Written by Mattias Olson
Directed by John Hyams
Starring Jules Willcox, Marc Menchaca and Anthony Heald
Running time: 1 hour and 38 minutes
Unrated-contains violence and language

by Audrey Callerstrom

In 2020, there are multiple releases under the same title, Alone. Perhaps most famously is the survivalist show on History Channel, but there are also three horror movies: one is a thriller about a secluded writer, another is about a zombie outbreak. The third one is this one, a thriller about a woman, Jessica (Jules Willcox, Bloodline), who makes an abrupt move away from home with a small U-haul trailer in tow. And she does it… By herself. Alone.

During her drive, Jessica is nearly run off the road by a black Jeep as she tries to pass it. This scene, under the chapter of the film called “The Road,” is reminiscent of Duel - similarly, the driver is also unseen. The tension increases once we meet the Man, played by Marc Menchaca (The Outsider, Ozark) an imposing, invasive, self-assumed “nice guy” who continues to demand Jessica’s attention and consideration. He wants to apologize for running her off the road. He wants to know where she’s from. Later, on the side of the road with his arm suddenly in a sling, he demands that she drive him to the next gas station. She refuses. Jessica knows better - she’s seen Buffalo Bill fake an injury to get that girl into the back of his van (coincidentally, Silence of the Lambs’ Anthony Heald has a small role as a friendly hunter). Jessica keeps pushing him away, but he keeps pushing back, and eventually he captures her and locks her in his basement.

Menchaca is entitled and menacing in some of these early scenes, demanding that Jessica pay attention to him and go out of her way for his needs (surprised he never asks her to “smile”). He’s less intimidating, however, when his true nature is revealed - his name is Paul, and he is (presumably) a Serial Killer, and Jessica is his latest victim. The second half of the film is Jessica’s escape through the anonymous and empty woods of the Pacific Northwest, separated in further chapters like “The Rain,” “The River,” “The Night.” Jules Willcox is a good final girl, never breaking down under the pressure or giving up when circumstances are dire. Including, but not limited to, a rather gruesome injury that involves a stick lodged into the sole of her foot - horizontally.

Watching Jessica escape is thrilling, fighting the elements of the woods barefoot and in jeans. The film looks good, particularly during low-lit scenes and ominous shots of the tall trees. The actors are directed well (John Hyams), even if Menchaca is not nearly as scary spewing lines like “you delicious fucking bitch!” as he is when asking for Jessica’s name. Alone is capable of more, but the script and characters are simple. Even though we spend the entire film with Jessica, we don’t know anything about her. Like many other scripts of this ilk, Jessica is defined by having a Dead Loved One, a character we never see outside of a few cell phone videos. Menchaca is given some irksome dialogue. See the previous example of “delicious fucking bitch,” as well as when he refers to Jessica’s now-deceased husband as “rotting in some grave somewhere” (I guess it doesn’t sound as vile when you described them as “sitting in an urn on the fireplace,” does it?) Alone ends with a satisfying final shot, and stunts and visuals are impressive, but the minimalist nature of this film’s plot puts it at a disadvantage. As soon as Jessica is captured, we have a pretty good idea of how the film will play out after that. It’s well made, but its moments of surprise are few and far in between.