Held (2021) Review

Directed By: Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff

Starring: Jill Awbrey & Bart Johnson,

Synopsis: When they are held hostage in an isolated vacation home, a married couple’s gender roles are challenged by an unknown Voice that commands the couples’ every move.

Review: Directors, Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing, deliver the goods here with the chilling horror thriller, Held (2021).

Estranged husband and wife, Henry and Emma, are brilliantly played by Bart Johnson and Jill Awbrey (the author); they will have you hooked throughout!

Attempting to relight the fire in their stale marriage, Emma and Henry go on a luxurious weekend away to a hidden getaway home. Things take a disturbing turn after a few alcoholic beverages between the couple, when we realise they were drugged, and are now trapped in the house. When they awake, a commanding voice begins to control their every move, reveals dirty secrets, and puts them through the ultimate test… to kill or be killed. If they don’t obey, they are brutally shocked by a torturous, high-voltage implant behind the ear; they find this out the hard way though!

In Held, the intensity level is set to 100. It feels somewhat like Vacancy (2007) at times, but instead of a crazy motel owner, there is a creepy voice making them confront their sins. We see the controller stalking the house at times, looking like a Michael Myers silhouette, which leads to an explosive confrontation and climatic ending; this movie will have you thinking about it for days after!

Overall, Held is a chilling and creepy thriller that will keep you firmly planted on your seat throughout. The story is clever, with plenty of shocking twists and revelations.

Directed by: Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff