Are You in the House Alone? (1978 TV Movie) User Reviews

Tense and chilling made for TV movie

[acidburn-10 · 7/10 · 16 June 2013]

This movie may not be a straight up slasher movie due to the fact that there are no deaths at all, but for a TV movie, I found this very much decent and entertaining. The opening where we see the aftermath of a high school girl beaten and raped, which really set the tone for what this movie is about and then it flashbacks to the previous events leading up to what happened.

Like I said this movie is not a slasher but features several elements like the young girl getting strange phone calls, threatening notes and tense stalk scenes. However the suspense here has a very realistic feel and you do feel the raw emotions that this character is going through especially when she sees her rapist getting ready to stalk his next victim and of course we do get a list of suspects and this movie doe's display that angle well and keep you guessing throughout. While what happens is horrifying, there's not much in the way of true horror, but what we have is a pretty solid thriller with lots of build up and a great pay off thanks to its good pacing.

The strongest thing about this movie is the acting which is top notch Kathleen Beller who plays the main character was very good and believable, her innocence and beauty makes you really root for her especially when she turns detective and eventually turns the tables on her attacker. Plus we get a standout performance from a fresh faced Dennis Quaid and Scott Colomby as the boyfriend also really stood out, displaying great chemistry with Gail, in fact all of the cast had great chemistry with each other, even the parents were great.

All in all "Are You in the House Alone" may seem a bit dated by today's standards, but still genially creepy and frightening realistic.

tightly told and most engaging

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 1 April 2013]

A late 70s TV movie, that whilst not particularly original, is tightly told and most engaging. It is surprising watching this just over thirty years on just how much the social view of sex, sexuality and rape has changed. One central suggestion here is that the main defence will be that only a virgin can be raped. An attitude we now assume only applies in country areas of such countries as India or Pakistan. But this is modern sophisticated USA, and the other social factor this film raises is that of the protected moneyed class, depicted so devastatingly well later in Brian Yuzn'a 'Society'. The film tells us of the main event early on and then flashbacks to give us the lead up and aftermath. Watching it I wasn't sure this was a good idea but it works astonishingly well with much tension and suspense. Kathleen Beller is excellent as the wider eyed victim and a young Dennis Quad does well in one of his very first films.

Are you sure you want to watch this movie?

[Coventry · 5/10 · 3 January 2018]

I should probably start by stating that I don't regret watching "Are you in the House Alone?". On the other hand, however, if I had known from beforehand that this was primarily a family melodrama rather than a psycho stalk thriller, I never even would have bothered. The least you can say is that certain things here are slightly misleading. Yours truly is a horror fan! With such a title, film poster and plot synopsis like these, I was expecting a horror/thriller but there isn't a single casualty. I'll be the first to admit there are a few suspenseful moments and, more importantly, the film features many eerie trademarks that later would be copied & pasted in countless of other (and real) slasher movies like menacing phone calls, stalkers' notes and POV camera shots. Sadly, though, that's not what the film is aiming for. Even the whole "mystery" surrounding the stalker's identity is easy to predict, as the stare in his eyes pretty much betrays the perverted rapist quite early in the flashback already. The real story is about the - incredibly cute - teenage girl Gail Osborne of whom we learn at the very beginning of the film that she was raped in her own living room. What follows is a long flashback that clarifies how Gail arrives at a new school and quickly becomes a popular student among the male population of the school; and that includes teachers and boys. She finds disturbing little notes in her school's locker and at home she receives nasty phone calls with uncomfortable silences, creepy laughter and eventually the titular question. For some bizarre reason, there's also a totally irrelevant and dull sub-plot about Gail's father having lost his job and both her parents concealing this for their almost adult daughter. The final act, taking place after the rape, is reasonably interesting but, again, it's drama instead of thrills. Kathleen Beller is an indescribably beautiful lead girl in peril, but if you want to see a truly tense film dealing with similar themes I advise you to check out either "Black Christmas" (1974) or "When a Stranger Calls" (1979)

Above average 70's TV movie

[lazarillo · 14 May 2005]

Someone should really make an effort to find more of these old 70's TV movies and release them on DVD. I've been fortunate enough to catch "When Michael Calls", "Terror on the Beach", and this one on late-night cable showings. Others like "Bad Ronald", "This House Possessed", and "Go Ask Alice" can be obtained if you don't mind spending money in the morally ambiguous world of bootleg video sellers (or, even worse, on E-bay). Others though like the the made-for-TV slasher flick "Deadly Lessons" seem to be lost forever.

The 70's TV movies were not necessarily good, but they were often pretty enjoyable in a cheesy way. They were aimed at a more general audience than TV movies today (i.e. not just dumb, bored housewives) and they did not try to tackle any "issues". This movie actually kind of does tackle an issue (stalking and acquaintance rape), but it was really before it was an issue. It also has some pretty effective suspense leading up to the rape (scary notes, creepy phone calls, "Halloween"-style POV camera shots ). And instead of turning into a predictable courtroom drama after the rape, it ends on a rather ironic and somewhat cynical note. Interestingly, the movie was based on a fairly well-known young adult novel of the same name by Richard Peck (whose other book "If You Don't Look, It won't Hurt" would later provide the inspiration for the theatrical art film "Gas, Food, Lodging). As adaptations of young adult novels go, it's a hell of a lot better than "I Know What you Did Last Summer". I wouldn't pay $20 to an unscrupulous bootlegger to see this, but it's definitely worth watching if it comes on cable TV.

Are You in the House Alone?

[Toronto85 · 7/10 · 21 July 2013]

A young high school student begins getting creepy phone calls which eventually leads to her being stalked in 'Are You in the House Alone?". Gail Osborne is a sweet teenage girl who begins going out with classmate Steve. Eventually, she gets a phone call from an anonymous person who does the whole heavy breathing routine. It gets worse from there as Gail gets a note in her locker stating "I'm watching you". We get our list of suspects early on... is it the creepy photography teacher, Gail's current boyfriend or her ex boyfriend? Gail takes a babysitting job in town and that's when the stalker gets close and sadly Gail is raped by this person. We know who did it, and the rest of the film shows Gail trying to prove this person did this to her.

'Are You in the House Alone' is actually an important film for it's time as it tackles tough topics such a rape and women's rights. It isn't so much a horror film (like the title might make it seem) as it is a suspense/mystery movie. We spend a lot of the film trying to figure out who the stalker is. Once we find out the identity of the person, it's hard to watch Gail have to prove it to her closest friend and even the courts/police. Some of the stalking scenes were REALLY well done, and add creepiness to the movie.

The acting was very well done from Kathleen Beller, Scott Colomby, Robin Mattson and a young Dennis Quaid. Where the film lacks is it's pacing. It drags on quite a bit, and focuses a lot of the time on Gail's family issues and her father who's been recently laid off of his job. Good performances by her parents Blythe Danner and Tony Bill. I recommend seeing this 70's made for TV film for sure. It's only ever been released on VHS, but is online as well. It's a slower moving movie, but definitely has it's moments

7/10

Kathleen Beller coming-of-age in SoCal of the late 70s

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 27 February 2022]

A teen attends high school in the Los Angeles area (Kathleen Beller) wherein she starts dating a guy (Scott Colomby), but she's harassed by an unknown stalker. Blythe Danner and Tony Bill play the parents while Robin Mattson and Dennis Quaid are on hand as fellow students.

"Are You in the House Alone?" (1978) is a made-for-TV coming-of-age drama/mystery with elements of horror in the stalking & assault mold. In other words, it's real-life horror as opposed to a cartoonish assailant with a mask and a machete butchering people. It borrows a little from "Black Christmas" (1974) and is the precursor to "When a Stranger Calls" (1979), but don't expect a slasher or any gory, over-the-top horror.

This is perhaps the best movie to behold Beller's youthful, winsome beauty. Meanwhile Blythe Danner is attractive at 34 during shooting. On the other side of the gender spectrum, it is interesting to see Quaid when he was just starting out in the biz.

As far as whom the assailant turns out to be, I wasn't able to figure it out, which was a pleasant surprise. I can't say much else because I don't want to give anything away, but the flick drives home its point effectively while entertaining the viewer (as far as this genre goes).

The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles, including Ahmanson Mansion, Hancock Park, with a sequence of Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.

GRADE: B.

Not a horror film

[rdoyle29 · 4/10 · 5 December 2017]

I think my issue with this film is that I was expecting a very different movie, but I also think it makes sense to expect a different one. It's called "Are You in the House Alone?" and is apparently about a babysitter being stalked by an unknown assailant, but that's really about 10 minutes of the running time. Most of this film is a high school drama about this girl's teen angst and her current boyfriend ... and she receives the odd anonymous note leading into the 10 minutes of not very effective horror. This is not for me.

Made for TV coolness

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 13 October 2019]

Any time people wonder why women keep pushing harder and harder for their inalienable rights, you should force them to watch this movie, which shows how far our society has come since 1978. There's a scene in here that literally made us start yelling at the TV set because of how insane it is. Yet forty years ago, this type of thinking was commonplace.

Originally airing on CBS on September 20, 1978, Are You In the House Alone? is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Richard Peck.

Gail Osborne (Kathleen Beller, Dynasty) is a high school student dealing with all the pressures of being sixteen, such as discover her skills as a photographer and dealing with boys who only want sex. Her family has moved away from San Francisco to a new town to escape the dangers of the big city.

She starts dating a guy named Steve (Scott Colomby, Tony from Caddyshack), despite her overprotective parents (Blythe Danner and Tony Bill). Despite this young love flowering, Gail keeps getting threatening letters and calls from a man who laughs at her. She asks her principal for help and is basically told that it's all probably her fault for a way that she's treated one of her male classmates.

Gail's life is pretty much falling apart. Her parents constantly fight, her dad's back off the wagon and he gets fired from his job without telling anyone. The letters and calls start to increase and we have a red herring dangled in our snooping noses in the person of way too involved photography teacher Chris Elden (who is played by the incredibly named Alan Fudge who was in Galaxis and My Demon Lover).

Surprise - it ends up being her best friend Allison's (Robin Mattson, who was in Candy Stripe Nurses and a film that this is remarkably similar to, Secret Night Caller) boyfriend Phil (Dennis Quaid, who is so young it'll blow your mind). He attacks her while she's babysitting the children of Jessica Hirsch (Tricia O'Neil, Piranha II: The Spawing), a lawyer who just happens to be dating the aforementioned Mr. Elden.

The shocking part we mentioned above is that when Jessica becomes Gail's lawyer, she tells her that there's a chance no one will put Phil in jail because she's not a virgin anymore. The world may be a mess these days, but man, in 1978, it was a real mess.

While not technically a slasher - there's no body count to speak of - the hallmarks of the genre, such as a babysitter being stalked and constantly threatened by a maniac, are all here.

Also - what was it with 1970's made for TV movie houses and plants? Every single home in this movie is abundantly lush with vegetation. Every plant is green and thriving, despite no sunlight in any of these homes. How did they do it?

Misleading title and a slow story.

[OllieSuave-007 · 4/10 · 14 August 2018]

A typical TV thriller where a teenage girl named Gail is harassed by a stalker with threatening notes and phone calls. This main plot point is distracted with the sappy subplot of Gail's dating life with her boyfriend, Steve. Her complicated relationship with her parents (played by Blythe Danner and Tony Bill) is more interesting and I especially liked the performance of Blythe Danner in the mother role (including the part where she says she does not want her daughter to settle down at an early age, but to find herself first).

The plot's pacing, though, is very slow and takes a long time to gain any suspenseful traction. When it does, the thrills don't usually last long. And, the title is misleading. Acting was subpar - OK to pass on this one.

Grade D

Are you in the house alone?

[rochericky · 7/10 · 18 June 2006]

Distributor: GOODTIMES home video

Plot: A pretty high school student is marked for unrelenting terror in this suspense filled made for TV movie. Gail Osborne is new in town. She makes friends, has a boyfriend and everything seems to be going her way. That is until she gets an ominous and frightening phone call while babysitting. After more and more phone calls, she is raped. throughout most of the movie, she tries to find proof that the person did rape her.

Audio/Video: This 1987 VHS edition from Goodtimes stinks. There are constant lines at the bottom and top of the screen.

Extras: No extras from Goodtimes home video.

Final thoughts: This suspense filled made for TV movie was made in 1978, so don't expect many deaths (there are none). If you can find this movie with the Worldvision home video logo on the front, then buy it. But the Goodtimes version is pretty crappy. This can be a little boring, but if you are patient, the ending is pretty good.

Not Horror, But Alright For What It Is

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 5 July 2014]

A teenage girl is plagued by harassing phone calls. Her fear mounts when she is babysitting at a neighbor's home one evening and the caller rings her at that number.

There seems to be an effort to get this film marketed as a horror film. IMDb says it is one, Scream! Factory is selling it as one, and the title and cover strongly suggest a horror theme. While it is certainly a situation that would be terrifying to anyone in real life, that does not make it a horror film. It is more a "crime drama" or some such thing.

That being said, it is not a bad movie if you go in under proper expectations. A young Dennis Quaid gives a powerful performance, Blythe Danner does her part, and the rest of the cast is quite good. The story is fairly tight in its script.

For horror fans, what may be worth pointing out is that this film actually predates "When a Stranger Calls" by a year. Although the calls in this film are not coming from inside the house, there is a similar feeling and possibly a connection (though it could just be coincidence).

GREAT SUSPENSE! THE BEST EVER IN A TV MOVIE!

[movieboy-12 · 10/10 · 21 June 2000]

Okay, I love this movie!!!!! I watched it over and over again. It is so hard to tell who the attacker is. You keep thinking it's one person, then another, then back to the first person, then another person. It is so suspense full you want to fast forward your TV to the end to see who it is.

SUMMARY: Gail Osborne is raped and left at her home. She is in the hospital and begins to tell the story of how she was raped. It goes from her meeting her steady boyfriend, to her teacher who takes a liking to her, to her ex-boyfriend, all different stories, all suspects. But who did it?

I love the acting, they have a lot of great talent in here. The suspense is wonderful and the settings are superb. If it comes on TV watch it. *** 1/2 stars 10/10

A watchable melodrama, savoring the 70s

[ministerwithoutportfolio · 7/10 · 10 September 2006]

There is a lot to like in this film, despite its humble trappings of a preachy PC tale about rape and the perp always faring better than the victim. The movie did create a fair bit of suspense in the mystery surrounding who was sending the notes. (I, for one, was sure it was the teacher. In fact, that would have been more probable plot-wise because the idea of the best-friend's boy-friend kind of came out of nowhere. I guess the point of that is that "rape is omnipresent. You never know who it is going to be".) Ms. Beller is luminous as always (yet see KB discussion board for my qualification of this statement). Like all preachy films the plot lasts 15 minutes past the climax so you might want to quit watching at that point. Unless you are really curious to find out what happens to Phillip. Blythe Danner, as the mom, is in the role she was born to play: the fretting, over-protective mom. Some good 70s scenes for 70s fans. (The dark bar that the father goes to in order to drink away his pain is all dark-stained beams, barrels, oak and cork). A must for Beller fans and highly recommended for fans of 70s High School melodrama or 70s kitsch in general.

Who's calling?

[ctomvelu1 · 5/10 · 26 February 2013]

The title is a bit misleading on this TV movie, in that we expected a horror film. What we actually get is a reasonably decent high school bullying/stalking drama, with the long-haired Kathleen Beller as the victim. The plot also deals with a rape that goes unpunished, truly edgy material for a 1970s family TV flick. Beller plays a high school senior who starts getting nasty phone calls and notes from a stalker. The adults in her life do not handle the situation particularly well, and she begins to withdraw into herself. There is no end of suspects, to boot. Blythe Danner plays her high-strung mom and Dennis Quaid is one of her fellow students. Looks like it was filmed in a real high school, which helps. But it drags after awhile, and could have been about 20 minutes shorter. Truth is, a little bit of Beller goes a long way. She was a bit exotic looking with her massive mane and big round eyes , but she was not a very good actress.

A Good Film

[Bob-376 · 12 May 2002]

This TV movie is surprisingly good about a girl being stalked at school. I used to watch a lot of these movies as a kid and this one stands out as one of the best. It has an unpredictable ending and holds your attention throughout. Highly recommended if you get the chance to see it!

Almost like two movies in one.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 27 May 2019]

Scripted by Judith Parker, based on a novel by Richard Peck, 'Are You in the House Alone?!' tells the story of high schooler Gail Osborne (pretty Kathleen Beller, 'Dynasty'), who begins to receive ominous notes and phone calls from a stalker. Her best friend Allison Bremer (Robin Mattson, 'General Hospital') believes her to be prone to over-reaction, but Gail is still scared. Still, her ordeal is far from over, even after a horrifying encounter with the stalker...

This viewer realizes that TV movies such as this one are rarely going to pack the same punch as theatrical treatments of similar stories, due to being made for general audiences and designed to be interrupted by commercials. And 'Are You in the House Alone?!' is mild stuff compared to the typical big screen horror film, at least in term of scares and suspense. That's not to say that director Walter Grauman ("Lady in a Cage", 'Crowhaven Farm') doesn't give it some style, though.

However, it's after the villain is revealed (near the beginning of the final third) that this actually turns into a different sort of story, about one of the horrors facing real-life women. One completely sympathizes with Gail and wonders if justice can possibly prevail.

In the meantime, there are some subplots that take up time: Gail's interest / skill in photography (which, unsurprisingly, comes in handy), the secret that Gail's father (Tony Bill, "Shampoo") is hiding from her, Allisons' fantasy of marrying her boyfriend Phil Lawver (Dennis Quaid), etc.

It's the cast that makes this as watchable as it is. Other familiar faces like Blythe Danner ("Futureworld"), Tricia O'Neil ("Piranha Part Two: The Spawning"), Alan Fudge ("Capricorn One"), Scott Colomby ("Caddyshack"), John Travolta's older sis Ellen ("Human Experiments"), and Randy Stumpf ("Silent Night, Deadly Night") all turn up as well. Colomby is particularly endearing as Gail's likeable love interest.

Even though this one may come as a disappointment for TV horror fans expecting more of a spook show, its final third does make it somewhat interesting and impossible to dismiss outright.

Six out of 10.

Not horror but good for what it is

[Opacus_Music · 6/10 · 13 June 2021]

Lets start by stating that this is not a horror movie. Its much more of a drama on the subject of rape whit thriller elements to it. I must say that for a t.v. Movie, it doesn't take the subject to lightly. Sure, some of the writing isn't a thought provoking and serious as it should be given the subject matter but the core of the story and its unraveling i very close to reality and most of what doesn't resonate truth today sure seem appropriate for the time when this was made. Overall, I went into this thinking I was gonna watch a horror movie and even dough I quickly realize this was not gonna be the case, I was already to invested in it to quit and I see that as a sing of good writing and directing. I liked it a lot.

It isn't a horror

[nightroses · 2/10 · 17 August 2019]

This film is called "horror" by IMDB and Wikipedia. It isn't a horror movie, at all. It's a TV issue related movie. A teenage girl was raped and most of the story centred around the family and school like a soap opera. So this makes the film a drama and not a horror film. It was dull and I struggled to watch it.

Retro Fantasy.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 23 September 2012]

It has all the trappings of a bad movie about high school students, their loves, intrigues, and murders, but it's a little better than that. Poor Kathleen Beller, a pretty student at Oldfield High, starts getting mysterious notes saying things like, "I'm watching you." If that weren't unnerving enough, the phone calls begin. It all finally ends in her being raped, rather decorously. I had the wrong villain picked out. I could have sworn it would turn out to be the encouraging but slightly out-of-focus photography teacher.

It's not a slasher movie. There's no blood. Nobody threatens anybody else with an ax. It essentially a drawn-out story of Beller and the conundrums she faces regarding sex, family disputes, the threatening phone calls, her talent at photography, and whatnot.

A lot depends on Beller. She's in almost every scene. And she's adequate -- no more than that. She has an effective pout. Neither she nor anyone else has any scenes in which they explode with emotion. She's attractive in a babyish way and has wavy burnt-carmine hair that's really LONG, like down to her sacroiliac, the kind of soft mane any normal man would want to run barefoot through. Her boy friend, Tony Bill, has even features, and that's it. Ditto for Beller's Dad, who should never be promoted out of hair spray for men commercials.

The best performance is unquestionably from Blythe Danner. Her big blue eyes and ash blond hair aside, she's able to do something original with even small moments of distress or concern, and it makes much of the rest of the cast look as if they're auditioning for parts. Dennis Quaid has an important role but doesn't do much with it, partly because it's not written that way. He has only a few lines and is asked to do nothing but smirk or look puzzled. He was to improve mightily over the next few years.

I don't know that the film deserves too much acting talent. The director, Walter Graumann, must have once read a book of formulas for directors. Let's see. There's the camera zooming in for a choker close up when someone is about to say something important or express an emotion deeper than indifference.

Twice, Beller, the helpless victimized young girl, is quietly attending to something and an unexpected event takes place -- a door swings open without warning, or a figure appears out of the darkness -- and she leaps to her feet and gasps loudly. I guess someone forgot the musical sting that usually accompanies these shocks.

The camera has a habit of taking the point of view of the miscreant -- the monster, the murderer, the rapist, the voyeur. I don't know why this meme has infected the industry. Yes, it serves to hide the identity of the heavy, but it also forces the audience into the position of identifying with the person who is about to do wrong. The device was much less offensive in "Rear Window." Final cliché: After the rape, Beller wakes up in the hospital, bruised and deflowered, surrounded by loving family, doctors, and police. They all ask her, "Who did this?" And, as is WAY too often the case, the victim breaks down and begins sobbing gibberish. "Nobody will believe me anyway," she finally gasps out. I'll skip the legal improbabilities that follow.

I'm being kind of harsh on the movie not because it's so terrible but because with a little imagination and talent it could have been better than it is. Those family disputes, for instance, are an irrelevant distraction. Much is made of Dad's being laid off and hiding it from Beller to "protect her." Mom, with her part-time job showing houses, is holding everything together. But the movie has little sympathy for the parents. Instead, as Beller finally tells them, they should stop treating her like a baby.

Nice photography in joyous color. The sky is always a blazing blue. There are few spooky night-time scenes. Everybody is middle-class or better. They drive some sporty machines, take fencing classes, and if things don't work out at Oldfield High, the parents send them back East to private boarding schools. How nice for them, he said, in an envious froth.

A hodge-podge of genres

[AlsExGal · 5/10 · 5 May 2023]

TV-movie featuring Kathleen Beller as a high school girl who is being stalked by a mysterious person. Also featuring Blythe Danner as her overprotective mother, Tony Bill as the absentee father, Scott Colomby as her sweet new boyfriend, Robin Mattson and Dennis Quaid as her best friends, Alan Fudge as the creepy teacher, Ellen Travolta, Tricia O'Neil, Randy Stumpf, and David Keith.

This opens with a crime, and we see in flashbacks what led up to it, and then the final act concerns what happens afterward. This may be a bit SPOILER-ish, so be forewarned if you haven't seen this and want to with little knowledge ahead of time. The first act seems like a Halloween take off, with shots from the stalker's point of view, and creepy music on the soundtrack. The second act seems more like a bland melodrama, maybe an After School Special, for those who remember them. The last act, though, dealing with the consequences of the rape of the main character, are more like a message drama. The end result is that the movie is too exploitative to be taken seriously as a discussion on justice and injustice in regards to sexual roles and sexual assault, and too high-minded and dull to be of much fun for viewers looking for a thriller.

Solid movie

[jgkelley-48797 · 6/10 · 19 May 2019]

First off i didnt think it was a great movie by an stretch. But was definitely watchable & had its moments. Its by no means a horror movie, but it has some elements a kin with Friday the 13th where jason is spying on the kids in the lake. Moments like those where you see things through the antagonists eyes & theres some of that. But just feel like the movie could have been great with a few alterations or additions. Still wasnt bad, the acting was fine & although I wouldn't go out to search for the movie. If u find it on tv or see it in a lineup on some app available u could find a lot worst. I was really disappointed in the ending but I guess I was hoping for more satisfaction or at least a bigger climax at the ending

Good, Tense 70's Drama/Thriller

[gwnightscream · 5/10 · 5 February 2021]

This 1978 TV drama/thriller is based on a novel about a teenage girl, Gail (Kathleen Beller) who becomes stalked and harassed with notes/phone calls. Soon, she comes face to face with the guy where she's battered & raped. This is a good, tense flick with a decent cast that includes Dennis Quaid (Innerspace) and Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents). The Beautiful, Beller does a good job and the film shares a bit of similarities with "When A Stranger Calls" & "Halloween." Give this a view if you like psychological dramas or thrillers.

Hard hitting, ahead of it's time and brilliant

[meathookcinema · 9/10 · 31 October 2021]

Gail Osborne is a 16 year old who starts dating Steve Pastorinis who goes to the same school as her. It's also around this time that she starts to receive abusive notes stuck in the grills of her school locker and also abusive telephone calls.

For a film, let alone a TV movie to deal with an issue such as stalking in 1978 was very brave indeed as it hadn't entered the public consciousness yet and was largely an alien concept. But Are You In The House Alone? Deals with the subject very intelligently and exposes it for the vile, terrifying and horrific practice that it actually is.

But the movie also deals with other issues such as Gail's parents struggling with their marriage following her father losing his job. This again is dealt with brilliantly and feels integral to the plot rather than just feeling like padding to fill up the running time.

But Are You In The House Alone? Also deals with rape, another taboo topic for 1978. It deals with it amazingly well with discussions regarding getting the rapist to court and obtaining a conviction against him being seen as being very difficult indeed.

I love doing 31 Days of Halloween as it's a great chance to revisit horror films that I have seen in the past but also to watch films that are completely new to me. Some of these I'm really glad I took the time to watch. A small minority bowl me over as they are just so powerful and brilliant. Are You In The House Alone? Is one such film. When it ended I literally had to just sit and digest what I had just experienced and think about just how trailblazing the production was especially for that time and for the topics it depicted without any sugar coating or saccharine gloss.

Are You In The House Alone? Is a very unsettling experience as it worms it's way into your head and will stay with you long after it has finished. And it's a rare instance of a TV movie rightly finding it's way onto Blu Ray (thank you Vinegar Syndrome!)

An Ok Time

[deborahrighetti · 6/10 · 20 October 2020]

Typical TV movie with typical TV movie level thrills, but the acting isn't bad and it's well made with some atmospheric touches. Also interesting to see Dennis Quaid play a character like the one he plays here.

Couldn't finish it

[d_m_s · 1/10 · 30 November 2015]

Found a very low quality version on youtube.

Thought it was going to be a creepy 70's horror but this was not a horror film at all. Or much of a thriller. It was more of a drama about rape.

However, I could only bear 20 minutes before giving up because of the terrible acting, the lack of anything happening and the really, really slow pacing.

Every scene dragged.

All the characters were dull.

The storyline was uneventful.