Alone at Night (2022)

Alone at Night (2022)

Written by Diomedes Raul Bermudez and Jimmy Giannopoulos

Directed by Jimmy Giannopoulos

Quarantine leads to a night of terror. (IMDB)

A Horror Movie Review by Mark Walker

Vicky (Ashley Benson) takes herself off to her friend’s isolated cabin to get some peace, quiet, and solitude after a bad break up with her partner who wasn’t happy with her Cam-Girl career. However, her plans for alone time are thwarted as she gets caught up in the dangerous games played by a mysterious serial killer while keeping her regular clients happy online. All this takes place interspersed with clips from a reality TV series called Trap Stars giving updates on a group of vacuous fame-seekers, hosted by Paris Hilton.

For a cabin that is supposed to be miles from anywhere, there does seem to be a steady stream of eligible men turning up, often unannounced, and Vicky is not backwards in coming forwards. I’m all for a girl having fun, but when there is a serial killer on the loose, it doesn’t hurt to be a little more careful over the company you invite into your “isolated” cabin.

Effectively, this behaviour simply provides a lazy way to introduce a number of potential suspects, but not in a particularly interesting way. When you eventually find out which of the guys is the killer, it doesn’t really come as much of a surprise or that he is the very same anonymous “sugar daddy” Ashley has been stringing along online.

This formula just made it feel a little repetitive as Vicky meets a man, flirts, and suspects them of being a killer…rinse and repeat. There is no real character development and I never felt myself caring for anyone in the film. Benson plays Vicky Well enough, but the character comes across as foolish – figuring out someone is a killer and then willingly eating and drinking their food seems pretty dumb and out of character even when considering the need for the occasional “stupid decision” in horror films. Even after finding the killer’s secret room, bodies, and laptop computer linked to her Cam-Girl page, she doesn’t make excuses and get the fuck out of Dodge. 

It all just felt a bit contrived.

And then you get Trap House. For most of the run time I was wondering why the hell we were getting clips of a reality TV programme. Apparently, it was Vicky’s favourite show, and she was watching it up at the cabin, but I still didn’t understand the purpose of it. Was there going to be a twist that involved the TV stars? Was Vicky something to do with the show? Would the killer show up on TV? Why the hell was this part of the movie?

Well, it seemed to be none of those reasons, and I still don’t understand the inclusion other than if it was to pad out the run-time. 

***SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU WANT TO AVOID MAJOR SPOILERS***

At the end of the film we find out that the reality TV stars have been watching Alone at Night while in the Trap House. I suspect this was meant as a clever twist or shock for the viewer, but it ultimately left me confused and disappointed because it serves no purpose; at least none that I could discern. The ending pretty much negates the whole film. What was the point? Maybe it was something about how we are all watching each other or some sort of comment on the cult of celebrity? I admit I may well have missed something, some deeper meaning but, for me, it meant I went from an ‘okay’ to a ‘meh?’ before the credits had started.

***END OF SPOILERS***

I usually try to see the positive in every film I review, and I appreciate how much work goes into making any movie, whether micro or massive budget. However, in this case, I struggled with Alone at Night and felt it was a disappointment. It tries to do something clever but doesn’t quite manage it because I am not sure what that was. The plot felt lazy and repetitive and, while I could have gotten over that with a decent ending, the ‘twist’ that was delivered just made things worse. This is all my opinion of course, YMMV, but I can’t offer this as recommended viewing. Fans of Ashley Benson will probably get something out of it, and she does a good job in a low-budget film that looks good and is directed well enough, but in which the plot and story don’t quite hold together for me. Even a fun cameo from the legendary Pamela Anderson can’t save a lacklustre thriller with little horror or tension.

Not one for me I’m afraid.

Signature Entertainment presents Alone at Night on Digital Platforms 7th August

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