Movie Review: Are You in the House Alone?

I wanted to do a movie that reminded me of my mom because today is her birthday, but... alas, here we are. This film has nothing to do with my mom and she would have hated every second of it. It just happened to be next on my list.

A young girl (Kathleen Beller) is taken to the hospital after being attacked. She tells the doctors that she was raped.

We jump back a bit to see the young girl, Gail, going on a date with Steve for the first time. It's a double date with her friend and her boyfriend, who happens to be a young Dennis Quaid. They talk about how fast you can possibly fall in love. Deep convo for a first date.

Steve is sweet and gentlemanly when he drives her home, accepting that they can't have a first kiss and inviting her to lunch the next day. Ah, a daytime date means it's serious. Her mom (Blythe Danner) is upset though because she got home twenty minutes late. They make up before she leaves for school. Her bestie Allison was so familiar to me, but I couldn't place her. I looked her up and found out that she's Robin Mattson, or as I know her Heather Webber from General Hospital. I got pulled back into the movie when Gail finds a note in her locker that says I'M WATCHING YOU. Creepy.

Her photography teacher gives her (apparently the only girl in the class) the super weird assignment to create a sexy photo in front of the whole class.

The double date part deux happens at a fair where Gail makes a very huge fuss over this stuffed dog. When she comes home, her parents are fighting. For the second time, someone calls and doesn't say a word.

Gail babysits for a woman who is going on a date with Mr. Elden, the photography teacher, who brings up the weird assignment and tells Gail she should come to his office after hours to discuss the yearbook. Someone calls and when she answers, a man creepily laughs and says, "I'm getting closer." Another phone call, but she doesn't answer. When the mom comes home, Gail tells her about the phone call and the mom tells her that she used to have some calls from some creepy creeperton, but they'd stopped when she told him she'd put a trace on the call. Gail starts to walk home, but Mr. Elden picks her up and drives her home, mentioning the pictures again.

A big group of people, including the double daters, go to Phil's, Dennis Quaid. Steve gets perturbed when E.K Miller, Gail's ex, seems mad at Gail. She explains that E.K broke up with her because she wouldn't sleep with him. Steve tells Gail that he loves her.

After another note, Gail talks to an official at the school. I started to slightly hyperventilate a little when the woman started to imply Gail might have been subconsciously encouraging the behavior. She also says that she'll talk to some of her "trouble boys". Gail soon starts feeling like every guy is watching her.

Mr. Elden shows up in the red room (development room) and talks about her sexy picture. Um... no, sir, no! Gail talks to Steve about the notes and he thinks it's E.K. When he implies something more happened between her and E.K, she storms off.

Gail goes to see her dad at work and finds out he's been laid off for a month. The nice lady at the office directs her to King's Inn, where her father would eat lunch every day. She finds her dad drinking at the bar and confronts her mom about it. That's resolved. She has a very confusing argument with Steve.

Gail finds the "sexy" photo in her locker with the word RAPE written across it.

While Gail is babysitting, Steve calls and asks if she wants him to come keep her company. Another phone call and it's the creepy laughing guy, who asks "Are you alone in the house?"

There's a knock on the door and it's Phil. No, Dennis Quaid, no!

Steve and the mom of the kids are at the hospital after Steve found her. We're back in the opening scene of the movie. There are touching scenes with Gail's parents in a diner and with Gail and Steve. Steve is devastated because he knows she opened the door, thinking it was Steve. The policewoman tells Gail she doesn't believe she doesn't remember anything. When she tells her that if she doesn't tell them, it could happen to someone else. She gives Phil up.

Neil, Gail's father, and Steve are the only two that don't blame Gail, even slightly, even after finding out that she wasn't a virgin. Her mother wonders what Gail did, even subconsciously to provoke it. During fencing class, Steve holds Phil at the end of his epee and tells him that he should kill him for what he's done. One of the teachers, the lovely Russian Miss Malevich, the literature teacher, comes to visit Gail and she believes Gail wholeheartedly. She encourages Gail not to shut herself away. With Miss Malevich's wisdom, Gail goes back to school. She hesitates outside of Mr. Elden's class, where Phil is also a student. His smiles smugly as she sits down. She confronts Allison and she tells her that she's jealous and just wants Phil and that's why she's made up the whole thing.

Allison confronts Phil, telling him that his story doesn't make sense. When he says that he doesn't have to account for anything he does to anyone, she knows that her friend was telling the truth. Steve and Gail realize that Phil is now targeting a girl named Sonya, already leaving her the I'M WATCHING YOU note. They set a time-lapse camera in front of her locker, which is conveniently placed right outside of a painted over door.

Gail sees a note poking out of Sonya's locker and goes to check the camera. Phil is waiting for her and attacks her. Steve and a friend run in just as Phil goes to punch her. Phil is charged with assault, the rape charge is thrown out, and apparently his family sends him to a boarding school in New Hampshire.

All in all, Are You in the House Alone? was a good movie. I really liked it.

Moral of this movie: I don't know. There isn't really a funny quip or anything for this. Gail was a strong girl and she had a supportive boyfriend and great parents, great teachers. She did nothing wrong, didn't even show any skin. A++++.