Solitude (2024) Movie Review - Surprisingly Decent

Welcome to Knockout Horror. If you are new here, we review horror movies, explain horror movie endings, and put out horror movie ranking lists. Today we are checking out a little low budget isolation themed horror movie called Solitude from 2024. You can find this movie on Tubi completely free and, best of all, it didn’t bombard me with ads like the piece of crap that came on after it did.

Now, before we get started, I always want to be straight with you guys. The director of Solitude, Jeremy W. Brown, actually hit me up and asked me to check this movie out. Just to be clear, this isn’t a sponsored review or anything. I’m just always happy to shine a light on indie horror when I can. My score and opinions are, as always, 100% my own.

Anyways, On With The Review

The story follows a well-known social media survivalist named Kara (Sam Wren Vincent), who lands a spot on a show that’s basically a version of the History Channel’s Alone. It doesn’t take long for her to realise she’s fighting more than just hunger and the crushing boredom of isolation. When it seems like some kind of supernatural entity has joined her in the woods.

Most of the movie is just Kara trying to survive. She’s filming herself foraging for food, setting traps, retching because the food is disgusting, and screaming into the void. You know, the usual suffering and pain we all know and love on these survival shows. Things take a dark turn when she stumbles upon a mysterious journal from 1881. That’s when the spooky shenanigans kick into high gear.

We’ve seen these themes before, right? The “social media personality” angle is everywhere right now, and you know I’m a sucker for a good isolation horror story. In fact, the first movie I reviewed on this site, Survive the Hollow Shoals, follows an extremely similar plot. Isolation and horror fit together like Lego bricks. You’re already battling the elements and your own sanity. Why not throw a Wendigo or something in there to really spice things up?

Honestly, I love this setup, especially the whole Alone vibe. Not because I think I could last five minutes out there, or anything. I’d miss toilet roll and my relatively mosquito free home too much. More because I enjoy seeing other people thrive in otherwise awful conditions.

Any Fans of Alone in Here?

Solitude has some seriously impressive talent for a film that’s hiding away behind a whole lot of scrolling on Tubi’s terrible Firestick app. Let’s talk about a couple of the actual survivalists they have on board. One being Larry Roberts who was runner up on Alone season 2 after losing to the late David McIntyre.

Coming second is very impressive when McIntyre was living like a king at his shoreline camp catching crabs every day. Wait, that sounds a bit dodgy. Fishing for crabs every day. Big crabs, too, I might add. I’m pretty sure, as I recall, Roberts sustained himself on mice.. Not big mice, either.. Just regular mice. Poor bastard!

And if you watched season 2, you definitely remember Nicole Apelian. Nicole has MS and still decided to compete. Apparently life wasn’t challenging her enough? The size of the bollocks on this woman; incredible! Not only did she make it 57 days, but she made it look easy. You know how some athletes just make their sport look effortless? Like Drew Brees for my fellow Saints fans. That was her, but with surviving in the Alaskan wilderness.

She’s a survival consultant on this movie and even has an acting role. Hands up, I wasn’t expecting much, but she was legitimately great on screen. Apelian was super natural and confident, like she has been doing it for years.

Having these two on board keeps the survival aspects feeling realistic and grounded. The bushcraft stuff is spot-on, and Kara’s struggles feel authentic to the show. You have to respect that commitment. Especially when you know indie horror budgets are, basically, the director’s overdraft or credit-card. Spending money to get that stuff right deserves praise.

More Familiar Names

The crew also has a ton of connections to the Friday the 13th series. You’ve got the horror legend himself, Harry Manfredini, scoring the film. So, needless to say, the soundtrack is a major highlight. Director Jeremy Brown also made the well liked Friday the 13th fan film, Vengeance. They even got Mick Strawn, the production designer from Nightmare on Elm Street 4, to co-direct.

Strawn also worked on special effects for Boogie Nights. I’m not sure if he was the guy responsible for Dirk Diggler’s immensely huge phallus but let’s pretend he was for shits and giggles. Either way, we know he has an eye for something to terrify both the ladies and the fellas.

That’s a lot of big names for a low budget indie horror. But, as we saw with the absolutely abysmal, Tubi Original, Cleveland steamer The Lurking Fear, names don’t always guarantee success. So how does Solitude hold up? I am happy to say, surprisingly well.

The talent onboard has clearly helped the crew avoid some of your usual “first feature film” pitfalls. The camerawork isn’t shaky and hyperactive, the editing is clean, and the acting is solid across the board. It sounds like a backhanded compliment, but Solitude just doesn’t feel like a low-budget indie horror.

We have a likable protagonist, some neat folklore that fans of the Until Dawn video game will definitely vibe with, and a story that’s genuinely interesting. Look, if you’re burned out on the whole “person goes crazy in the woods” thing, this probably won’t change your mind. But if you’re a fan of that subgenre, there’s plenty to like.

Slow Burn

Solitude is a pretty slow burn, for the most part. If you are expecting jump scares and people running around screaming, you will be disappointed. This isn’t The Blair Witch Project. The real horror here is watching Kara’s personal struggle against the wilderness. We only get into the supernatural goings on later in the film. Even then, it is always placed against a backdrop of whether Kara is, or isn’t, a reliable narrator. You know, the whole starving to death and chomping on dubious looking mushrooms, and all?

There’s an admirable restraint here, especially when you compare it to Brown’s fan film Vengeance. I think there is always a temptation in low budget flicks to overdo it with the scares. Rather than simply allowing the atmosphere to do the heavy lifting. That’s not the case here. There’s plenty of tension and a solid helping of dread to keep things engaging and to keep you off base.

On the downside, let’s be honest, some viewers are going to be put off by the low budget nature. It sucks to have to say but it is what it is. A lot of horror viewers don’t give indie movies the time they deserve, even when they are well polished like Solitude is. Some might find Kara a bit annoying. That’s par-for-the-course with the whole social media personality thing though, to be honest.

Sam Vincent is occasionally uneven in the lead role; probably through lack of experience. I really don’t blame her, though. She’s in almost every single shot, and maintaining that level of intensity alone would be incredibly draining. She has a lot of really strong moments, too, and I admired her physicality.

It also has to be said, the mix of a realistic survival show with supernatural horror isn’t going to work for everyone. Hardcore fans of shows like Alone might check out the moment the spooky stuff starts. Those guys are almost militant with their enjoyment of raw survival content. I am sure some would have liked a bit more character development, particularly for some of the side-characters. This is an isolation movie, though. You really can’t expand the cast in any meaningful way without diluting the main theme so I was okay with it.

Should You Watch Solitude?

As always, we grade on a curve for low-budget indie stuff so keep that in mind. Everything is relative; grading this movie isn’t the same as grading Hereditary or some other big budget flick. We are comparing this to other low-budget indie horror movies like Life of Belle and Leaving D.C.

With that being said, if you’re a fan of the TV show Alone but always wished a supernatural entity would show up to torment the contestants, then Solitude should be right up your alley. It’s a slow burn, low-budget flick bolstered by an authentic approach to survival (thanks to consultants from Alone) and a surprisingly polished production from a veteran horror crew. Don’t expect a jump scare fest; this is all about atmospheric dread. While the genre mashup might not click for everyone, Solitude is a tense, well-crafted, and highly commendable indie horror that I think is definitely worth checking out. It’s free, too, which is always a plus.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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