Obscure 2020 Pandemic Thriller Becomes a Surprising Netflix Hit

Summary

• Netflix is delivering many movies that went unnoticed because of Covid-19 the popularity they deserve.
• For example, the psychological thriller released during this time has made its way into the Top 10 most watched movies.
• It has excellently written characters and will provide a true edge-of-your-seat experience.

In 2020, Covid-19 caused a lot of big-screen movies to go unnoticed, not only because we were all focused on the coronavirus, but also because it was television, not theaters, that saved us during that difficult time.

And now, four years later, it is streaming services that are giving these forgotten films a second life. On Netflix, for example, an incredibly cleverly written and suspenseful thriller has made its way to the top of the most-watched movies, sure to please both fans of the genre and those who want to catch up on the hidden gems of the pandemic era.

What Is This 2020 Thriller About?

Some of our readers may be familiar with the work of director, screenwriter, and cinematographer John Hyams: once associated with the Universal Soldier franchise, he went on to work on some of the most realistic and intelligently written series in the zombie apocalypse genre, Z Nation and Black Summer (the latter also aired on Netflix). In other words, if those projects tell you anything, rest assured that Alone, while not apocalyptic in theme, is an incredibly tense, edge-of-your-seat story.

Alone follows Jessica (Jules Willcox), a woman on the road grieving the suicide of her husband. On the road, however, she is pursued by a seemingly inconspicuous truck driver (Marc Menchaca). But the horror is just beginning as the next moment she finds herself in a remote cabin in the woods after being drugged and kidnapped.

One of the Smartest Thrillers Forgotten Due to COVID-19

It's very telling how much society is trying to tackle the 'damsel in distress' trope — it's no surprise at all that the new Damsel starring Millie Bobby Brown has gotten some decent ratings on Netflix.

In this context, Odie Henderson's review of Alone for RogerEbert.com is quite remarkable. Giving it only two stars out of four, he noted that 'it gives us little reason to care if our hero makes it out alive, but I have to give credit where it's due: Jessica isn't written as some damsel in distress.'

And it is true: although Jessica could certainly use some help, which she gladly accepts when she stumbles upon a hunter, the protagonist is not a superficial slasher last girl who manages to survive by pure chance. On the contrary, she presents a very realistic experience of a woman who is used to trusting no one in a cruel male world. As a result, although the movie offers us a very familiar cat-and-mouse trope, the viewer is invested in the chase as Jessica makes bold yet thoughtful decisions.

As a result, the movie has an impressive 91% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rediscovered by Netflix Users

Netflix is a truly amazing place, not only as a platform for original series and movies, but also as a new home for previously released projects, giving them new audiences. As a result, it's not the first time that a 2020 release has randomly popped up in Netflix's top most-watched movies, and, without streaming, would have gone completely unnoticed for years to come. Fortunately, some of these movies are getting the attention they deserve, and Alone happens to be one of them.

Starting on March 11, 2024, Alone began to gain momentum, breaking into the Top 10 most-watched feature films among US users. By March 13, the movie had broken through to an impressive second place on the list, where it continues to hold at the time of this writing. This sudden rise in popularity, while no doubt coincidental, is a great indicator of the quality of the film as more and more viewers become intrigued by it.