''Die Alone'' is a 2024 Canadian
horror thriller
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
film written and directed by
Lowell Dean
Lowell Dean is a Canadian filmmaker.
He has directed six feature films: the zombie thriller ''13 Eerie'' (2013), the horror comedy ''WolfCop'' (2014), the sequel ''Another WolfCop'' (2017), the post-apocalypse action film ''SuperGrid (film), Sup ...
. The film stars
Carrie-Anne Moss
Carrie-Anne Moss (born August 21, 1967) is a Canadian actress. After early roles on television, she rose to international prominence for her role of Trinity in ''The Matrix'' series (1999–present). She has starred in '' Memento'' (2000), for ...
,
Douglas Smith, and
Frank Grillo
Frank Anthony Grillo (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for playing Brock Rumlow / Crossbones in the superhero franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Sergeant Leo Barnes in ''The Purge'' franchise, and Rick Flag Sr. in ...
. It tells the story of a young man with
amnesia
Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
who joins forces with a hardened survivalist during a
zombie
A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
like outbreak, as they set out to find his missing girlfriend. The film was released in theaters on September 27, 2024.
Plot
In a post‑apocalyptic world devastated by a plant‑based virus that transforms humans into resilient, zombie-like hybrids, Ethan—a young man plagued by severe
headache
A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...
s and
memory loss
Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
—clings to the hope of reuniting with his missing girlfriend, Emma. In the early days of the outbreak, Emma, an
ER doctor, had fled with Ethan toward a remote cabin, but she soon disappears without a trace.
After a disorienting encounter in which armed strangers open fire on him, Ethan is rescued by Mae, a hardened survivalist who takes him to her secluded farm. Despite Mae's stern exterior, she cares for Ethan as he desperately searches for Emma. During his journey, Ethan ventures away from the relative safety of the farm, including a trip to the abandoned cabin where he finds only a frightened woman and her teenage son instead of Emma.
As fragments of his lost memories begin to return, Ethan gradually uncovers a harrowing truth: he is already infected by the virus, slowly morphing into one of the undead. In a shocking twist, it is revealed that the woman he has been seeking—Emma—is in fact Mae herself. For years, Mae has maintained Ethan's tenuous existence by feeding him human flesh from a steady stream of unwitting visitors, ensuring that he remains only marginally human despite his zombie-like state.
Confronted by this grim reality, Ethan attempts to end his suffering by shooting himself in the head; however, he soon discovers that, like all of the infected, he cannot die. Mae, overwhelmed by the cruelty of their fate, confesses that she "can't do this any more" and ultimately allows herself to be mauled by Ethan. In the film's ambiguous final moments, the two rise from the wreckage holding hands and walk into the sunset, leaving their ultimate destiny unresolved.
Cast
*
Carrie-Anne Moss
Carrie-Anne Moss (born August 21, 1967) is a Canadian actress. After early roles on television, she rose to international prominence for her role of Trinity in ''The Matrix'' series (1999–present). She has starred in '' Memento'' (2000), for ...
as Mae
[
* Douglas Smith as Ethan][
*]Frank Grillo
Frank Anthony Grillo (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for playing Brock Rumlow / Crossbones in the superhero franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Sergeant Leo Barnes in ''The Purge'' franchise, and Rick Flag Sr. in ...
as Kai[
*Kimberly-Sue Murray as Emma]
*Steven Roy as The Wolf
* Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat as The Fox
*Jonathan Cherry
Jonathan Cherry (born December 3, 1978) is a Canadian actor. He made his on-screen debut with a supporting role in the Freeform (TV channel), Fox television film ''Till Dad Do Us Part'' (2001). After a supporting role in the horror film ''They (2 ...
as Tom
*Amy Matysio
Amy Matysio is a Canadian theatre, television and film actress.
Early life and education
Matysion was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre (Performance) from the University of Regina and has also studied at Y ...
as Jolene
*Sari Mercer as Sara
* Leo Fafard as Hunter
*Ryland Alexander as Monstrous Man
*Laura Abramsen as Jawless Woman
*Jason Truong as Hunter's Driver
*Palmer Tastad as Caroline
*George Grassick as Ash Man
*Greyson Dubois as Sam
Production
Lowell Dean wrote the script for ''Die Alone'' before the release of '' WolfCop'' in 2014, but production on the film didn't take place for almost a decade.
In May 2023, it was announced that Moss, Smith, and Grillo were cast in the film.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
for ''Die Alone'' began in June 2023, the primary filming took place on location in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...
. In September of that same year, it was announced that production had concluded.[
]
Release
The film premiered at the 2024 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival
The 2024 edition of the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, the 36th edition in the event's history, was held from September 14 to 22, 2024 in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario. The first titles in the program were announced on August 1 ...
, and in theatres on September 27, 2024.
Reception
Critical reception
Shawn Van Horn of ''Collider
A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...
'' awarded the film seven stars, stating: "While ''Die Alone'' is set in the aftermath of a world ravaged by the rise of the undead, it defies the conventions of typical genre fare. The zombie design is particularly impactful, featuring creatures so twisted and deformed that they could rival those in ''Resident Evil'' or ''The Last of Us''. Impressively, the film achieves this through high-quality practical effects, without a trace of CGI."
Film critic Mel Valentin of ''Screen Anarchy
ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
'' commented: "While ''Die Alone'' experiences a slow midsection, it regains momentum with the arrival of home invaders and a religious family led by Kai (Frank Grillo). The film explores the mystery of Ethan's struggle between self-destruction and survival, offering emotionally satisfying answers. However, Valentin also pointed out the film's budget constraints, which limit the depiction of the post-apocalyptic world and the plant-human hybrid undead to only a few brief scenes."
References
External links
*
{{Lowell Dean
2024 films
2024 horror thriller films
2020s Canadian films
2020s English-language films
2020s survival films
2020s monster movies
Canadian horror thriller films
Canadian survival films
Canadian zombie films
English-language Canadian films
English-language horror thriller films
Films directed by Lowell Dean
Films shot in Saskatchewan