French filmmaker Alexandre Aja steps back into the genre he cut his teeth on with “Never Let Go”, a lean and atmospheric survival horror thriller energized by the star power of its lead, Halle Berry. It’s a film that doesn’t see the need in soaking its audience in blood or jolting them with cheap jump scares (with one lone exception). Instead “Never Let Go” is more of an old-fashioned chiller. It plays like a creepy bedtime story that grabs your attention and your imagination.

“Never Let Go” is built upon a fairly simple premise yet it’s surprisingly cerebral. Aja and the film’s screenwriters Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby take a very deliberate approach to their storytelling. They hint at and tease the threat of something sinister. But more of their time is spent developing a secluded and tight-knit family, laying out their complex relationships, and setting up their eventual fight for survival against a malicious Evil and themselves.

Berry gives an intensely heartfelt performance playing Joan, the mother of two young boys, Samual (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV). Along with their dog Koda, the three live in an old house deep in the woods. We listen in as Joan tells her sons that the world has ended and now an ominous Evil lurks in the woods. She remains vague, sparing Samuel and Nolan the disturbing details and leaving an air of mystery for the audience to ponder.

Joan has taught her sons that their house is their only safe haven and they can’t be harmed as long as they remain connected to it. And not just figuratively but literally. Whenever they leave their home to scavenge for food, they tie heavy ropes around their waists that are bound to the house. “That rope is your lifeline,” Joan fervently preaches to her boys.

Little is ever revealed about the Evil, even by the time the closing credits begin to crawl. What we do learn is that it feeds on fears and insecurities and takes hideous forms for those who can see it. Joan is tormented by the Evil but has managed to shield Samuel and Nolan from it. But the boys soon find themselves at a crossroads. Do they keep putting faith in their mother’s claims? The more inquisitive Nolan begins to doubt the Evil’s existence which adds tension to an already stressful household.

Aja does a terrific job immersing us into his mostly single setting. He uses the house and the gnarled forest surrounding it to generate feelings of isolation and unease. He also uses his technical savvy to produce some real edge-of-your-seat chills (go see it in a theater with quality surround sound). And of course Aja knows what he has in Halle Berry who anchors a big part of the story.

While “Never Let Go” has a lot to love, it also seems to be holding back on us. There are rich themes galore woven into story (mental illness, maternal bonds, the existence of evil, just to name a few) but they’re present more than considered. And by the end not everything revealed makes sense. But the movie still clutches you and (pardon the pun) never lets you go. After seeing it you may want to leave an extra light on for a couple of nights, and it may have you second guessing going outside after dark. And that’s the kind of response that makes the film so much fun. “Never Let Go” opens in theaters today.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS