HE KNOWS YOU’RE ALONE

A highly entertaining thriller about a killer who stalks brides-to-be, that owes a lot to Halloween. Not only is the movie in the same vein as Halloween, but there are a number of similar scenes which I will point out later. The movie follows soon to be married Amy (Caitlin O’Heaney) who is targeted as the next victim as she prepares for her wedding day. Amidst creepy sightings of a man who is following her, she spends time with her girlfriends Joyce and Nancy (Patsy Pease and Elizabeth Kemp) and shooting down advances of her former boyfriend Marvin (Don Scardino) who she might still have feelings for. There is also a cop by the name of Gamble (Lewis Arlt) who is desperate to catch the maniac because of a vendetta against him. Oh, and because it’s his job. The movie opens strong in a suspenseful movie theater scene and keeps it’s momentum up til the final frame. The movie has a nice even flow and never lags. The tense atmosphere is nicely accentuated in the right places with lighter moments which usually don’t last too long as the killer’s foreboding presence is never lurking too far away. It’s because of this that you never feel safe because he could turn up at any moment. There are nicely laid out suspenseful moments with plenty of genuine scares. Like Halloween, there is relatively no gore and hardly any blood. It’s a classic example of letting the audience fill in what isn’t there. The movie is both brilliantly shot and edited for maximum effect. The cinematography is also stellar with the darker scenes giving a sense that danger is right around the corner contrasting with the daylight scenes filled with rich, vibrant colors. The overall cast is exceptional and likeable as are their characters. They all have great chemistry with one another, particularly Amy and Marvin. The killer in the movie is a very simple, ordinary man. No mask or excessive strength. Yet, it’s his simplicity and calm demeanor that makes him so effective. He never utters a word, but seems to say everything on his wide-eyed, stoic faced expression. Of course, we can’t talk about the cast and not mention Tom Hanks in his first film role. His screen time is limited, but he manages to make a small part memorable. It is noted in the commentary that his part was initially bigger. Another strong point of the movie is the amazing score by Alexander and Mark Peskanov. It certainly does it’s trick in lifting the suspenseful moments and conveying the softer moments in the film with a gentler, quieter mood. Nothing like the overblown, bombastic scores crowding most films today. All in all, I’d say He Knows You’re Alone is definitely an underappreciated classic and is well worth you’re time.

Now for the aforementioned scenes that seem to mimic those of Halloween:

1. Like Laurie in Halloween, Amy repeatedly sees the killer. Laurie sees Michael outside her school. Amy sees her stalker outside of an ice cream parlor. Laurie sees Michael behind a bush when he seems to vanish before Annie sees him and then sees him again from her bedroom window in the backyard. Amy sees the killer behind a bush when she looks out her kitchen window, but he’s gone before Marvin catches a glimpse of him.

2. The scene in HKYA when the killer is on top of Amy’s car and breaks the window with his hand and reaches in to grab her is similar to Michael’s escape scene in Halloween.

3. A scene in HKYA showing Amy walking away towards her house when the killer steps in from the side of the frame and there is a jolting music cue is similar to the scene in Halloween when Laurie drops the key of at the Myers house.

4. The characters of Loomis and Gamble are similar in that they have previous experience and knowledge of the killer and feel the responsibility to capture him.

5. The characters of Lynda and Joyce have similar death scenes. Both are killed in a bedroom, one before and one after, having sex after their boyfriends leave the room.

6. The scene in HKYA where Amy is in her car panicking for her keys is similar to a scene in Halloween where Laurie is panicking for the keys to the house.

To be fair, He Knows You’re Alone seems to have inspired other horror movies as well. The killer in Slumber Party Massacre is very similar to the one in HKYA in not only demeanor, but appearance as well. And the similarities to Halloween are not mentioned to detract from the movie’s greatness, but to just express similarities from one fan to another.

Special Features: Commentary with Director Armand Mastroianni and Screenwriter Scott Parker/ Theatrical Trailer