Twinning is Definitely Winning in ‘Let Her Out’ (2016)

I’m a huge fan of Black Fawn Distribution, the Canadian powerhouse has undeniably become one of the most reliable companies on the planet. They are consistently delivering the horror goods, with killer must-see films like Horsehead (2014), Bite (2015 – our review here ), The Heretics (2017 – our coverage of poster and trailer release here ), and so many more under their belts.

I’m always paying attention to what they have on the horizon, so when they dropped the simply gorgeous poster art for the film Let Her Out (2016), without even knowing anything about the film yet, I was excited and intrigued. The trailer sparked my interest even more, promising what looked to be an exciting new body-horror offering. So, did they successfully deliver?

Written by Adam Seybold, and directed by Cody Calahan (Antisocial, Antisocial 2), Let Her Out, tells the story of Helen (Alanna LeVierge), a humble 23 year-old bike courier who leads a seemingly normal life. After an evening with her best friend Molly (Nina Kiri – The Heretics, The Handmaid’s Tale series), she’s headed home on her bike when she suffers a horrific car accident. She’s dealt a nasty broken arm, but more concerning is the head trauma she suffers. The doctors have no idea if or what long-term effects it might have.

After Helen is released from the hospital, she sets about resuming her normal life. But things are anything but normal, as she keeps experiencing bizarre hallucinations and night-terrors, as well as frequent episodic blackouts. She’ll snap back to reality with no recollection of where she is, how she got there, or what she was doing. Concerned about her friend’s increasingly erratic behavior, Molly convinces Helen to go back to the doctor, believing this may be the lingering aftermath of the accident. But what the doctors find is beyond their wildest dreams: a benign growth in her head that the doctor believes is a sign of “vanishing twin syndrome”, a condition where a mother carrying twins has a miscarriage of one of the two children, and the surviving twin actually absorbs the other in utero. 

After this horrifying discovery, Helen’s twin continues surfacing in increasingly frightening ways, and leaving taunting clues for Helen that she’s coming. What follows is some grisly, incredible body horror of the highest order, and the final battle for Helen’s own sanity and self-control leads to an extraordinarily blood-soaked, cataclysmic finale of epic proportions that needs to be seen to be believed.

I love my body horror, and Let Her Out, delivered in a big way with some wonderfully cringe-worthy moments, and an absolutely unforgettable moment when Helen’s twin makes her big arrival. The cinematography here is absolutely magnificent, filmed beautifully with big, bold, vivid coloring, and the musical score by Steph Copeland is also very well done. The body horror is handled exceptionally, some fantastic gore and practical effects in play. It’s a pretty fast-paced film, a brisk 89 minutes that never lulls or drags. The story, while maybe a bit lacking in depth, is told in an interesting and exciting way that keeps you engrossed, and builds to an immensely gory and satisfying conclusion.

Final Thoughts

Let Her Out is a tremendous and immensely thrilling film that you should definitely seek out as soon as possible. It’s a refreshing addition to the evil twin niche, a theme that hasn’t been explored nearly enough, and for any lover of body horror, it is a wonderfully bloody good time. Highly recommended!!