Clevercell
Very disappointing...
Ensofter
Overrated and overhyped
Animenter
There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
GL84
Following a brutal killing, the detective in charge finds that the killer could be an individual he has been pursuing for years that is targeting a group of friends preparing for a wedding and as the rampage puts them in each other's path he has to protect her from the madman.This one here has a couple good parts to it. One of the main things it gets right is that there are a few good stalking scenes in here that really come off as impressive and make it memorable. From the beginning, which is quite creepy and really creative moving from the scenes in the movie to the attack in the theater as well as the admittedly chilling attack in her friends' house where the killer strikes both targets separately using the suspense of the darkened house and individual attacks that build an effective sequence. A later stalking through her house where the killer sneaks in unexpectedly and strikes in leaving this with a really fun sequence where a decapitated head is found inside a fish-tank. There's also the fact that there's a couple of other good scenes in here spread throughout to give it a little extra suspense to it as the idea of him stalking her throughout the city has a nice feel which is portrayed rather nicely by having him pop up when she's not expecting it, and when mixed with the cheesy fun to be had inside the fun-house, which has a couple of actually cheesy and creepy moments while on the ride as the flashes to the solitary face in the darkness get a little unnerving. The other good part of this one is the really impressive finale to this that works wonders. It goes from a well-executed if slightly too short chase sequence into a full-throttle ride through a mortuary that has several impressive features from the non-stop action it delivers to the really creepy and cavernous location where it takes place. It's fun, exciting and has a lot of different ideas to use, making its purpose really enjoyable. These here provide the film's good moments as this one here doesn't have a whole lot of flaws, but there are a few in here. One of the issues is the really disjointed plotting in this one. The film is really all over the place with where it's heading, and it manages to make the film feel really slow and disorganized with the ways that it manages to throw off the main story with a lot of different, meandering subplots that serve as nothing but eat up time, making this one far longer than it should be. From the walk through the park to the focus on the friend's family and all the time dealing with the wedding really makes the film a lot longer than it really should. There's also the fact that it doesn't feel all to original or creative, and feels like a rip-off, despite being around from the beginning. It's got all the tired clichés, and while it may have rather started them, it still comes off as feeling like a follower rather than what it really is. These here are the film's flaws.Rated R: Violence, Nudity and Language.
heniekb
Totally average and very chaotic slasher movie. However I feel a sentiment to eighties movies and often find them more entertaining than an average modern cinema.I think especially the ending would work better if we had a closer look at the killer or at least at Phil, a groom to be. Instead we get some insights of the detective chasing the guy and a friend dating a character played by Tom Hanks among many other subplots.I watched it only because i am checking movies released in 1980. Same evening i saw Prom Night & The Island. Prom Night holds up much better.It was Tom Hanks first role in a movie, so for this reason i wanted to check it out as well. Actually James Rebhorn made a more interesting appearance, his character is memorable and real fun to watch.
lupitag-11852
A nameless killer stalks brides-to-be. That's "He Knows You're Alone" in a nutshell, so enough about the plot because there's really not much to say.The problem with "He Knows You're Alone" isn't the fact that it's obviously an attempt to cash in on the success of "Halloween" (hell, half the movies made before 1984 attempted the same thing), but the film commits two unforgivable slasher film mistakes: it's bloodless, and it's boring. Two things a slasher film should never be.If you're making a slasher film and you can't manage to keep your movie taut and suspenseful for 90 minutes what with all the stalking and slashing you have the opportunity to put on screen, you're either trying too hard to be classy or you just shouldn't be making a slasher.This isn't to say "He Knows You're Alone" doesn't have some good things going for it--the lighting is atmospheric in some night scenes, there are some tense moments where the killer is just out of frame waiting to strike, and the film is more professionally shot than most of its brothers--but all of its merits are bogged down by the interminably slow pacing. The film needed more blood, more kills, and more suspense overall to compete with even "Halloween", a slow burn itself which still manages to be ten times as entertaining.If you're a fan of 80s slashers, of course you'll still have to see it. If you're a casual horror fan, the most horrifying thing about the movie will probably the amount of time you wasted watching it.
Mr_Ectoplasma
Apparently I'm a minority in my unabashed love for this '80s spin on the "Halloween" formula, but I'm absolutely serious in saying I love this movie. The plot focuses on Amy (Caitlin O'Heaney), a college student and bride-to-be who finds herself, along with her friends, being stalked by a bizarre stranger the weekend before her wedding. The man, it turns out, has a history of murdering brides, and he has his eyes set on Amy and her friends.While I'm the first person to admit that "He Knows You're Alone" is a complete tread on everything that made John Carpenter's "Halloween" the great film that it is, I still don't have the heart to rag on this movie simply because it's so much fun. The film opens with a stellar movie theater sequence that I'm about 99% sure inspired Wes Craven's opening of "Scream 2", so things really start off with a bang. Much like in "Halloween," the film progresses in an almost voyeuristic manner, simply following the female characters around through their daily lives; meanwhile, they are also being stalked. Sometimes they are aware of the strange man, and other times they are not. I think perhaps what I find most attractive about this film is the quirky ambiance that it simply reeks of. The atmospheric Staten Island setting is absolutely perfect, giving the film a small-town feel within the confines of the New York borough, and the silly synth music that underscores the girls' adventures around the neighborhood before nightfall is dated but charming (for example, the scene when Amy goes to get ice cream— on an autumn day, mind you— is preluded by this music, as is the scene where the girls go running on the trails in the woods). Oddly enough, the film manages to deliver this quirkiness alongside creepiness, and in equal spades: for example, the scene in the ice cream parlor, where, in one shot, you get an utterly random close-up of an old overweight woman riveted by her ice cream, and then in the next, Amy at the counter seeing the stalker outside the shop window. Speaking of the stalker, another notable aspect of the film is its villain's transparency— he dons no mask or disguise, and is just simply a very menacing looking man in a trench coat (well played by Tom Rolfing) with piercing eyes that are given plenty of frightening close-ups. Caitlin O'Heaney's charming performance is also key to the film, primarily because she is so likable in the part, and she and her female counterparts have surprisingly natural and realistic chemistry. I also have to mention the fact that this film includes Tom Hanks' debut performance as a dorky classmate who the girls meet at the local amusement park. Although his role is fairly small, it's quite funny to see where his career began.Overall, I can't say much aside from the fact that I love this movie. Really, truly. It cribs John Carpenter's "Halloween" so much that it's painful, except not, at least in my case. I find the film endlessly amusing, atmospheric, and well-made, with solid performances and some effectively eerie moments. There is a charm it possesses in its emulation, and one that is absolutely unique. The film ends in a surprisingly creepy finale in the basement tunnel of an old morgue, and concludes with a signature '80s horror "he's not dead!" wedding sequence. The quirk and the atmosphere really drive this one home for me, and it's one of those films I can pop in the DVD player any time and still enjoy. Best scene? Head in a fish tank. 9/10.