After hearing strange noises coming from an adjoining motel room, a federal fugitive inadvertently becomes the target of a notorious killer whose legend has haunted the local community for decades. A film by James Morris, starring Colin Cunningham, Jessica Staples, James Morris, Sean Hunter, David E. McMahon, Charla Bocchicchio, Jake Watters, and William McAllister.

For over a decade, the small town of Larsen City lived under the shadow of a masked killer known as “Pale Face.” In 1997, the murders and disappearances abruptly stopped, leaving the community traumatized and haunted. Though life gradually resumed its rhythm, the town’s wounds never fully healed. Even now, those who remain speak of the legendary killer only in hushed whispers — wondering about his mysterious disappearance and dreading the possibility of his return.

In a dingy motel room on the outskirts of Larsen City, a chilling attack unfolds. A masked assailant plunges a knife into a woman’s ribs. Wounded but defiant, she fights back, striking the attacker with her own small blade. As she desperately attempts to crawl out of the room, the killer seizes her, dragging her back into the room. We hear only her final scream as the door shuts and the screen fades to black.

Carly (Jessica Staples) arrives at the Skyline motel, which looks eerily similar to the one we saw earlier. She is startled by the motel manager, Bryce (David E. McMahon), who wears a blood-splattered skeleton mask, asserting that he’s preparing for Halloween.

Carly rents a room for three nights and specifically requests one with a view of the main road, explaining that it’s her OCD. The manager checks his logbook and notes that room 10 has water damage and that room 9 is already reserved. When Carly asks if she can stay in room 8, the manager appears a bit hesitant but agrees to accommodate her.

Returning to her car, Carly opens the trunk where her ex-boyfriend Gabriel Gasbari (Colin Cunningham), a former convict now a fugitive, has been hiding. They quickly enter room number 8. Carly is furious with Gabriel for showing up and potentially jeopardizing her chances of gaining custody of her son. She insists that Gabriel lay low and remain in the room until she returns in the morning with food. The film later reveals that Gabriel stole money from his workplace and is now wanted by the police for a hit-and-run case that killed a young man named Chad Leeland (Tommy Morris).

Gabriel is haunted by Chad’s ghost, who periodically materializes to startle him and the audience with unexpected jump scares. That night, Gabriel is awakened by Chad’s voice warning him of impending danger. Through the thin wall separating his room from the adjacent one, Gabriel hears a woman struggling. Despite the distressing sounds, he remains paralyzed with fear. Gabriel decides not to intervene, as he is a fugitive, and the last thing he wants is to draw police attention to his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, U.S. Marshal Tim (James Morris) and his partner Mike (Sean Hunter) follow Gabriel’s trail to the town of Larsen City. At the auto repair shop, Tim learns from the receptionist Cindy (Mary Ellen Wolfe) that Gabriel had stopped earlier looking for a job. However, Gabriel left without leaving a résumé or any contact information.

Tim is surprised by Cindy’s casual reaction when he tells her that Gabriel killed someone; she explains that this place is Larsen, which is infamous for the notorious killer known as Pale Face. Tim reveals that his father actually knew one of the victims, Stephanie Phelps (Alicia Oberle Farmer), who has been missing since 18 April 1997.

When Carly returns to visit Gabriel at the motel, he tells her about the distressed noises he heard from the adjacent room, believing someone had hurt the woman but admitting he did nothing about it. Carly criticizes Gabriel for his cowardice and knocks on the neighboring room’s door to investigate. The woman appears to be fine, explaining that she merely got her foot tangled in a computer power cord. Notably, the film never reveals the woman’s face during their entire conversation. Afterward, Carly returns home and is attacked and killed by an assailant wearing a Pale Face mask.

Written and directed by American filmmaker James Morris in his directorial debut, based on a story created by Morris, Michael Ballif, and Colin Cunningham, “He Never Left” is a gritty slasher film that follows a fugitive encountering a series of unfortunate events that lead him to cross paths with a notorious masked serial killer.

The film’s strongest aspect is its ability to maintain an intriguing premise centered around an elusive serial killer who has evaded law enforcement for decades, leaving no evidence that could lead to the real culprit. The portrayal of the Pale Face killer is masterfully enigmatic. By keeping the villain mostly off-screen and creating sporadic, mysterious appearances, the filmmaker builds an ambiguous presence that keeps the audience guessing. The character hovers between supernatural and human, reminiscent of iconic slasher villains like Jason Voorhees.

This deliberate obscurity creates tension, leaving viewers uncertain whether Pale Face is a vengeful spirit or a human killer until the film’s final reveal. The approach effectively transforms the antagonist from a typical slasher villain into an almost mythical, phantom-like entity that haunts the narrative.

However, the script struggles with repetitive conversations and occasionally includes unnecessary lengthy monologues that hinder the narrative pacing rather than propel the story forward. As a result, the film feels longer than it should, despite its moderate runtime of just 90 minutes.

The film overemphasizes Gabriel’s character, attempting to create sympathy for an essentially unlikeable criminal. By deliberately obscuring key information, the narrative tries to humanize Gabriel, who is either hallucinating the ghost of Chad or possesses an unexplained supernatural perception. I could easily guess what he did from the beginning, and it kept bothering me throughout the film, making me wonder when exactly Pale Face would take him out. The prolonged focus on Gabriel’s character and the ambiguous supernatural elements detract from the film’s potential to maintain genuine suspense.

He Never Left received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 1 November 2024.