Never Let Go ending explained: What happened to Momma?

Never Let Go is Alexandre Aja's horror thriller survival drama. The film is written by Ryan Grassby and KC Coughlin and it was released by Lionsgate on September 20, 2024, after its premiere at Regal Times Square five days prior.

The synopsis explains:

A family that has been haunted by an evil spirit for years. Their safety and their surroundings come into question when one of the children questions if the evil is real.

Let us explore the ending of this Halle Berry starrer film and what exactly happens with the character she plays.

What is the plot of Never Let Go?

A still from Never Let Go | Image via Lionsgate Movies YouTube

Never Let Go revolves around Momma (Halle Berry) who lives inside a forest cabin with her two young kids, Samuel and Nolan. She has told them that there is a presence called The Evil that has spread everywhere after the world ended and they are the only survivors. But slowly Nolan starts questioning all his mom's claims.

How does Never Let Go end?

Never Let Go progresses to a point where Nolan starts to question their mom's claim of an evil presence. They seem unaffected several times when they go outside without the rope and it contradicts Momma's claims. Due to heavy winter, there is a dearth of food, and momma suggests that they should kill their dog. Nolan pushes her into the greenhouse to save their dog and she dies after seeing an entity.

The boys are left alone and soon, they are visited by a hiker. He tells them that there is no evil presence in the world. However, Samuel kills him as he feels the hiker is the actual evil. Soon, the hiker's daughter of the hiker shows up to find him. But the kids realize that she is the real evil and possesses Samuel. The latter then tries to k*ll Nolan but they are saved by EMT team members.

Throughout the film, it is never confirmed whether there is an actual evil presence or it is all a delusion of Momma. Before she dies, she keeps having visions of the entity that takes the shape of people from her life. She believes that the evil will possess them and make the brothers end each other.

Towards the end, it becomes quite clear that the evil is real after it shows up as the hiker's daughter. Despite these scenes, the makers intentionally keep things unclear as both the kids were devoid of food and they might be hallucinating. The film also showcases what paranoia can drive people to do, like Momma's behavior throughout the film and the murder of Cole, the hiker who was a real person.

There is a strong chance that the mother lied to her kids about the state of the world possibly to save them from the things she went through. What might have started as a genuine concern for her kids eventually snowballed into paranoia which might also indicate a mental health issue. There are several hints sprinkled throughout the film that might contain answers to some of the questions raised but still leaves some parts for viewers to decode.

What do you think of Never Let Go's ending?