Alone at Night
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Alone at Night
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Alone at Night (formerly titled 18 & Over) is a horror/mystery movie about a web-cammer (Ashley Benson) who stays in a remote house while a crowbar-wielding killer is on the loose. It tries to be savvy and self-aware (including its own Paris Hilton-led COVID-era reality show) but ultimately it's all flash and surface. It has strong sexual material, including characters touching themselves in sensual ways, moaning, sexy outfits, barely covered nipples, kissing, flirting, sex-related dialogue, and a tame sex scene. Violence is also intense, with crowbar killings, a woman being choked, necks getting sliced, stabbings, an electrocution in a bathtub, dead bodies, and blood/gore. Language includes many uses of "f--k" and "s--t," plus "p---y," "t-ts," "ass," and the "N" word in a hip hop song. Characters smoke the psychedelic drug DMT, and there's pot-smoking, social-drinking, other drugs mentioned, and a character who's hungover.
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What's the Story?
In ALONE AT NIGHT, Vicky (Ashley Benson) is a web-cammer who's just been dumped by her boyfriend and has no place to live. It's the early days of COVID, and a friend lets Vicky stay in her remote cabin in Weed, California, where Vicky plans to recuperate and try to earn some money. She also passes the time by watching a new COVID-based reality show hosted by Paris Hilton. Unfortunately, the internet keeps going out, unexpected guests keep dropping by, and one of her clients is starting to become a little too stalker-y. To top things off, a serial killer who favors doing victims in with a crowbar is on the loose.
Is It Any Good?
Made in the self-aware, meta-style of the Scream movies, this slasher/whodunit has some wit and vigor, but in the end it's all flash, not dissimilar from the vapid reality show it purports to parody. Resilient but vulnerable, Benson is very likable as the main character in Alone at Night, and she goes a long way in carrying it. There's also a strong sense of the sadness and deception of the webcam industry, although one custoer of Vicky's (played by Luis Guzman) is uncharacteristically happy, pleased to simply chat with her, tell her how beautiful she is, and teach her how to dance (he really just wants to re-kindle his relationship with his wife). But when it comes to the thriller stuff, Alone at Night sets itself up as a brutal slasher (albeit one with awful shaky-cam action) and then makes viewers wait as it turns into a half-baked "mystery." Additionally, while the Paris Hilton reality show angle is an obnoxiously effective parody, it ultimately has little to nothing to do with the rest of the movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Alone at Night's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How does the movie depict sex workers? What are its attitudes toward real-life sex? What values are imparted?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
How does the movie depict the COVID-19 pandemic? Is it interesting to see it in movies, or would you rather not think about it? Why?
How do the Trap House reality show and the movie itself tie together? What do you think the movie is trying to say?
Movie Details
- In theaters: January 20, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: January 20, 2023
- Cast: Ashley Benson, Luis Guzman, Paris Hilton
- Director: Jimmy Giannopoulos
- Studio: Vertical Entertainment
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: January 22, 2023
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