In a somewhat overcrowded genre, I Am Alone offers a unique found footage perspective to the zombie movie. The found footage genre is considered to have started in earnest with Ruggero Deodato’s highly controversial Cannibal Holocaust. This 1980 Italian horror followed a documentary crew who meet a grim fate after running afoul of a tribe of cannibals. The film is still considered one of the most disturbing ever made and includes real animal killings, and the effects were so realistic Deodato was forced to appear in an Italian court to prove the actors hadn’t actually been killed.
It wasn’t until the release of The Blair Witch Project in 1999 that found footage started to take off. From horror movies like Paranormal Activity and The Visit to blockbusters like Cloverfield found footage is now a whole subgenre of its own. That said, it tends to attract sometimes warranted criticism with horror movies, in particular, using it as a device to keep budgets low and provide easy jumpscares; there’s also the age-old issue of why protagonists don’t just drop the camera and run. Occasionally, movies like Noroi: The Curse or The Houses October Built provide a unique take on the genre.
The zombie genre exploded in popularity in the early 2000s, leading to an endless assortment of flesh-eating entertainment like The Walking Dead, World War Z, Left 4 Dead and many, many others. The genre is somewhat stuffed now, to the point where it’s difficult to get jaded fans excited about yet another zombie movie or video game unless they offer something new. I Am Alone from 2015 adds a unique scenario to the well-traveled genre, and follows a man named Jacob (Gareth David-Lloyd, Torchwood) who is part of a reality survival series dubbed I Am Alone. The first act follows Jacob wandering off into the wilderness but soon finds himself on the run from zombies that have infected a nearby town.
I Am Alone is framed by the CDC investigating Jacob’s footage, as they want to know why it took so long for him to turn into a zombie after becoming infected. I Am Alone is a movie that was funded in part through Kickstarter, so it should be noted it was a shot on a shoestring budget. That’s seen in some of the effects and performances, and it stretches a thin story to breaking point a couple of times. That said, the filmmakers were clearly intent on squeezing every penny they could to realize their vision, resulting in some creative setpieces and committed performances, especially from lead David-Lloyd and Gunner Wright (Dead Space), who plays his producer Mason.
For zombie addicts on the lookout for something different - and those willing to forgive issues caused by a low-budget - I Am Alone is an effective, melancholy entry in a crowded genre.
Next: The Houses October Built Is The Most Underrated Found Footage Series
