You Are Not Alone (2014)- Review

How do you pick out the next horror movie you are going to watch? Do you go by the word of mouth referral of a friend? Do you follow the recommended suggestions on Netflix? Or do you just pick a movie that you have been wanting to see for a long time? For me, it’s all of the above! However, sometimes when I’m browsing at the local video rental place, the cover of a DVD just jumps off the shelf at me. This was certainly the case with You Are Not Alone. I scooped it up and read the back immediately. I popped that bad boy in the second I got home. Did this previously unheard of movie leave me afraid to sit in the dark all by myself? Or should I have just walked away?

Written and directed by Derek Mungor (Desolation Wilderness,2011), You Are Not Alone was released June 22, 2014. Surprisingly, I I found this on the new release wall. After doing some research, I found out that this was a Kickstarter funded project. It’s pretty awesome that horror lovers are supporting indie flicks and getting unique movies made! Even though this movie only has a rating of 4.5 on IMDb, I’m convinced it’s only because most people, such as myself, may have not have heard of it.

The movie is set in a first person POV, not unlike your average found footage film. The film follows recent college graduate Natalie Wilner (Krista Dzialoszynski) as she returns to visit her hometown to celebrate the 4th Of July holiday weekend. After reconnecting with friends and going to some wild parties, Natalie wonders home drunk and alone. Not long after arriving home, she passes out only to wake up to a knock on her door. She looks out the window and sees a man in a creepy mask staring back at her. This begins a fight for her life against a psycho stalker who seems to have her number. Will she be able to overcome the creeper with a knife? Or will she die all alone with only the emotionless killer by her side?

What works:

It’s almost like you are the one in the movie. Although you never really see Natalie, you can feel her fear. That’s true promise of an up and coming actress. The first person point of view is a fresh take on this type of story line. The mask worn by the killer is absolutely terrifying. I don’t think anyone would want that staring back at them. I also love the fact that this is an unexpected holiday horror film. Although this movie may not have a lot of blood and guts and the body count is small, Mungor did not disappoint audiences and brought the level of heightened fear that someone in this situation would feel.

What doesn’t work:

It’s a long ride to get this movie going. Once it does pick up, you can’t take your eyes off the screen. However, I think the killer should have had more presence throughout the film. I know sometimes it’s scarier not to know why someone is after the victim, but with this being a stalker film, I think it needed more reasoning as to why the psycho was doing what he was doing. The last thing that bothered me was the fact the killer actually took off his mask. The mask was so scary that it took away that element of fear for me.

Final Thoughts:

This was a good concept with a few hiccups along the way. Overall, You Are Not Alone is a pretty worthy indie horror film. It has some great jump scares and awesomely creepy DVD cover art. I can’t wait to see what other horror movies Mungor comes up with. I’m also glad that by reviewing this, I can help get the word out on this film and support Indie horror. My recommendation for this flick is this: turn out the lights and watch this movie alone!