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The first 30 minutes or so of John Hyams ’ “Alone” are promising. Jessica ( Jules Willcox ) packs up her U-Haul trailer and moves out of Portland, Oregon for parts unknown. Whatever parts they are, they’re deep in the wilderness. Jessica is running from Something Traumatic, as befitting all protagonists in this kind of movie. Her father is concerned that she’s left a day earlier than expected so that she could avoid any kind of verbal skirmish with her mother. Her mother calls her repeatedly, and when Jessica finally answers, Mom’s whiny nagging explains why a confrontation was unwanted. No matter. We never find out where Jessica was going, because her plans get derailed.

You see, there’s a serial killer on the loose. He’s a goofy looking man with glasses and a push broom for a mustache. He reminded me of an older version of the Simpsons’ Ned Flanders, one who has done a lot of things that require repentance. You would think the filmmakers went for this rather Everyman look to distract victims from his villainy, but the guy known as Man in the credits ( Marc Menchaca ) never once acts anything other than creepy. In his first in-person interaction with Jessica, he asks where she’s going, tries to engage her in conversations unbecoming of strangers and then points out that he was driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee that almost got her killed when she tried to pass him a few miles back. I hope Jeep got paid well for this particular product placement. I hope U-Haul did too, because when Jessica’s trailer gets a flat, Man shows up to beat her senseless, drug, and kidnap her. Jessica wakes up in an empty basement room conveniently fitted with a lovely beam of sunlight streaming through the barred up windows.

So far so good for a thriller. There’s even a halfway decent moment of suspense where Man torments Jessica about the devastating event that sent her packing. When Jessica pleads for her life, Man asks “do you think you’re the first person who’s done this?” It’s the last time Man will seem scary, which is a shame because the movie’s barely one-third over. We’re spared any torture or sexual assault, thank goodness, and Jessica easily escapes from Man. This occurs after Jessica overhears Man talking to Wife and Daughter on his cell phone. Screenwriter Mattias Olsson really wants to lean into the idea that Man is living a secret life, but honestly, why should I be impressed by this? “Dark, murderous secrets kept from families” is covered in Serial Killer 101 on the first day of class.

Any genre goodwill generated by Hyams’ assured direction and pacing is lost when the film introduces another character, Robert ( Anthony Heald ). Robert is stupid, as all characters like him are in this type of picture. Before he shows up, Jessica suffers a gruesome foot injury while running from Man, so I expected “Alone” to become a battle of wills between the two out in the big, bad wilderness. Eventually, it does, which makes Robert not only completely extraneous, but also living proof that a good guy with a gun doesn’t stop anything.

The dialogue Man is given to speak is atrocious. When the film catches him monologuing while trying to flush Jessica out of the darkness, his attempts at psychological torture sound amateurish and paltry. It’s to Wilcox’s credit that she so ably plays mental distress that she almost saves the scene. But when Man says, in the dullest voice possible, that “I’m gonna get you, you delicious f--king b---h!” my suspension of belief dissolved completely. And that’s before we get to the deus ex machina helicopter and the climactic phone call which, believe it or not, isn’t to the police.

“Alone” gives us little reason to care if our hero makes it out alive, but I have to give credit where it’s due: Jessica isn’t written as some damsel in distress. Though she does make a questionable choice or two, she’s more crafty and engaged than a standard victim. There’s a scene where she temporarily gets the upper hand with a tire iron, and when she crawls away, she has the good sense to take that tire iron with her. I laughed, because I didn’t think she would do that. It showed a true survival instinct. There’s also a scene where a potential savior, when faced with believing Jessica or Man, sides with the killer simply because Man convinces him Jessica is hysterical. I might be completely wrong in my reading of the scene as a statement on the patriarchy, but I appreciated the sting of the moment nonetheless. It gave me something to think about as the movie limped to its conclusion.

Odie Henderson

Odie "Odienator" Henderson has spent over 33 years working in Information Technology. He runs the blogs Big Media Vandalism and Tales of Odienary Madness. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire  here .

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Alone (2020)

Jules Willcox as Jessica

Anthony Heald as Robert

Jonathan Rosenthal as Eric

Marc Menchaca as Man

• Mattias Olsson

Cinematographer

• Federico Verardi
• Nima Fakhrara

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‘Alone’ Review: Catch Her if You Can

An emotionally fragile young woman takes a terrifying road trip in John Hyams’s bare-bones thriller.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

The first rule of Flight Club is to run very, very quietly; the second rule of Flight Club is — well, you get the idea. Jessica (Jules Willcox), the fleeing heroine of John Hyams’s “Alone,” manages to break that rule more than once; yet this minimalist survival thriller unfolds with such elegant simplicity and single-minded momentum that its irritations are easily excused.

Mercifully unassisted by the usual booming, screeching soundtrack, the story’s inherent menace builds naturally as Jessica packs a U-Haul trailer for the long drive to her father’s home in rural Oregon. A traumatic loss has set her on this near-deserted, forested highway, her pensiveness shifting to alarm when — shades of Steven Spielberg’s “Duel” (1971) — the driver of a mysterious black S.U.V. orchestrates a series of increasingly petrifying encounters.

Divided into five chapters whose titles could serve both literally and figuratively, “Alone” (a remake of a 2011 Swedish thriller) counters its unoriginal plotting with reminders that Jessica’s agony stems from more than her immediate ordeal. From dank basement to rain-drenched forest to roaring river, each punishing confrontation reveals a desire to survive that we sense she is only now affirming.

Scrutinizing Willcox’s changing expressions, Hyams (who directed last year’s fabulously zippy zombie series, “Black Summer” ) gives her space to move and time to communicate her panic. He also gives her unnamed stalker (an effectively chilling Marc Menchaca) a creepy little whistle. And if the movies have taught us anything, it’s to never underestimate a villain who whistles .

Alone Rated R for a knife, a needle, a tire iron and a gun. Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators . Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters.

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‘alone’: film review.

A woman desperately tries to escape a homicidal stalker in the wilderness in John Hyams' thriller 'Alone.' 

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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Filmmakers who create thrillers should absorb the lesson that simpler is usually better. An excellent primer would be John Hyams’ lean, mean suspenser that delivers its undeniably familiar plot mechanics in tightly paced, unadorned fashion. Depicting the struggle for survival of a young woman who has the unfortunate luck to encounter a homicidal stalker on the sparsely populated highways of the Pacific Northwest, Alone proves a highly effective genre exercise.

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Release date: Sep 18, 2020

The encounter proves fleeting enough, but the male driver (Marc Menchaca, HBO’s The Outsider ), identified in the credits only as “Man,” shows up again in a parking lot and makes an awkward attempt at an apology. The fact that he looks entirely unassuming, sporting the sort of mustache and wire-rimmed glasses favored by serial killers, only makes Jessica more suspicious. So when she encounters him a third time, this time on the road with his car supposedly broken-down and his arm in a sling, she turns down his request for assistance. But he eventually manages to overpower and drug her at an unexpected moment, and she wakes up to find herself a prisoner in his basement.

Before the villain can fulfill his obviously evil intent, Jessica manages to escape, leading the film into The Most Dangerous Game territory as she desperately tries to evade her pursuer in the wilderness while also facing various challenges provided by nature. This section includes the film’s single most intense scene, involving her encounter with a hunter (Anthony Heald, The Silence of the Lambs , in a brief but terrific turn) who tries to help her, only to find himself caught in the middle between the desperately frightened woman and her tormentor, who claims that she’s his mentally disturbed sibling.

The two leads, who essentially carry the picture, deliver on all fronts. Willcox powerfully conveys her character’s complex mixture of fear and fortitude, and an underplaying Menchaca makes for a chillingly banal but clearly very dangerous psycho. At one point we hear his predator calmly talking on the phone to family members who are clearly unaware of his malevolent core, suggesting all too convincingly that none of us can be fully sure that someone we know, or even someone we love, is not in fact a monster.

Available in theaters and On Demand Production companies: Mill House Motion Pictures, Paperclip Ltd., XYZ Films Distributor: Magnet Releasing Cast: Jules Willcox, Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald Director: John Hyams Screenwriter: Mattias Olsson Producers: Jordan Foley, Jonathan Rosenthal, Mike Macari, Henrik JP Akesson Executive producers: Yeardley Smith, Ben Cornwell, Kevin Sullivan, Martin Persson Director of photography: Federico Verardi Production designer: Cait Pantano Editors: Scott Roon, John Hyams Composer: Nima Fakhrara Costume designer: Ashley Russell

Rated R, 98 minutes

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Review: A woman on the verge makes a stand in heart-pounding thriller ‘Alone’

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The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials .

An above average survival thriller from director John Hyams, “Alone” pits an emotionally vulnerable woman looking for a fresh start against a methodical predator amid some gorgeous Pacific Northwest scenery. Top-tier performances from Jules Willcox and Marc Menchaca provide 98 minutes of heart-pounding diversion.

We meet Willcox’s Jessica in Portland, Ore., as she packs her belongings into a U-Haul trailer and hits the road for points north. Not long after, an incident with a passive-aggressive fellow motorist (Menchaca) leaves Jessica rattled as she checks into a motel for the night.

The pair cross paths in increasingly tense encounters where Menchaca is just creepy enough to trigger Jessica’s fears until the real terror starts. In what is essentially a two-hander, the man challenges and baits his victim and Jessica responds with unforeseen grit. ( Anthony Heald is also good in a cameo as a potential good Samaritan.)

Mattias Olsson’s clever, minimalist script (based on his 2011 Swedish film “Försvunnen”) doles out just enough character and context via phone calls taken and avoided (Mom) to draw us in. Chapters with such titles as “The Road” and “The Rain” hint at Jessica’s evolving mental state.

Hyams ( “All Square” and a pair of “Universal Soldier” sequels) allows the story to take its time without lagging, leaning into both the broad expanses of nature and closeups of his actors’ faces. Crisp cinematography by Federico Verardi, taut editing by Scott Roon and Hyams, and measured sound design create an environment where the beam of a flashlight or the snap of a twig can set a new chase in motion as the film steadily builds to a brutal, effectively staged climax.

Rated: R, for violent content and language Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes Playing: Vineland Drive-In, City of Industry and in general release where thetaers are open; also on VOD

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Best Psychological Thriller Movies On Netflix

“people don’t understand”: why a seated fight scene in brad pitt’s $239m action movie was a major challenge, the fall guy's box office confirms a harsh reality after $2.4 billion phenomenon.

The following contains discussions of suicide.

• Alone's protagonist Jess outwits and kills serial killer Sam after being relentlessly chased.
• Alone's ending implies Jess survived her ordeal, with a rescue helicopter being heard offscreen.
• Sam, a family man and hunter, underestimates Jess, leading to his downfall during their final confrontation.

Alone is an intense psychological horror thriller by director John Hyams, where a woman named Jessica is kidnapped and hunted by a relentless killer. 2020's Alone cast Jules Willcox as the recently widowed Jessica, who over the course of a long road trip, repeatedly encounters a strange man called Sam (Marc Menchaca). Sam seems to appear wherever she goes and is ultimately revealed to be a serial killer. Sam kidnaps Jessica and takes her to his isolated cabin, but thanks to some quick thinking, she's able to escape into the woods.

Sam proves almost impossible to shake because no matter how many times Jess tries to get away, he is always two steps ahead. This comes to a head in Alone's ending, where, after calling the police on Sam's phone, Jessica is forced to fight her tormentor one-on-one . Having been stalked by Sam for several days, Jessica decides she will either kill him or die trying. Despite being injured during the brawl, Jess grabs Sam's hunting knife and delivers a killing blow , before sitting back and watching him die.

The best psychological movies on Netflix offer everything from classics and Netflix originals to award winners and international releases.

Is Jess Saved In Alone's Final Scene?

The meaning of alone's final close-up.

After Sam dies, the wounded, exhausted Jessica lies on her back. Before the final battle with Sam, she saw a rescue helicopter flying over a clearing, which was searching for Jess following her call to the police. The Rotten Tomatoes-approved Alone keeps things slightly ambitious, but while the ending doesn't show the helicopter arriving, the sound of its rotors are heard offscreen as Jess looks toward the sky.

This means Jessica survived her ordeal in Alone, with the helicopter taking her to safety soon after.

Alone's Five Chapter Titles Explained

Alone is divided into five chapters, consisting of "The Road," "The River," "The Rain," "The Night" and finally "The Clearing."

The first chapter details Jessica's road trip and eventual capture, while "The River" involves her nail-biting escape from Sam's cabin and eventual plunge into a nearby river to escape. "The Rain" follows her attempt to escape from the woods, with help from an ill-fated hunter.

Some other movies that use chapters as a narrative device include Kill Bill , Moonlight , and 2022's The Menu .

"The Night" involves Jess being stalked through the woods by Sam, who shoots her in the arm as she tries to flee. Despite his best efforts to taunt her into a confrontation, she doesn't take the bait. Alone's final chapter "The Clearing" builds to the final confrontation between Jess and Sam , with she steals his phone and calls the police before they fight to the death. According to director John Hyams at Rogue Commentary , Alone almost used the five stages of grief as the chapter headings , until it was decided this felt too obvious.

Who Is Sam? Alone's Killer Backstory, Motives & Death Explained

Alone's terrifying killer is a family man.

Alone earned great reviews , with Marc Menchaca's menacing performance as Sam cited as a highlight. Unlike Halloween's Michael Myers or other slasher movie villains , Sam is very much human and treats hunting down his victims like a sport . A phone call midway through Alone reveals that in the real world, Sam is a loving husband and father . Jessica overhears this call, where he explains to his wife he's still on a business trip but doesn't know when he will get home.

Sam also briefly talks to his daughter, who is feeling sickly. Not much is revealed about how long he's been kidnapping women, though when Jessica begs him to let her go, he coldly responds with " Do you think you're the first one to say that? " This implies Sam has been killing women for years and lets Jessica know there is no point appealing to his mercy.

Marc Menchaca later reteamed with Alone director John Hyams on 2022's Sick .

Alone's ending makes it clear that Sam never expected Jessica to fight back as fiercely as she did. His constant underestimation of her proves to be his downfall too, since Jess proves endlessly resourceful. His taunts also push her to fight back, and during their final confrontation, she's fully aware she could die - but refuses to back down. Jessica's will to survive ultimately proves stronger than Sam's.

What Happened To Jessica's Husband

When Alone begins, Jessica is seen packing up her belongings and setting out on her road trip. She speaks with her father and mother on the phone during the first act and is also seen looking at pictures of her husband, Eric. Jessica is later forced to admit to Sam that Eric died by suicide six months earlie r and she is moving to escape the memories.

Sam also uses Jess' grief about Eric's death as a psychological weapon , particularly in a key scene where he tries to draw her out of hiding. Having learned to look past Sam's gaslighting and manipulations, Jess refuses to let him trick her into a fight she will lose.

Jessica's husband Eric is played by Alone co-producer Jonathan Rosenthal.

Why Jess' First Escape Attempt Fails

For the majority of Alone , the only characters are Jessica and Sam , outside of some voices heard on the phone. This changes towards the end of the second act, where after wandering the woods, Jess later encounters a friendly hunter named Robert (Anthony Heald) . She initially attacks Rob when she mistakes him for Sam - an attack which has the tragic consequence of smashing the hunter's phone. Regardless of how they meet, Rob soon takes Jess to his jeep to drive her to the hospital.

Of course, her stalker has thought about this and blocked their path with a tree stump. Sam reappears and pretends to be Jess' brother , and claims the recent loss of her husband has caused her to have a psychotic episode. Rob isn't sure who to believe, but when he sees how terrified Jessica is, he insists Sam hand over his phone so he can call the police. While Rob holds Sam at gunpoint, the latter soon overpowers the older man, seizing his rifle and using it to kill him , while Jess runs back into the forest.

The Meaning Of Jess' Call To Sam's Wife

Jess earns her revenge during alone's finale.

In Alone's final scenes, Jessica realizes she has no choice but to face Sam , since help won't arrive in time. Before he reaches her in the clearing, Jess takes his phone and calls Sam's wife. Jess informs Sam's spouse her husband is a secret serial killer and that, in all likelihood, he's going to murder Jess when the call ends.

Sam arrives in time to hear this and realizes that even if he kills Jess, his secret life has been exposed. Jessica made this call to ensure that even if she dies, Sam will still be brought to justice.

With this move, she robbed Alone's killer of his remaining power and made their final fight to the death an intensely personal one. Despite Sam's anger, his would-be victim still manages to gain the upper hand.

Alone is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes , John Hyams' Rogue Commentary

• Alone (2020)

‘Alone’ Review: Misery Is Company in Tense Thriller About a Woman’s Flight From a Serial Killer

A lone female traveler attracts a serial killer's attention in John Hyams' discomfitingly tense remake of a Swedish thriller.

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

Film Critic

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Unpleasantly effective “ Alone ” centers on a heroine who wishes she were just that; instead, she’s got insistent, unwanted company in the form of a probable serial killer. John Hyams ’ U.S. remake of a not-particularly-well-regarded 2011 Swedish thriller is an apparent improvement in all departments, with the original’s reported plausibility issues and other flaws subsumed in what emerges a tense, muscular suspense exercise.

After playing the Fantasia Festival’s virtual edition, it gets released by Magnet to theaters and on demand Sept. 18. With its compellingly simple narrative of automotive pursuit and wilderness survival, this is a scary movie especially suited to the surprise resurgence of drive-ins.

Jessica (Jules Willcox) is introduced loading a small U-Haul trailer with her possessions before driving out of Portland, seemingly for good. It takes a while before we learn that she’s leaving in the wake of a grave personal tragedy that’s referenced but not really explained. Regardless, it is in a spirit of distraction and defeat that she is moving onward, getting an occasional call en route from parents who are evidently not happy with her decision. As her station wagon climbs increasingly remote, winding mountain roads, she finds herself stuck behind a black SUV driving with exasperating slowness. It blocks her from passing, then when she manages it, nearly forces a collision with an oncoming semi before vindictively tailgating her. Shaken, she pulls over, which seems to be the end of it.

But then it isn’t. The next day in a motel parking lot, the driver (Marc Menchaca) jarringly knocks on her car window, offering an effortfully sincere if questionably convincing apology for his prior behavior. With his thick blond mustache and wire-rims, he looks like Ned Flanders — or maybe, given a faint malicious gleam in the eye, like Kiefer Sutherland’s smarmy killer in “Freeway.” Jessica finds out all too soon which comparison is more apt. Increasingly panicked by each new “chance” encounter with the same pushy stranger, at about the half-hour mark she suffers an accident that proves no accident, waking later to find herself in dire, captive straits.

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At this juncture “Alone” looks to be abandoning its “Duel”-like buildup for the familiar, unwelcome torture-porny terrain of many a prior horror film dwelling on trapped female victimization. But fortunately, it soon allows the resourceful heroine out of her cage. The story’s majority becomes an equally nerve-wracking but less sadistically lopsided battle as barefoot, wounded Jessica tries to outwit her pursuer over Pacific Northwest backcountry of forest, rain, river and rapids. At one point she’s aided by a chanced-upon hunter (Anthony Heald). But as genre convention (and title) decree, she’ll ultimately have to face off against her nemesis solo.

Though the nameless villain shows every sign of being a serial rapist, among other things, “Alone” is refreshingly free of the exploitative edge common to its general narrative type. Provided almost no character backstory in the script by Mattias Olsson (who also wrote and co-directed its prior incarnation “Torsvunnen” aka “Gone”), Willcox still manages to make a protagonist mostly limited to expressions of fear and physical pain seem a credibly rounded personality. Menchaca’s chillingly underplayed villain is equally convincing in his smug, baiting malevolence, which disturbs all the more once we’ve overheard his banal sweet-talking over the phone to family members oblivious to his homicidal “hobby.”

This is a grim tale only somewhat leavened by the verdant natural beauty of settings well-captured (often in striking overhead shots) by DP Federico Verardi’s widescreen lensing. Those who can take the punishment, however, will be rewarded by a payoff with considerable satisfaction of the schadenfreude type.

Accomplished in all its tech and design departments, “Alone” is easily the best of several recent hunted-woman-in-the-wilderness films, including fellow indies “Ravage” and “Range Runners” as well as the flashier French “Revenge.” It doesn’t necessarily need the structural gimmickry of onscreen “chapter” titles (“The Road,” “The Rain,” etc.), but that’s a minor quibble.

Reviewed online, San Francisco, Aug. 21, 2020. (In Fantasia Film Festival.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 98 MIN.

• Production: A Magnet Releasing release of a Paperclip Ltd., Mill House Motion Pictures production in association with XYZ Films, IPR.VC, Koji Productions. Producers: Jordan Foley, Jonathan Rosenthal, Mike Macari, Henrik JP Akesson. Executive producers: Yeardley Smith, Ben Cornwell, Kevin Sullivan, Martin Persson. Co-producers: Nick Smith, Thom Zadra.
• Crew: Director: John Hyams. Screenplay: Mattias Olsson, based on the motion picture “Torsvunnen.” Camera: Federico Verardi. Editors: Scott Roon, Hyams. Music: Nima Fakhrara.
• With: Jules Willcox, Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald.

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Alone Review: An Entertainingly Tenebrous Take on the Survival Road Thriller

Alone is a pulse-pounding entertainingly tenebrous take on the standard chased by a maniac thriller.

Road thrillers are a fun subgenre with few misses, and while many favor electrifying action sequences and zany charm in their psychotic assailants, recently-released Alone relies on a remote, woodsy setting and an emotionless feel to pull audiences along a grimmer road to survival.

Given we're still sitting deep in the strictly streaming period of films that will continue unforeseeably, I'm grateful for anything new and remotely interesting hitting a platform I use. Alone recently popped up on Hulu, striking me as, at its possible worst, a conventional psycho chase thriller flick to pass time. It's darker, uncannier, and of course stylistically cooler than a glance at the plot summary would indicate.

Alone is a brutally intense stalker thriller with familiar anecdotes but an especially cold tone and approach that lends to a darkly gripping viewing. Director John Hyams, who has a long history in television direction, wedges in a mesh of thrills so aggressive it feels like a different film from act to act. What begins as a Duel -esque road hunt becomes a bleak victim trapped in a sadistic bastard's basement saga, only to shift back to a violent run from a psycho thriller. What remains constant is the overwhelming feel of emptiness, assisted by a secluded setting and creepily minimal score that's for the most part just sounds of nature and breath. There's no charm nor much emotion in any of Alone's characters. No sparks of life in any interaction. Very few comedic moments to lighten the load, unless strictly dry and direly dark is your avenue. To its credit, Alone is as pulse-pounding as a film so lifeless could be, and the sick rawness of it all enthralling.

Jessica (Jules Willcox) is a young, recently widowed writer who flees the city to heal and work on a novel. While driving throughout the Pacific Northwest she's tormented by a reckless driver. After a cat and mouse game, the man behind the wheel (Marc Menchaca,) am emotionless creep who fails miserably at turning on psychopathic fake charm, eventually captures Jessica and holds her in the basement of his remote cabin. After her escape, the chase is back on for Jessica. The psycho in pursuit is more clever than she could have imagined, and willing to take out anyone who interferes with his hunt.

Reading the Alone synopsis, you have to recognize commonplace tropes here. They're present through this excruciatingly tense journey, but these age-old, action-heightening twists all have a uniquely mean flare. It's hopeless occurrence after hopeless occurrence for poor Jessica, who we mainly only care about based on principle. She's a sad young woman processing an awful tragedy, just driving to clear her head, and now she's undergoing hell; fighting for her life at the hands of a heartless, evil creep who couldn't bother to throw in a joke or be entertaining every once in awhile.

However, Jessica isn't one to feel deeply for beyond the obviously tragic circumstances. Our resident psychotic stalker/nameless killer, played by the talented Marc Menchaca, isn't one to have affection for, either. Some writers and directors take the "make this guy an oddly likeable nut" path, or try to give a killer some comically redeeming qualities. Not the writing/directing team of Mattias Olsson and John Hyams. This psycho is a dead-in-the-eyes, infuriatingly malicious turd. The others we see along this forested battle for survival are mere pawns in the game, though hunter Robert (Anthony Heald) is a sweet and compelling character who brings the flick a brief moment of heart.

Early on we're thrown into a potentially deadly road game that spurs a nail-biting sequence. With thrills underway we're eager to meet this widow-torturing madman behind the wheel. Considering old films that previously tackled this maniac tormenting strangers on the road game, i.e. Duel , The Hitcher , or Breakdown , one's led to believe a viciously colorful character is ready to show himself.

Enter an uncharismatic, mayonnaise-toned creep with a mustache and pedo glasses.

Our guy in Alone is anything but colorful, but his repulsive disconnect from feeling, gross way of manipulating, and bland delivery of heartless thoughts soon becomes crucial to the film's freezing cold intensity.

When chase turns to held in captivity is when the tone begins making more sense and setting in effectively. No matter where you rate her on the compelling scale, you can't help but enthusiastically root for somebody's survival once they're locked in an insane man's basement. I'll admit, the film hits a disturbing lull amidst the cabin lockdown . Saw -like torture territory seems possible, which would have turned me completely off an initially rousing scenic chase . Instead, the mustached psycho stalker just chooses to be a weirdo who grabs Jessica and whispers a lot. While it's a little skin-crawling, thus in line with the overall unsettling factor, the momentum shift can take a viewer out if they weren't fully committed.

Fortunately, Alone sets out on the run again, and meandering shots of still, endless woods add hopeless chill to the thrill of the hunt. Jessica's a fighter, and resourceful. The mustached man is a fascinatingly evil son of a bitch who won't give up . The relentless need to kill, and relentless will to live make for a rigid ride with dark surprises and shockingly brutal moments. Hyam's crafts the long game of strategically navigating survival - exciting, but carefully paced to keep matters eerie as anxiety runs high.

The film's final third packs dramatically-increased levels of violence, and impressive fight from both characters, for whom matters have grown personal. Though Alone cranks the energy up to high voltage as a close nears, it stays true to grey form, steering clear of synths or dramatic sounds. A touch of light chimes is all it takes for the mood to stay tense.

Jules Willcox and Marc Menchaca are great as Jessica and the madman. Jessica finds her way from terribly sad, to terribly afraid, to beaten down but hellbent on killing a man. Jules handles that range and makes Jules the smart survivor you want to see make it and seek vengeance. As a character, Jessica has already lost her zest for life by the beginning of the film, so it's hard to truly love her. And what can be said for Marc as the psycho? He does a stand up job as the void of all feeling, unpleasant maniac who holds women captive in a secluded cabin. Is he menacing and a little on the scary side? Sure. That's all we can ask for. Do I typically like wilder behavior or more wisecracks from my kidnapping madmen? Yes, but perhaps I'm just old school.

Alone , all in all, is an entertainingly tenebrous take on the standard chased by a maniac thriller. It follows the general blueprint, though it's shot through a greyer lens, with raw violence, new thrills, and less frill. This airs on the more distressing side of chase movies, and maybe isn't a film you'll be going back to for repeat enjoyment. Plainly, there just isn't much to feel for throughout watching, aside from rooting for expected revenge. As it is, Alone is an eerie thrill ride with neat visuals, a few shocks, and an interesting heartlessness to it.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Timely zombie horror movie has violence, cursing.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie explores isolation experienced during a

Characters try to survive after a virus turns mill

Zombie-horror movie violence throughout. Rifle sho

Lead character wakes up in bed with another woman,

Some profanity, including "f--k." Also: "s--t," "b

Lead character, after going hungry for a few days,

Whiskey drinking, beer drinking. Marijuana smoking

Parents need to know that Alone is a 2020 horror movie in which a young man struggles to survive while barricaded in his apartment after a global pandemic turns millions into cannibalistic zombies. It was written by the same writer of the 2020 Korean movie #Alive . There's lots of zombie horror…

Positive Messages

The movie explores isolation experienced during a global pandemic, only this pandemic results in cannibalistic zombies rather than Covid-19 symptoms.

Positive Role Models

Characters try to survive after a virus turns millions of people into zombies.

Violence & Scariness

Zombie-horror movie violence throughout. Rifle shots. Attempted suicide by hanging. Talk of suicide. People jumping off of buildings. Helicopter crashes into building. Pick axe to skull. Talk of how a man's wife, after contracting the virus, ate their dogs. Character knocks out another with a baseball bat.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Lead character wakes up in bed with another woman, implied to be a one-night stand. Brief nudity -- male buttocks. Woman is scantily clad.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Some profanity, including "f--k." Also: "s--t," "badass." Middle finger gesture.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Lead character, after going hungry for a few days, is delighted to find Twinkies in another apartment.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Whiskey drinking, beer drinking. Marijuana smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Alone is a 2020 horror movie in which a young man struggles to survive while barricaded in his apartment after a global pandemic turns millions into cannibalistic zombies. It was written by the same writer of the 2020 Korean movie #Alive . There's lots of zombie horror violence, but unlike the Korean movie, much of the obvious commentary on real-life 2020 events isn't as prominent. The lead character attempts suicide by hanging. Talk of suicide (slit wrists). Fighting with a rifle, baseball bat, pick axe. Some gore throughout. The lead character wakes up in bed next to a scantily-clad woman, presumed to be a one-night stand. Brief nudity: male buttocks. Some profanity, including "f--k." Some marijuana smoking, beer and whiskey drinking. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (2)

Based on 2 parent reviews

The “bad” is necessary, for the good message

What's the story.

In ALONE, Aidan ( Tyler Posey ) awakens late one morning in his apartment to the sounds of pandemonium on the streets. People are running for their lives while others are screaming and growling. On the news, there are reports of a virus causing people to bleed from the eyes and turn into cannibals. Soon, one of Aidan's neighbors enters his apartment, and when it's clear that he has been infected, Aidan must find a way to get rid of him before he infects Aidan. After barricading himself in the apartment, Aidan tries to stay sane amidst all the screaming outside and the worries for his family by keeping a vlog, that is, until the power is shut off for good. As the days pass and the food runs low, Aidan is on the verge of ending his life when he sees another human in the apartment building across the street. Through signs and sign language, Aidan and Eva (Summer Spiro) meet. As food and water run low, they must find a way to escape to safety.

Is It Any Good?

This movie is written by the same writer who came up with the Korean zombie horror movie #Alive , and while the two have a similar story arc, the former is the better of the two. The biggest difference, and the difference that keeps Alone from being as good as #Alive , is that the latter was far more willing to explore the connections between their fictional world and the Covid-19 world we're living through in 2020, and the former replaces it with -- you guessed it -- more zombie-killing action. There's also something more appealing in rooting for the socially awkward gamer of #Alive trying to survive a dystopian pandemic versus the handsome surfer dude of Alone , whose "before time" life seems to consist of smoking weed and having one-night stands. Especially when they meet their female counterpart after weeks in total isolation.

That said, Alone can be enjoyed on its own terms. As the lead character, Tyler Posey is clearly fully immersed in the deteriorating mental and emotional state of a young man torn up and traumatized. In the interactions between Posey's character and Eva (played by Summer Spiro), that sense of the innate human desire for simple interaction comes through, even if at times their muted and clandestine conversation comes across as the unlikely opposites of a dystopian romcom. And of course Donald Sutherland is amazing, and his performance brings the story the closest to the deeper themes that come through in the original movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about zombie horror movies. What's the appeal of this specific genre?

How does Alone mirror the isolation some have felt during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic?

How does the violence here compare to violence in other zombie movies? How much is too much?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : October 20, 2020
• Cast : Tyler Posey , Summer Spiro , Donald Sutherland
• Director : Johnny Martin
• Inclusion Information : Latino actors
• Studio : Lionsgate
• Genre : Horror
• Run time : 92 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : violence, bloody images, some language and partial nudity
• Last updated : March 12, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Alone’ Starring Tyler Posey, The American Iteration Of South Korean Zombie Flick ‘#Alive’

Where to stream:, stream it or skip it: 'the walking dead: the ones who live' on amc, where rick and michonne try to find their way back to each other, 'lisa frankenstein' offers gen z its very own undead boyfriend, stream it or skip it: ‘badland hunters’ on netflix, a dystopian actioner buoyed by enjoyable tough guy ma dong-seok, stream it or skip it: ‘sweet home’ season 2 on netflix, where the monster apocalypse continues to plague humanity (but is it really all bad).

With  #Alive , we’ve already been gifted the first great zombie film of 2020, and this week, Alone,  its English-language original script,   is here to toss its horrifying hat into the ring. Now streaming on VOD, the Tyler Posey-led flick leaves its protagonist locked in an apartment complex while a zombie outbreak rages down below. Will  Alone  match the greatness of its South Korean counterpart? Or is it better left…. alone?

AL O NE : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Guy wakes up with one night stand in his apartment. Prepares to wake and bake. And then… an emergency alert appears on the TV, helicopters spin out of control above him, and ravenous zombies rage in the streets below. That guy is Aidan (Tyler Posey), a guy who doesn’t seem to have any distinguishable job or hobby and is lucky enough to have parents who pay his rent (well, at least for the first few minutes of the movie). As zombies – unique zombies in this case, ones who are actually somewhat conscious and feel remorse for what they’re doing – ravage his apartment complex and attempt to get into his own unit, he blocks his front door with a refrigerator and grows an impressive beard. To the best of his knowledge, all the people he knows and/or loves have been devoured by these fast-moving flesh eaters, and after a few weeks, all hope seems to be lost. He prepares to end it all, and then… you guessed it… a girl!

If you’ve seen  #Alive , you know where this is going. Aidan develops a fondness for a young woman who lives in an apartment across from his, and the two begin communicating (and flirting) using a whiteboard and (a lot of pre-written???) paper, respectively. They help each other out where they can, share resources, exchange smiles. And fight for their lives, of course. The connection these two share has them willing to venture out into this hellish world for one another and the pursuit of survival, and they wind up finding a few more horrifying things than just zombies out there.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Well, if you enjoyed  #Alive , you’ll probably dig  Alone , though  #Alive  is… better. Alone also echoes familiar zombie apocalypse dramas like 28 Days Later and Train to Busan .

Performance Worth Watching: The performances in  Alive  overall are pretty lackluster, but as Eva, Summer Spiro ( Westworld ) has a lovely, warm screen presence and an infectious smile. She does the best she can with what she’s been given, and offers a few of the film’s bright spots, even if her romance with Aidan isn’t totally buyable.

Sex and Skin: There isn’t really any sexy time here, but there is a lot of shirtless/naked Tyler Posey, including naked Tyler Posey showering in the rain on his balcony. Lots of tattoos and lots of butt.

Our Take:  When there are  so  many good zombie movies out there these days, you have to make a bold move to create something truly memorable.  Alone  unfortunately squanders that opportunity within its first few minutes, revealing the outbreak in such a comically quick and video game-esque way that it’s difficult to get fully invested. With this sort of thing, unless they’re prepared to do something radical, we should get the chance to spend a little time with our lead (and pretty much the person who carries most of the film on his back) before we dive into high stakes action. We know almost nothing about him or his interests or traits, so why should we care what happens? After we have some time with him, he’s a totally serviceable protagonist, but more character development really would have helped  Alone  kick things off on a better note. This sadly sets the tone for the rest of the flick.

Alone  isn’t offensively bad. In fact, it’s perfectly watchable. The unfortunate fact is that it pales in comparison to its South Korean counterpart  #Alive  in almost every category; where  #Alive ‘s zombies are truly terrifying and convincing,  Alone ‘s very much feel like actors being twitchy. Similarly, the romantic connection in #Alive  is much more believable and emotionally resonant than  Alone ‘s ever comes anywhere close to being, and that might largely be due to the bad writing (the needy, scolding woman role is so exhausted, guys) and flat direction. Despite its best efforts to be serious, Alone has a pretty big student film vibe – and this can be traced back to the direction. The effects are pretty mediocre, the zombies aren’t as scary as they could be, and the love story leaves a lot to be desired. It’s just missing that special something.

If I hadn’t seen  #Alive  before I saw  Alone , I might have cut it a little more slack. Because the South Korean adaptation is  so  great, however, I found it near impossible to fully get behind this one. (Though I was admittedly delighted by the Donald Sutherland appearance). It’s totally fine to throw on if you’re not expecting anything great, but if you have high hopes, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

Our Call: SKIP IT… and watch  #Alive  instead. Even if  Alone was written first, its South Korean adaptation just hits harder, is performed more convincingly, boasts better effects, and feels more genuinely scary (and emotional).

Should you stream or skip Tyler Posey-led zombie movie #Alone on VOD? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) October 29, 2020

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter:  @jadebudowski .

Where to Stream  Alone

• Alone (2020)
• Stream It Or Skip It

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When an outbreak hits, Aidan barricades himself inside his apartment and starts rationing food. His complex is overrun by infected Screamers, and with the world falling apart into chaos, he ... Read all When an outbreak hits, Aidan barricades himself inside his apartment and starts rationing food. His complex is overrun by infected Screamers, and with the world falling apart into chaos, he is left completely alone fighting for his life. When an outbreak hits, Aidan barricades himself inside his apartment and starts rationing food. His complex is overrun by infected Screamers, and with the world falling apart into chaos, he is left completely alone fighting for his life.

• Johnny Martin
• Matt Naylor
• Tyler Posey
• Summer Spiro
• Donald Sutherland
• 152 User reviews
• 31 Critic reviews

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Did you know

• Trivia Tyler Posey's dad in the movie is his real dad.
• Goofs At the very beginning Aidan says it is day 42 and he is sorry cause he tried. later in the movie when it is officially day 42 he only says sorry.
• Connections Referenced in Diminishing Returns Diminisodes: Peninsula (2020)
• Soundtracks In Light of Darkness Performed by Bri Holland Written by Hyesu Wiedmann and Frederik Wiedmann Published by 15th Magic Publishing (BMI) and Feda Music (BMI)

User reviews 152

• andrewchristianjr
• Nov 22, 2020
• How long is Alone? Powered by Alexa
• A U.S. Copy of #Alive 2020, South Korean Title #Saraitda September 8, 2020 Director Il Cho, Writers Il Cho (screenplay), Matt Naylor
• October 16, 2020 (United States)
• United States
• ICM Partners
• Martini Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $4,000,000 (estimated)

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• Runtime 1 hour 32 minutes

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