Horror as a genre lends itself to the impossible: monsters beyond belief, civilizations erupting, and characters surviving the unthinkable. Yet the true power of a well-executed horror film is the ability to motivate audiences to question, “what if that actually happened?” Here Alone, directed by Rob Blackhurst (Blood for Dust), offers a rare and intimate rendering of horror from a distinctly female perspective. Here Alone provides unique film programming for women, particularly mothers, and a space to imagine survival not only in the face of the undead, but in the aftermath of catastrophic loss, guilt, and moral compromise.
The film begins with Ann (Lucy Walters, Power) alone in the forest, scavenging for food, and avoiding the hordes of blood-thirsty undead waiting to consume her on the other side of the road. The non-linear structure of the film offers a breadcrumb trail of tense and ominous moments between Ann, her former husband, and their infant daughter as the outbreak of a strange and dangerous virus begins.
In the present, Ann is confronted by two fellow survivors: a teenage girl, Oliva (Gina Piersanti, Felt Like Love), and her severely wounded stepfather, Chris (Adam David Thompson, Things Will Be Different). Motivated by her maternal instinct, Ann begrudgingly invites the two to stay in her care. The two strangers amplify the sense of tension and danger, keeping Ann constantly on guard. Meanwhile, Ann is haunted by flashbacks of her family’s struggle to survive, and how her choices directly impacted their fate. Oliva and Chris attempt to grow closer to Ann, but are locked out by Ann’s immense wall of grief, guilt, and shame. When a food raid gone wrong leads to an invasion of murderous undead in the once tranquil camp, Ann is forced with a decision that challenges her limits of forgiveness, sacrifice, and material instincts.
Blackhurst creates an emotional dichotomy of opposites within Here Alone that motivates heavy analysis from audiences. The film presents strikingly pristine and tranquil landscapes contrasted by monstrous screams and visceral sounds of flesh ripping. Peaceful family homes littered with flowers and trinkets turn sour with blood. Blackhurst presents a horror film that while filled with a tasteful amount of gore and ripe with tension, is actually an examination of forgiveness, guilt, and motherhood. The most brutal moments of the film are not gore or action, but the memories that scar these characters. Ann witnesses what appears to be a tender interaction between Oliva and Chris—a fleeting glimpse of a father and daughter who have endured. For Ann, however, the moment is torturous. It represents a future forever denied to her: a child grown, a family intact. Not only memories of cruelty, including Chris having to kill Oliva’s mother once infected, but also memories of a phantom world that no longer exists. Here Alone is an indie zombie horror film that is centered around the evolution of empathy during chaos, love in the midst of fear, and the lengths a woman will go to honor motherhood. Recommended.
Can Here Alone be useful in a Women’s Study course?
Here Alone would serve as a compelling addition to a college-level gender studies syllabus or a women’s film studies program. The breaking of gender roles invites analysis alongside works such as Barbara Creed’s Monstrous-feminine, or a discussion of the presentation of gender roles in modern media. Here Alone is intended for mature audiences.
Could Here Alone be a teaching tool in an indie filmmaking course?
With a budget of roughly $176,000, Here Alone stands as a case study in budget conscious filmmaking, and a useful example in an indie filmmaking movie library. Winner of a Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award, Here Alone is an educational tool that demonstrates how to write for a budget, how to utilize restraint to craft tension, and successful use of minimalism in film. NoFilmSchool.com interviews director Rob Blackhurst on his Indie filmmaking process here.
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