horror.

From the movie's synopsis, I was figuring that I would be in for a masked slasher type of horror movie, but instead I found myself in for a supernatural horror movie I guess, as there was a lot of imaginary things going on apparently. And truth be told, the writers James Morris, Michael Ballif and Colin Cunningham, with the latter also starring in the movie, failed to pen down a properly entertaining script. I found the narrative boring and uneventful, and I struggled to keep feigning an interest in it, but it was a losing uphill battle.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, and that was actually a nice thing, as I enjoy watching unfamiliar talents and faces on the screen. And despite of the script being a swing and a miss, then I will say that the acting performances were fair.

As for "He Never Left" being a horror movie, well, don't get your hopes up. Perhaps if you are a newcomer to the horror genre then you might find this movie scary. But I have been watching horror movies for more than 40 years, so this was a mere walk in the park. And a boring one at that.

Semi-watchable, sure, but "He Never Left" was not a great movie, not even by a longshot. It was a struggle to sit through, and it is definitely not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I will recommend to horror fans.

My rating of director James Morris's 2023 horror movie "He Never Left" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.