Never Let Go was inspired by the creepiest horror movie you’ve never heard of

If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know Never Let Go draws on some classic horror influences. But according to director Alexandre Aja, something more unexpected was the inspiration.

Across some of the best horror movies of all time are the same motifs – a trapped family, an iconic cabin in the woods, and all hell breaking loose from there. The Halle Berry-led Never Let Go seemingly opts for the same… except nothing is as it seems.

In the new movie, Momma (Berry) protects her two kids from “the Evil” that lurks outside, except only she can see it. Her main goal is to keep the two boys alive by making sure they always stay tied to a rope if they go outside, promising to never let go.

Plenty of classic scary flicks spring to mind as potential inspirations – The Cabin in the Woods, or even The Strangers which began its franchise earlier this year – but according to Aja, Never Let Go’s inspiration came from a horror film most fans won’t have even heard of.

Speaking to Dexerto, he explained, “I kept going back to [as I was making the movie] the Japanese movie Onibaba. That, for me, is one of the best movies ever made.

There is something about those two women living in the high weeds, cut off from the world, and betraying each other through that supernatural sunlight mask that gets to possess them. That was kind of close to the movie I was trying to make.”

For the uninitiated, Kaneto Shindo’s Onibaba follows a mother and daughter-in-law who get by killing soldiers for their belongings. When the mother learns of her son’s death, she creates said mask to scare the daughter-in-law into staying by her side.

There are plenty of similarities between the two movies, which are namely tied to the pair’s remote locations. Both also follow an unhinged mother struggling between the supernatural and would could just be a lost grip on reality.

For more classic horror buffs, there’s another influence in Never Let Go you also might be able to spot.

“In terms of movies, when I read the script the first time, it reminded me somehow of the layers and complexity of The Shining. Even if my movie has nothing to do with it.

There is something that kind of echoes the use of the rope to devise the idea of being safe if you stay inside the house… or at least stay connected to the house.”

Still considered one of the best movies of all time, Kubrick’s The Shining saw Jack Nicholson and Shelley DuVall at the Overlook Hotel, with Nicholson’s Jack Torrance running amok as he starts to experience the supernatural.

While Never Let Go comes to cinemas from September 20 in the US and September 27 in the UK. Onibaba and The Shining can be found on Max and Apple TV+.

You can also check out the best serial killer documentaries, the best horror movies on Prime Video, and the best Neon horror movies while you wait. Similarly, find new movies streaming this month.