1 in 12 women and 1 in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetimes %u2013 a scary statistic given that the modern spy technology that's being used to stalk is readily available without a permit all over the internet and at spy shops across North America. A tiny pinhole camera can be purchased for as low as $50, and electronic computer eavesdropping and illegal wiretapping devices have a price tag of than $100. Anyone at any time can be a potential victim of stalking. This very frightening and very real threat formed the basis of Eric Nicholas' Alone With Her, an unsettling tale of modern espionage horror.
Mexican actress Ana Claudia Talancón stars as Amy, a beautiful but lonely woman recovering from a bad break-up. Unbeknownst to her, she's the target of an obsessive stalker named Doug Jarvis (played by Colin Hanks; Band of Brothers, King Kong), who's broken into her apartment and installed an elaborate system of sophisticated electronic surveillance. Doug, who's not seen on camera for the first half hour of the film, is an uncomfortable, nerdy recluse who uses the invasion of Amy's privacy to win over her heart at first. But there's something "off" about Doug, and Amy can sense it. When he realizes she's not interested in him romantically, Doug's stalking turns dangerous as he sabotages her personal relationships, gets her fired from work, kidnaps her dog, brushes her pillow with a substance that gives her an unsightly reaction, causes her to have a hideous fall into broken glass, and finally, removes everyone and everything from her life that might stand in his way of convincing her they belong together.
Falling somewhere between Fatal Attraction, The Blair Witch Project, One Hour Photo and Psycho, Nicholas' second feature is a cautionary tale stares fixedly where we normally would dare not look. What makes Alone With Her most unnerving is the way director Nicholas chose to shoot it. The entire story is told through Doug's surveillance cameras, which serves to implicate the audience his crimes. Characters are deliberately photographed clumsily out of frame to capture the video voyeur esthetic, which gives the viewer a sense of Doug's frustration as we strain to see what Amy's up to off-camera. It's a deliberate ruse that gives this unique thriller a razor sharp edge that's especially terrifying for female viewers.