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You Are Not Alone
R2 - United Kingdom - Sharp Teeth Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (25th February 2016). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** An idyllic summer day becomes a living nightmare … With school finally over, college graduate Natalie Wilner returns to her hometown to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend. But beneath the flags and fireworks lurks a dark, malevolent figure. After a night of drunken parties, she stumbles home and drifts off to sleep, only to be woken moments later by a loud knock on the door … Experience one night of terror, through Natalie’s eyes as she fights to escape a relentless, knife-wielding maniac. YOU ARE NOT ALONE echoes the classic slasher movies of the 1970s and ‘80s, but adds an immersive, modern twist. He's been watching you...
Video
Independent British distributor Sharp Teeth Films (a sub-label of Terracotta Distribution) have released the low budget slasher movie "You Are Not Alone" on to DVD in the United Kingdom using the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The transfer is anamorphic and in PAL format. It is pretty much what you would expect for a film of this budget and genre combination. Now anybody who has ever tried to comment on the picture quality of a found footage film will know, it can be incredibly difficult due to the faux damage and purposefully poor elements. Although this isn't a found footage film and is filmed in a pretty cool first person aspect, there are some similarities with the found footage genre in how shots generally look. There is a lot of unsteadiness of course, and some rather unconventional angles that were obviously hard to not only light, but to actually film in a way that looks authentic yet without obstruction of the environment. It is quite clear that high-end equipment wasn't used, as the pinpoint clarity you find with top of the line cameras is sadly missing, but what has been achieved considering the $20,000 budget is nothing to be sniffed at. Details are okay, with facial close-ups when Natalie is in conversation the highlight, and shadow details, whilst far from reference quality, are certainly noticeable. Blacks are passable and there is no harsh crush or banding. As should be expected for such a new feature (whether low budget or not), there is no obvious damage and apart from some occasional minor compression artefacts, there is nothing to be alarmed about. Minimal aliasing is present, but I didn't notice any edge enhancement or any other anomalies. The feature is uncut and runs 92:21.
Audio
There are two audio options included: - English Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo For my viewing I opted for the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track which like the transfer, was adequate, but not above average. The surrounds are used infrequently, though when they are utilised, the channel separation and direction is fine. Due to the way the feature is filmed from a first person perspective, pretty much all dialogue from whomever Natalie is in conversation with is pretty central. When switching between the stereo and the 5.1 track, it does become apparent that the 5.1 is not as flat and has more depth. It is as good as it needs to be, but would have benefited from some additional subtle environmental surround effects. There are no issues with drop outs, scratches, pops, or background hiss. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
We start off the extras with a featurette entitled "Getting the Shot", which is unfortunately extremely short at just 1:55. This is essentially some brief raw footage of trying to make sure the camera angle is right for one of the more exciting scenes. It's interesting viewing, but not particularly informative. Next up we have a selection of deleted scenes, available as a play all option only running 11:33. "Garrett's Present" shows Garrett receiving a gift. "Advanced Reading" is some additional dialogue where they laugh about a story from reading a story during advanced reading in the fifth grade. "Ex Phone Call" is a scene where Natalie talks to her ex-boyfriend on the phone. "Captain's Cat" is a discussion between a couple of the male characters where they find out that the Captain's cat did not match his feng shui. "Church Mixer" and "McCartney & Bugs" include some more additional dialogue but nothing exciting. "Captain's Demo" video (2:57) is a ropey looking video by the Captain character which is put together for self-promotion of that character. The rest of the extras are self-explanatory. Start-up Trailers (7:06): - "Asmodexia" (2:20) - "Septic Man" (1:38) - "Shopping Tour" (1:36) - "Ritual" (1:31) Bonus Trailers: - "Asmodexia" (2:20) - "Septic Man" (1:38) - "Shopping Tour" (1:36) - "Ritual" (1:31) About Sharp Teeth Films (1 page)
Overall
An interesting little slasher film with an enjoyable first person twist which is done well. For $20,000 the film makers have done an excellent job that fans of low budget independent horror will lap up. For everyone else, give it a rent or purchase when cheap.
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