Like a lot of low-budget horror, writer-director Matty Castano’s “Alone in the Dead of Night” is more a case study in shrewd resource-management than it is a movie. The meager plot (co-written by spouse Kristine Castano, who also worked on the impressive makeup effects) strains for relevance; but Tammie Bergholdt is very good as a single woman tormented by her own fears, and the Castanos show a knack for maximizing the minimal.
Bergholdt plays Mallory, having a rough night on her own, dealing with depression, loneliness and disturbing hallucinations. It takes almost two-thirds of the movie’s running time until Mallory’s personal demons (in every sense of the term) really begin to emerge.
The preceding hour is filled with a lot of not-bad improv and angst-ridden reaction shots — all just watchable enough to hold the audience’s attention until the monsters arrive.
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‘Alone in the Dead of Night’
Not rated
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Playing: Starts Jan. 11, Arena Cinelounge Sunset, Hollywood
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