Every once in a while a film comes along that I get the opportunity to check out that I likely otherwise wouldn’t have. Emily Bennett‘s and Justin Brooks’s ALONE WITH YOU happens to be one of those films, and I’m absolutely thrilled I had the opportunity to check out this nightmare birthed from the minds of Bennett and Brooks.

Here’s a quick plot breakdown:

A woman eagerly awaits the arrival of her partner on their anniversary. The longer she waits the more trapped she is in a hellish fever dream existing in their Brooklyn apartment.

I honestly had no expectations going into this. The bait for me to check out this film was the fact that Barbara Crampton was a player in the story which immediately reeled me in. Based on the synopsis, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Would it be an arthouse film? Could it be a supernatural slasher? I had no idea that I was going to be thoroughly spooked during the entire duration of this movie.

The first thing I noticed is that the main character, Charlie (played by Emily Bennett) seemed a bit off. It’s the anniversary of her relationship with her partner Simone (Emma Myles), and Charlie’s waiting for her to come home and celebrate. I noticed some very subtle mannerisms and other things that made Charlie appear off to me, and that’s a theme that carried on throughout the film. Some of these subtleties lead into the paranormal or unusual occurrences that take place while Charlie’s alone.

The atmosphere of the film is pretty heavy with an ominous tone only helping the film be that much more unsettling. As I was watching I kept wondering to myself if this film was going to carry a heavy theme of mental health and I personally believe that it did, although other critics may disagree. Charlie’s mother, played by the always amazing Barbara Crampton, displayed the overbearing behavior of an overly Religious parent. I always feel weirded out about people who are super religious, especially when your entire life is dedicated to putting down those whose beliefs vastly differ. Barbara Crampton definitely hit the uncomfortable nail on the head with her character in this film.

The scares in this movie were slow and incredibly effective. Even the jump scares felt natural and not forced. From eerie crying to some classic “flashlight in the dark” style scares, I felt incredibly tense as the film took me further and further through the rabbit hole of Charlie’s hellish downward spiral. I can honestly say that I felt actual stress while watching ALONE WITH YOU. If you asked what kind of movie this is, I could probably pin it as a psychological horror film, but it’s so much more than that.

There are not many characters in the film, which I think actually makes it that much more of a clever and intelligent piece of work. There’s a recurring phone conversation with Charlie’s overbearing friend, Thea. These conversations just had me feeling like she was an overbearing friend until some information is later revealed that actually caused me to partially figure out the twist in this film. However, it didn’t affect my viewing experience. Things only got that much stranger as I kept watching. I was fully expecting something supernatural or possibly a slasher, but what was delivered was better than anything I could have anticipated.

There’s so much to say about this movie but it’s impossible to continue discussing it without spoiling it completely. ALONE WITH YOU was an expected runaway train nightmare that shook me to my core. I was stressed and uncomfortable as I watched everything unfold. This is a movie you’re definitely not going to want to sleep on. I highly recommend looking for it on VOD, cutting off the lights, and grabbing a snuggle buddy because I promise you’re going to be shook.

Dark Star Pictures will release the horror film  ALONE WITH YOU in theaters on February 4, 2022, and On-Demand, Digital and DVD on February 8, 2022

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Devin March

Co-Host at GoreLords Podcast

Devin is a contributing writer for Nightmarish Conjurings and one of the three Co-hosts of the GoreLords Podcast. In his spare time (when it exists) he's usually cuddled up to his wife binge-watching a TV series, checking out new indie horror films or more recently playing Nintendo Switch. Devin is a huge fan of horror and macabre and it shows in his household. There is a room in his house dedicated to VHS tapes, Disneyland, Vintage Halloween and 80's horror.

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Latest posts by Devin March (see all)

• [Movie Review] THE HIVE - October 26, 2023
• [Short Film Review] MEAT FRIEND - March 9, 2022
• [Movie Review] ALONE WITH YOU - February 1, 2022