Alone in the Dark (2022) Review

It's about a wealthy woman under house arrest in her lake home for her ex-husband's crimes who is being stalked by a stranger.

Alone in the Dark was directed by Brant Daugherty and stars Novi Brown, Christopher Bencomo, Kimberly Daugherty, Terrell Carter, and Malcolm Goodwin.

Intimidation thrillers have changed a lot over the years, but one thing remains constant: they always start with an unknown person watching a woman. This is undoubtedly the case with "Alone in the Dark," a new movie for Tubi's "Terror on Tubi" event. The film centers around a woman who is haunted by a recent scandal. Bri Collins (Novi Brown) is having a tough time with legal problems and a nasty divorce. However, things might start to look up if she can get through this year.

Alone in the Dark forces its protagonist to spend a year under house arrest, similar to how the character in Disturbia was sentenced. This is after Bri and her former husband, Michael, were put on trial for a global financial scheme. Bri's ex is in jail, but she's stuck living in their lake house. Her friend Sofia calls it "getting off easy," but Bri finds it torture. She was bored and bored until she began to suspect there was an intruder in her house. Then, her sense of boredom turned to dread at the thought of someone being in her home without her knowledge.

The police don't believe Bri when she tells them about the strange things happening in her house. Finally, a detective named Joe Hall suggests that the house is just settling and encourages Bri to hire personal security. Bri then enlists the help of a private investigator to help her get to the bottom of the mystery. The character Xavier (Terrell Carter) is initially distant and wants to keep things strictly professional. Still, the movie is heading in a direction where there will be a flirtatious subplot between them.

When Alone in the Dark begins to feel like a mystery with a romantic subplot, Brant Daugherty remembers it is a thriller. The stalker breaking in at night and attacking Bri shows potential, but this encounter turns out to be the last scene that is even remotely suspenseful. The title of this movie suggests that the main character, Bri, will be alone for most of the film. However, there are almost always other people around to keep her company. This is a missed opportunity to show Bri's paranoia and poor decision-making due to her isolation. The Daughertys fail to fully use Bri's smart house as a prison, instead overcrowding the cast and gradually ignoring the psychological aspects of the story.

The movie didn't have much tension but improved near the end. The first few acts were slow and didn't go anywhere. Now, Novi Brown finally comes to life and seizes every next scene she's in. The movie does an admirable job of concealing the stalker in plain sight, enough to where the unmasking comes as a minor revelation. Unfortunately, the actor who plays the villain in the film delivers a painfully overdone yet amusing performance. Although the mystery appears to be solved too quickly, Bri soon realizes something still doesn't make sense.

Worth Watching? 

Alone in the Dark put all its effort into one powerful shot instead of spreading its power evenly. As a result, the payoff isn't huge or impressive, but those viewers who are more patient and forgiving might be pleasantly surprised by the ending.

Alone in the Dark Review (2022) Worth Watching? - ALL HORROR Tweet it