Verdict
Summary
Sometimes when I see these low budget horror films set at Halloween, I really don’t “feel” the Halloween spirit just because they put some pumpkins or decorations up. You’ve got to ingrain and soak the film in fall colors, and this movie does that in spades. It’s just a shame that the movie isn’t compelling enough to feel scary or even spooky. But, hey, at least it tried.
Plot:
A convict on the run stays at the wrong motel … the place where the infamous Pale Face Killer last struck.
Review:
A dumpy motel known for being the last unfortunate spot where the infamous Pale Face Killer struck about 30 years ago isn’t so much a tourist destination as a sad locale off the road where legends and local lore have sprung. A woman was killed there in one of the rooms by a masked man that locals whisper about, and yet it’s not one of those places where sick, curious serial killer followers pilgrimage to because, quite simply, the place is a dump. The guy who runs the place is a portly prankster who puts up vintage looking Halloween decorations and puts on a creepy mask of his own to scare lonely ladies who check in in the middle of the night. To say that this is in poor taste is an understatement. Is he on the level … or is he somehow connected to the long-vanished and unseen or heard from Pale Face Killer? Who knows? When a woman named Carly (Jessica Staples) pulls into the motel, she says it’s only her checking in, but she’s hiding a an ex-con who’s on the run for murder, a twitchy, wiry guy named Gabriel (Colin Cunningham, who contributed to the film’s story). We learn about Gabriel: He killed a teenager unintentionally, and the event has altered the course of his life. On the run from cops on his trail, he somehow ended up in Carly’s world, and she trusts him enough to smuggle him around in her trunk. But bad news for both of them: They’re staying at the motel where the Pale Face Killer might be hanging out, even all these years later. And somehow, Carly’s past is connected to the Pale Face Killer, so perhaps it’s dismal kismet that events will soon unfold in a bloody fashion …
A topsy-turvy would-be slasher in this quickie, shot-on-digital, downloadable age we’re living in, He Never Left tries to give us the next iconic masked killer, but there’s simply not enough of him to make much of an impression in this relatively short film (it’s less than 90 minutes). There’s a lot of slow burn plot here, but just not nearly enough thrills or kills to make it worthwhile. I’ve got to say that some of the scenery is gorgeous with rich outdoor autumn colors, giving the film a true sense of the Halloween season. Sometimes when I see these low budget horror films set at Halloween, I really don’t “feel” the Halloween spirit just because they put some pumpkins or decorations up. You’ve got to ingrain and soak the film in fall colors, and this movie does that in spades. It’s just a shame that the movie isn’t compelling enough to feel scary or even spooky. But, hey, at least it tried. From writer / director James Morris.
He Never Left is out now on Blu-ray, and it comes with a commentary track, a making of feature, a segment on the film’s score, and more.
