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Alone (2020)

★★½ — Alone (2020)

John Hyams is probably best known to genre fans as the director of Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012), a surprisingly brutal and formally ambitious entry in that long-running franchise, and Alone represents a similar willingness to take modest material seriously. The script, written by Mattias Olsson and based on his own 2011 Swedish film Försvunnen, follows a grieving woman whose solo road trip turns into a survival ordeal after an encounter with a stranger in rural Oregon. Shot largely on location in the Pacific Northwest, the film leans heavily on its landscape, using the dense forest as both refuge and threat. Produced through a small consortium of independent outfits including XYZfilms, it arrived quietly in 2020, a year when theatrical distribution was severely disrupted, which likely limited its reach considerably.

Final Days (also known as Alone) is a modest, low-budget zombie thriller that follows a lone survivor holed up in his apartment as the world collapses outside. The premise is familiar (claustrophobic isolation, dwindling supplies, distant screams, and the ever-present threat of the infected) but it’s executed with enough tension and realism to keep you engaged for much of its runtime. The film leans into psychological dread over gore, focusing on the protagonist’s unraveling mental state as days blur together and hope fades. Visually, it’s stark and effective, using tight framing and natural lighting to amplify the sense of confinement. There are moments of genuine suspense (especially when the protagonist ventures into hallways or neighboring units) and the sound design smartly uses silence and sudden noise to keep you on edge. But despite these strengths, Final Days never quite rises above being “decent.” It lacks the emotional depth, inventive set pieces, and narrative urgency that made #Alive (2020) such a standout in the same subgenre. It’s no coincidence they feel similar. Both films share screenwriter Jo Il-hyung, and while #Alive balanced tech-savvy survival tactics with heart and character, Final Days feels more like a stripped-down, less refined sketch of the same idea. The protagonist is less developed, the stakes feel vaguer, and the ending lands with a thud rather than a punch. Watchable, atmospheric, and occasionally tense, but ultimately overshadowed by its spiritual sibling. A solid rental for zombie fans craving isolation horror, but not essential viewing.

Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2020 | Watched: 2026-02-15

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Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Channel 4 Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK

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