Like Never Let Go 's wooded setting, these defense mechanisms come straight out of folklore. Momma, Nolan, and Samuel tether themselves to their house with a rope anytime they step outside. That bind grants them protection against the Evil.

Halle Berry talks about surviving off the grid, shooting in the woods with bears and bugs, skinning squirrels, and the impact of generational trauma.

In the filming of the Never Let Go scene in question, the filmmaker explained that it seemed even the dog was feeling the high tension in the air (pun totally intended). Coda is portrayed in the film by a canine performer named Brass, and Aja was stunned by his acting ability: