If you’ve never given any thought to ridesharing beyond going where you need to go, Stalker is going to make you think twice.
I like to think that rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft vet their drivers. A film like this can be terrifying not just for the companies themselves but for riders, too. There’s a few scenes with gore here but it’s more thriller than horror in the general sense of the term. However, I would classify this film as horror just because of what Andy Escobedo (Vincent Van Horn) experiences.
Andy is new to Los Angeles after relocating from Austin. After going through a breakup, could you blame him for wanting a fresh start? Maybe befriending his rideshare driver, Roger (Michael Joplin), wasn’t the best idea. He meets Sam (Christine Ko) at a bar and they start going out with each other. This only pisses off Roger when Andy would rather hang out with her than him. I don’t say piss off lightly. Roger goes full psychopath on him–breaking into his home, switching out SIM cards, and more.
Why would you want to hang out with a random driver who you barely even know? It should be a red flag at the beginning especially if they do not work in the same industry. It makes me a bit thankful that my only horror experiences with Uber or Lyft are when their drivers ignore my pronouns on the app. I never really give any thought to what the driver might be experiencing while I’m in the vehicle. But in watching this film, it does make one want to have caution going forward. Is stalking this easy to pull off?!? I certainly hope not!
This is the second feature for filmmaker Tyler Savage and so the pressure is on. Nobody wants to fail with their second film because it often sends a message that a filmmaker’s first success may have been a fluke. This is a filmmaker who knows what he is doing and making ridesharing terrifying for riders in the process. The indie film budget limits what they’re able to do with the film but it doesn’t make it any less horrifying.
Stalker is horrifying in every sense of the word.
DIRECTOR: Tyler Savage
SCREENWRITERS: Tyler Savage & Dash Hawkins
CAST: Christine Ko, Vincent Van Horn, Michael Joplin, Dusty Sorg, Carla Valentine, Scott Subiono, with Landy Allbright and Paula Jai Parker
Vertical Entertainment released the film on June 18, 2021. Grade: 3/5
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