ALONE is a tight survival thriller that is told almost like a cautionary fairytale. For women, the daily news does this as well, but now we see her fighting back. A remake of a Swedish movie from 2011. Read our full Alone movie review here!

ALONE is a new survival thriller that is actually a remake of a 2011 movie from Sweden. And when you watch it, you can see why it was perfect to make again. The story just works and the characters are interesting.

I cannot imagine many women won’t be able to relate to the lead character. Especially the beginning where she has to balance between being polite while also staying as safe as possible.

Sure, Alone is fiction, but women are always told to be vigilant and careful. Still, women are raped and killed every day so we’re not quite in any kind of safe world despite being on alert most of the time. That’s why the lead character’s reactions in this movie are so realistic.

Continue reading our Alone review below.

A classic survival story with power

What I really like about Alone was the fact that I never found myself yelling at the screen. Or worse, sitting back with my arms crossed and just rolling my eyes.

This is usually what happens when I watch a survival movie where the woman does everything wrong. You know, the classic horror tropes of running up the stairs instead of out the door.

No, in Alone, the woman does whatever she can. The fact that the bad guy can handle being hit directly in the head with an iron bar without being affected was stupid, but that’s another thing. Another classic horror trope, I suppose, that the villain is almost superhuman somehow.

Also, it helped that Jules Wilcox (Dirty John: Betty) was awesome as the woman fighting to survive. Along with, obviously, Marc Menchaca (Every Time I Die) being perfect as the creepy stalker! Finally, look out for Anthony Heald (The Silence of the Lambs) in a small role that plays a big part in the overall story.

Alone – Fantasia Review

Survival movies at Fantasia 2020

Actually, we’ve been spoiled at this year’s Fantasia Fest with two movies that featured women being hunted in the woods, but fighting back and doing what it takes to survive. The other one was Hunted from Belgium (which was also in English).

Recommended reading: Our Fantasia 2020 review of the survival thriller Hunted here >

The two movies (and the heroines in said movies) are very different, but both work really well. Interestingly enough, Alone gave me everything I expected from Hunted.

Hunted actually ended up being very different from what I expected, but I still enjoyed it.

Alone premieres at Fantasia 2020 and later on demand

John Hyams directed Alone with Mattias Olsson writing the script. Mattias Olsson also wrote and co-directed the Swedish movie that this was based on. It’s from 2011 and was titled Försvunnen (English title Gone) and after watching Alone, I really want to check it out.

In fact, as a Scandinavian, I feel robbed that I’ve never heard of this movie. This means I have no idea if this remake is a 1-to-1 remake or if it’s a new take on the same story. I do, however, appreciate that Mattias Olsson has written both scripts.

I.e. I wasn’t a fan of the fact that the German remake of Marshland was essentially a copy of the original. Or to be clear, I did like the movie but I don’t care for someone getting screenwriter credit when it’s just a translation of someone else’s screenplay. The movie was still good though so I’m happy we had the chance to screen it at Fantasia this year.

You might like: Our Free Country review here >

In any case, I’m very happy that Alone was made since it will hopefully lead to more movies for Mattias Olsson. I certainly can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us.

We screened Alone for Fantasia Fest 2020. It will also be in theaters and On Demand from September 18, 2020. Alone is added to Hulu on January 14, 2021.

Details

Director: John Hyams
Writer: Mattias Olsson
Stars: Jules Willcox, Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald

Plot

Jessica (Jules Wilcox) drives on a long, lonely stretch of road in the Pacific Northwest. Attempting to rebound from a tragic loss, she’s packed up her belongings and is headed back to her hometown to restart her life. Also on this stretch of road is a Man (Marc Menchaca) who, at first, seems harmless enough, but keeps showing up in the same places as Jessica. But it’s no coincidence. The Man has hostile plans for her, and once in his clutches she has to fight her way out to safety somewhere in the Oregon wilderness, away from civilization, away from any help and away from the devious psychotic out to destroy her. She will have to face this in the cold and rain while injured. She will have to face this knowing that it will put anyone who helps her in harm’s way. She will have to face this not knowing why The Man chose her. She will have to face this while her life is already in pieces. She will have to face this and all of her fears at once. And she’ll have to face it all alone.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
Latest posts by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard (see all)