STALKER: A Claustrophobic And Intense Ninety Minutes

As far as movies that take place in elevators go, you have a lot to choose from. Some are good, some are not so good, and some make you wonder why you even bothered trying to watch such a piece of cinema. Luckily for me, none of those outcomes really apply here because Stalker dared to be better than just, “good.” It was great and kept me guessing throughout the entirety of its 90-minute runtime.

The film begins with our two main players, Sophie Skelton and Stuart Brennan getting in an old janky elevator in the middle of a run-down hotel where it seems like everything was built to go wrong. I understand in certain places hotels are outrageously priced so you take what you can get but this place seemed like they should have a booth for complimentary tetanus shots on your way out the door.

As the film goes on, director Steve Johnson gives us the chance to think that either one of them could be the stalker, both of them seem like they’re rather shady. The film also instills in us the possibility that it’s neither of them and there is a mysterious third party controlling it all. Could it be Bret Hart who plays the director of the movie Sophie‘s character is starring in who is pulling all the strings? Obviously, I’m not going to tell you, why would I ruin the third act of the movie? Why would I tell you that the last 10 minutes had me squirming in a good way? I wouldn’t.

What Stalker Got Right

From the moment this movie started until the closing credits Stalker was claustrophobic and intense. A lot of this comes down to the great performances from our leads who really sold the entire ordeal and the director who kept the feeling of being stuck front and center. I would argue in this case the largest contributing factor however comes from the writer of the script, Chris Watt, who took the circumstance of being trapped in an elevator and kept it going for 90 minutes without letting the dialogue or sudden changes get boring. I was always waiting to see what they would say next, what wrench would be thrown, or what revelation would come. It was fantastic.

Of course, I do have to back up again and say the two leads were definitely on point, especially Stuart Brennan who I completely believed was a sad and lonely B Roll camera operator. He absolutely killed it and when the camera was on him every bit of the uncomfortable vibe he was putting out, I was soaking up. I could rave about the little looks and quirks for thousands of words but I’ll show some restraint.

I also have to mention the visceral nature of the violence that takes place. This is a strange thing to put in a “got right” section but it’s true, the visual and practical effects were gross and perfect. achieving photorealism when it comes to certain things isn’t always an easy task, sometimes it’s downright goofy but here, I was convinced all the awful things I was being shown were real. It made me queasy. I loved it.

What Stalker Got Wrong

I really enjoyed this film so this section will be me nitpicking as I often do with movies I like. The first thing I will point out is the title of the movie. Stalker. It makes total sense for this movie to be called that but it also gives away too much information about the plot. A different title and a trailer that cuts around the main aspects of the movie could have left me speechless from what I had just witnessed. If I didn’t have an idea of what I was in for. As it was, the movie surprised me anyway, a different title would have completely blown my mind. (Again, I’m nitpicking.)

I could have used more Bret Hart. There, I said it. I grew up a huge wrestling fan and seeing him in this was fun. In fact, we could have had an entire subplot that showed the behind-the-scenes of them making that other movie if for no other reason than it giving us the chance to hang out with Bret. An actor isn’t wanting to come to the set? Bret “The Hitman” Hart puts him in the sharpshooter, problem solved.

The only other thing I could possibly think of for this movie may not even be something they got wrong. It’s something I’m hoping doesn’t actually exist. Without ruining everything I will say there is an app that can control an elevator from a smartphone. If this exists I’m absolutely terrified that now more people are going to know about it. If it doesn’t exist, I’m absolutely terrified that someone will invent it. Why did you have to give them the idea?

Conclusion:

This film was unknown to me, like so many in recent weeks, and I was so excited to get the chance to watch it. It was well-paced and intense when it needed to be with small important bright spots of humor. It really did do a good job of keeping me guessing who the real villain was all the way until the end and even then I was half right because I didn’t see the actual twist coming. Like, that was a really good twist!

Again, I’m going to recommend you go see this movie and tell as many people as you can about it. Take as many of them with you as you can drag out of bed. The independent film culture of the past couple of years has had some really great hidden gems and it’s a shame that more people never get to see these movies simply because they’re unaware of them. It isn’t fair to the filmmakers and it isn’t fair to the audiences who are missing out. So, grab your buddies and their mothers and find a showing near you.

Stalker will be released in theaters on March 31, 2023!

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