Smart, suspenseful & straightforward, Alone is a lean-n-mean survival horror that employs the genre elements in effective doses to deliver a tense, thrilling & terrifying ride. Packing a simple premise and implementing a minimal approach to bring it to life, this sturdily crafted chiller also benefits from believable performances from its cast and is gripping from the get-go.
Directed by John Hyams, the film doesn't wait too long to introduce the villain, and is up-n-running with the main plot almost right after acquainting us with our protagonist. While the story doesn't break any new grounds, Hyams is still able to get plenty of mileage out of the basic setting & structure by keeping things grounded at all times and allowing the situation & surroundings to heighten the suspense.
The tension-building is carried out with precision by letting our anticipation come into play and the cat-n-mouse scenario that ensues once the scene moves into the wilderness only makes the ride all the more arresting. Jules Willcox aptly articulates her character's fear & predicament while Marc Menchaca plays the antagonist with stone-cold demeanour. Each scene between the two is nail-biting and both actors play their part responsibly.
Overall, Alone is an intelligently directed & brilliantly acted example of its genre that's more than aware of its strengths & limitations and is executed with such flair & simplicity that our investment in the story is almost instantaneous. It is efficient in its storytelling, calculated in its handling of elements and unrelenting in ratcheting up the nerves. Add to that, it is briskly paced, tightly edited and doesn't overstay its welcome. In short, a solid entry in survival horror subgenre.
