DVD Release
Whether you’re a scuzzy weiner wanker that gets off on unwiped old lady bottom or just a horror fan obsessed with seeing the goriest the genre has to offer…there’s a little voyeur in all of us. We all “get off” on watching others go about their everyday living and all the better if they don’t know we’re watching. Sometimes the most mundane shit can be fascinating when somebody else is doing it and they don’t know you’re watching.
Alone With Her is an intense, disturbing glimpse into the life of a young woman targeted by a stalker and the extreme measures he’ll go to in order to satisfy his need for complete control over her life. While writer/director Eric Nicholas tackles the controversial topic of stalking in this film he also does a phenomenal job of holding a mirror up to the viewer and asking whether we’re any better.
Doug (Colin Hanks son of actor Tom Hanks) starts out as your typical run-of-the-mill video voyeur constantly following women hoping for panty shots and cleavage footage until his need for intimacy grows and he finds himself no longer satisfied with just watching from the sidelines. Doug wants a piece of the action and that’s exactly what he finds when he comes across Amy (Ana Claudia Talancón) playing in the park with her dog. He begins following Amy to and from work and slowly familiarizes himself with her routine. When Doug is sure he’s figured Amy’s patterns out he makes his move, breaks into her home, rifles through her belongings and sets up a series of nanny-cams designed to track her movements and daily activities.
As Doug begins discovering more and more about Amy he becomes confident he can establish some type of relationship. He decides to take the plunge and he sets himself up to meet her in her favorite coffee shop. Things begin falling into place for Doug as Amy slowly comes around to Doug’s offer of friendship and casual conversation. Naturally…Doug wants more…much more.
When Amy’s life slowly starts spiraling out of control, Doug pushes harder hoping to shove her to the brink of insanity in order to “save” her from life. Unfortunately for Doug there are people in Amy’s life that just don’t get the hint and Doug will be forced to remove them for good or risk losing Amy.
Alone With Her is a taut, indie thrill ride and I enjoyed every single minute of the film. No joke, I was just mesmerized as the story unfolded. I found myself hanging on Amy’s every word and action knowing damn well Doug was watching and soon I realized something that made me a bit queasy…I had become Doug. I found myself slightly aroused and incredibly intrigued while watching Amy go about her life as if nobody was watching. Could this have been Nicholas’ intent? I just couldn’t take my eyes off the screen as Amy washed her ass, masturbated with a hairbrush, talked on the phone and painted. There were times that I had completely forgotten I was watching a film! I think the only thing keeping me from being totally immersed into Doug’s obsession and Amy’s day to day world was some of the completely unbelievable nanny-cam footage. Sorry people but, to my knowledge, nanny-cam technology hasn’t evolved to the point where you can shoot a film with them and have the quality be as good as that of a regular DV camera! Most nanny-cams and hidden cameras feature sketchy video quality, hit-or-miss sound and choppy real-time recording.
Can you believe that’s the ONLY thing that kept me from losing myself in this film? That’s a scary thought and I must say it bothers me a bit. Not only were Doug’s actions unconscionable but to come to the conclusion that you’re, in some small way, no better is a harsh thing to realize indeed. Alone With Her did what many horror films claim they can do but never deliver on…it disturbed me on a personal level and took a few extras minutes to cram my face into my own hypocrisy.
This film won’t change the world or the genre but it’s a worthwhile film indeed and one I’ll gladly be adding to my collection though I must admit I probably won’t be watching it again right away. It doesn’t exactly leave you feeling happy inside; no Hollywood endings here. I cannot recommend this film enough.
By the way, here are some interesting little tidbits for you geeks out there…the beautiful Ana Claudia Talancón will be starring in the upcoming U.S. remake of Takashi Miike’s One Missed Call. The film is set to be directed by Eric Valette, director of Maléfique. Let’s hope he’ll do what nobody else seems to be able to do…make a scary J-Horror remake.
