A Stalker in the House (2021) by Jared Cohn

Director: Jared Cohn

Year: 2021

Country: USA

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Plot:

After accidentally killing his girlfriend, a troubled guy moves on with a new girlfriend which starts off on rocky footing that eventually results in her blocking him and trying to move on with her life. After trying to move on with new boyfriends, she finds that he keeps worming his way into her life eventually resulting in them rekindling their relationship several times that causes her to fear that he’ll do something harmful to her. When he does eventually become a threat to her physically, she’s forced to extreme measures to protect herself.

Review:

This was a pretty formulaic if still enjoyable thriller. The fact that there are so many obvious and unmistakable red flags that get ignored here, from the aggressiveness and domineering personality whenever he gets flustered or a conversation that doesn’t go his way, the violent tendencies, and the single-minded determination to remain in her life beyond their initial awkward introduction keeps this one going along rather nicely. The way it all escalates, from the strange initial meetings that show off his psychotic tendencies and the wormy ways he keeps getting back into her life and the escalating danger that emerges once he goes into her house, stalking and killing her potential boyfriends and friends that come into her life that makes it quite fun when the unhinged finale comes into play where everything plays out with some fun and genuine tension. This all gives the film some rather likable features.

That said, this one runs through a lot of traditional motifs in these kinds of thrillers which makes it follow the same setup and storyline as so many other genre efforts. Since the whole thing is predicated on not following your instincts and being oblivious to so many signs, there’s a very easy chance this one becomes more frustrating watching someone turn into an unobservant mark for someone clearly unhinged which is made all the worse given her profession as a psychologist. Even more so is the lack of notice given to all the people who go missing around her since the events take place over the course of several days so why no one realizes that her friends are missing or anyone else she runs into has disappeared. This all manages to keep the film going along through a series of frustrating moves that are all part of the same cliches and features of the genre which are what hold this one back.

Overview: ***/5

Filled with a lot of features that are commonly used in these types of films which come off for better or worse depending on how you feel about the film based on those elements, there’s a lot to like and dislike here. Those that appreciate the stylistic tendencies or the genre as a whole will have a lot to like here while viewers turned off by the flaws or style here should heed caution.