This was surprisingly good and definitely maintains tension throughout, both through the acting and situation as well as cinematography and editing.
Without giving away any specifics or being blatantly spoilery, what I really enjoyed is that the protagonist, Jessica, does mostly everything that any woman with common sense and a general concept of stranger danger would do. Her responses and reactions are 100% natural and believable rather than just being a walking horror movie trope that misses or ignores every hint of danger just for the sake of plot convenience. Very rarely did I find myself frustrated or rolling my eyes at her actions. Sure, she still finds herself in danger, but that's how actual life is. You can be suspicious and guarded around someone that's making you uncomfortable, avoid the more obvious potential traps, but still end up in danger anyway. As for the serial killer antagonist (who is simply credited as The Man) he's also quite believable in a non-horror trope way. Just a generic middle aged white guy, almost desperately plain looking, that you probably wouldn't even notice if you walked past him. He's very much "the serial killer next door" type.
Now, I will say if you're expecting a ton of action and violence, you're not going to get it out of this movie. I don't even think imdb has this one listed as horror anymore since it's actual release, although I do personally think it qualifies as survival horror. Mostly it's a cat and mouse suspense thriller that delivers believable characters in a realistic and frightening situation. Very well done for what I assume was a modest budget.
Without giving away any specifics or being blatantly spoilery, what I really enjoyed is that the protagonist, Jessica, does mostly everything that any woman with common sense and a general concept of stranger danger would do. Her responses and reactions are 100% natural and believable rather than just being a walking horror movie trope that misses or ignores every hint of danger just for the sake of plot convenience. Very rarely did I find myself frustrated or rolling my eyes at her actions. Sure, she still finds herself in danger, but that's how actual life is. You can be suspicious and guarded around someone that's making you uncomfortable, avoid the more obvious potential traps, but still end up in danger anyway. As for the serial killer antagonist (who is simply credited as The Man) he's also quite believable in a non-horror trope way. Just a generic middle aged white guy, almost desperately plain looking, that you probably wouldn't even notice if you walked past him. He's very much "the serial killer next door" type.
Now, I will say if you're expecting a ton of action and violence, you're not going to get it out of this movie. I don't even think imdb has this one listed as horror anymore since it's actual release, although I do personally think it qualifies as survival horror. Mostly it's a cat and mouse suspense thriller that delivers believable characters in a realistic and frightening situation. Very well done for what I assume was a modest budget.
