Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing British horror movie Stalker. Featuring solid performances and a fairly intriguing plot, Stalker is an unfortunate example of a horror movie that out thinks itself. Spending the majority of its run time leading the viewer in one direction. It quickly yanks you by the arm, suddenly dragging you down a completely different one. The question is, does it succeed? Well, not really. Let’s take a look. We’ve explained the ending to this one so if you need answers, click the link but be warned of spoilers – Stalker Ending Explained article.
An Interesting Premise
Stalker follows the story of actor Rose. Rose was brought in to replace the original lead actor in a production after she mysteriously vanished. Staying at a lousy hotel, Rose is forced to use the freight elevator to reach her room. While entering, she is joined by a strange man. The pair begin chatting when the lift suddenly stops. It soon becomes clear that the man knows more about Rose than she realised. On top of this, she is trapped in the elevator with him with no way to escape.
So, as you can see, this is a fairly interesting premise. The thought of being trapped in a broken lift with your stalker is nightmare fuel, especially for a vulnerable woman. Alone in an old, poorly maintained hotel, in a strange city. It’s a great concept and one that offers the opportunity for some serious tension. Tension that Stalker does, occasionally, deliver on. Still, this is a movie that isn’t entirely dedicated to its horror leanings.
Stalker is one of those movies that is almost difficult to class as a horror. It is, at its core, more of a mystery thriller. Foregoing themes of action and scares, Stalker, instead, chooses to build its plot slowly. It wants to keep the viewer guessing, exposing them to a slow drip feeding of information and attempting to keep you off base throughout. Writer Chris Watt never wants you to feel entirely comfortable with predicting what will happen. He, seemingly, wants you to make assumptions purely so he can pull the rug out from underneath you. Keeping the element of surprise present throughout.
Doesn’t Stick the Landing
The problem is, however, that Stalker really doesn’t stick the landing. Around halfway through, the movie begins to heavily telegraph certain upcoming twists. Revealing that the, seemingly, once nuanced characters we have been watching are actually not that nuanced at all. They are exactly what you thought they were, no more and no less. It’s all a bit disappointing. You are expecting a plot twist, you can see it coming almost from the very get go. Despite this, when it comes, it’s a bit lacklustre. The big plot twist I had been hoping for only half came true, leaving me feeling a bit short changed.
This sounds like a bit of an unfair criticism but, the thing is, the ending is just so lacklustre. It builds itself up and promises something fantastic; when it arrives, however, it doesn’t even come close to delivering. It is just so painfully obvious and lacking in care. The exposition dump in the final minutes is nauseating, as well, and completely unneeded.
The final twenty minutes or so suddenly switch to a non-linear timeline to keep the viewer off base. It simply doesn’t work due to how poorly it is cut together. It is messy and disorganised with a serious lack of logic and some big continuity problems. Throw in a final scene that is a bit toe curlingly awkward and you have the perfect ingredients for disappointment stew.
Fantastic Acting
Acting is, generally, fantastic. Stuart Brennan, as Daniel, is excellent; completely convincing as a socially awkward, repressed, individual. The little touches Brennan puts into his performance are what makes the difference. The tone of Daniel’s voice, the slight facial twitches and reluctance to make eye contact. It is fantastic stuff and utterly convincing.
Sophie Skelton, as Rose, is a little more mixed. She does an excellent job for the vast majority of the film. Perfectly convincing as an actor struggling with both her job and ego. It is only the latter parts that she seems to struggle a little. The story demands some things from her that she doesn’t quite nail. It’s nothing too dramatic but worthy of note, she does a great job for most part, though. Bret Hart is a weird addition to the cast. I wasn’t expecting to see him. He is fine, I am sure wrestling fans will enjoy his performance.
Direction is mixed. Steve Johnson never manages to make much out of the extremely claustrophobic space. Pacing is awkward and frequently sags and he deserves serious criticism for the last 20 minutes or so which are a complete mess. The script is a big problem, as well, with the characters engaging in pointless rhetoric that feels like simple padding and a ton of heavy handed, cumbersome, dialogue.
Should You Watch Stalker?
Unless you are desperate for a claustrophobic thriller movie, you should probably give Stalker a miss. Is it a bad movie? Not at all. It is fairly watchable for much of its length. That doesn’t mean it is a good movie, though. It never manages to capitalise on its fantastic acting and engaging premise and both the writing and direction are poor. The twist ending isn’t enough to make up for some of the short comings which is a shame. There is the skeleton of a good movie here. It just needed some meat on its bones.