Naman Shrestha
With Brant Daugherty taking up duty as the director, Lifetime’s ‘Alone in the Dark’ is a mystery thriller drama film that centers upon a recently divorced woman named Bri who is placed on house arrest for financial crimes committed by her ex-husband. While her ex-partner is serving his sentence behind bars, Bri stays alone in her house. But her peace is disturbed when a stalker shows up in the picturesque lakeside community. Considering their options, the divorcée and her best friend decide to call up a private investigator for the former’s protection against the mysterious man.
However, this decision soon backfires as Bri becomes part of a cat-and-mouse game, having no idea who to trust. The thriller features impressive onscreen performances from a group of talented actors, including Novi Brown, Terrell Carter, Kimberly Daugherty, Christopher Bencomo, Malcolm Goodwin, and Krys Marshall. With the seemingly realistic themes of betrayal and stalking at the heart of the narrative, many viewers are sparked with the curiosity to find out if the Lifetime production is inspired by a true story or not.
Alone in the Dark is Not Based on Reality
No, ‘Alone in the Dark’ is not inspired by true events but it is likely that the director, who also serves as the screenwriter, alongside his multi-talented wife Kimberly Daugherty, derived some kind of inspiration from a few real-life elements. Previously, the husband-wife duo has joined forces to write the scripts for ‘Joyeux Noel‘ and ‘A Christmas Movie Christmas.’ So, they made the most of their experiences and brilliant penmanship to conjure up a realistic as well as gripping tale for the Lifetime movie.
In real life, stalkers tend to keep making headlines every now and then, which is why many of you question the authenticity of ‘Alone in the Dark.’ But the primary reason why you might find certain aspects of the film familiar is that the themes of stalking and betrayal have been touched upon in various movies and TV shows, such as the 2022 mystery film ‘No Exit‘ and the 2021 Tommy Wirkola directorial ‘The Trip.’ But one of the aptest examples has to be that of the 2020 film ‘The Invisible Man.’ Adapted from the eponymous novel by H.G. Wells, the sci-fi horror movie is written and helmed by Leigh Whannell.
Starring Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, and Michael Dorman, the narrative centers on Cecilia whose abusive ex-boyfriend dies by suicide and leaves her with all his fortune. As she focuses on rebuilding her life, Cecilia believes that his death was staged. When she experiences some strange events and believes that she is hunted by someone invisible, she embarks on a journey to prove that her seemingly deceased ex-boyfriend is not actually dead. Getting stalked by a former lover is one of the several common threads between ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘Alone in the Dark.’ So, taking into account all the above-mentioned factors, it would be fair to say that the Lifetime film, despite having realistic subject matters, is a work of fiction.
Read More: Tall Dark and Dangerous: Is Lifetime’s Film Based on True Events?
