A Serial Killer Thriller Is Sitting High In Netflix's Top Charts

As we've seen time and time again, Netflix is a good place for movies to be rediscovered. Sometimes, a film will come and go without much fanfare upon its initial release, only to end up becoming a hit when it ends up on the popular streaming service. Even something as terrible as the box office flop "The Snowman" can end up finding new life on Netflix. You just never know how these things will turn out. Part of it is availability — almost everyone subscribes to Netflix, and it's much easier to scroll through titles and hit play than it is to get up off the couch and go find a new movie in theaters. As a result, Netflix has become the modern equivalent of the video store — a place where movie-watchers can browse and find something fresh to watch. Only it's a video store you have in your own home, with titles ready at the push of a button.

A title that's currently burning up the Netflix charts is "Alone," an underseen thriller from 2020 directed by John Hyams, a talented filmmaker whose credits include a few surprisingly excellent "Universal Soldier" sequels and the 2022 COVID-19 slasher pic "Sick," penned by "Scream" creator Kevin Williamson. "Alone," the Hyams film currently doing well on Netflix, stars Jules Willcox as a woman who goes through hell in order to escape her kidnapper. It's a taught, simple, effective little thriller, and it deserves the audience it's now finding thanks to Netflix. 

In "Alone," Jules Willcox is Jessica, a recently widowed woman on a road trip to move to a new house. Her journey takes her through roadways flanked by woods, and she eventually encounters a man named Sam (Marc Menchaca). Sam says his truck has broken down and asks for a ride, but Jessica declines — there's something off about this guy. Unfortunately for Jessica, Sam tracks her down, drugs her, and abducts her away to a secluded cabin. Now it's up to Jessica to both escape and survive, running through the thick woods as Sam chases after her.

And that's it, really! It's a very simple film, and I don't say that in a negative way. Instead, the simplicity only heightens the tension — we know exactly what we're getting here, and "Alone" delivers. It helps that Jessica is a great lead character. Rather than simply be a passive damsel in distress, Jessica fights her way to freedom, and we're rooting for her every step of the way thanks to Willcox's performance. She's equally matched by Menchaca, who makes for a great, detestable villain. Most of the movie is a two-person show between the two leads, and that also adds to the effectiveness of the narrative. We're invested in what these characters are going to do, and why they're going to do it. 

"Alone" is currently streaming on Netflix.