'Sinister Stalker' Review: Though predictable, this recycled thriller calls for a night of scares and goosebumps
This article contains spoilers for Lifetime's 'Sinister Stalker'
As part of Lifetime's annual run of thriller films fest ‘Annual Deadly Resolutions', 'Sinister Stalker' (also called 'Sinister Saviour') made its premiere on January 31, 8 pm EST. The show follows the story of a powerful yet old narrative of a lonely woman that succumbs to a moment of weakness leading her to a physical power struggle with a man that's come looking for his "destiny."
Albeit, low budget movie, stars Marci Miller and Kelly Blatz deliver a thrilling performance of a repetitive moral - always be aware of your surroundings.
Karen (Marci Miller), an ER doctor and recovering alcoholic has recently gone through a divorce and received her 9-month sober chip of acknowledgment. On a leave of absence due to her "pathetic" downfall with alcohol, she was handed a suspension on her medical license. With all things currently on the right track after that stressful experience, danger comes her way when she is attacked on the way home by someone from the community center. Running and ball-kicking do her nothing until she's saved from sustaining grave injuries. Surviving with the just a scare, she had a handsome stranger, Daniel (Kelly Blatz) to thank for his bravery.
Daniel sustains an injury though but disarmed Karen needs to call 911 stating that he has no insurance and an old drug charge under his belt and wants to avoid police attention. After deciding to take him home to tend to his wounds, we see an obscure sociopathic side to Daniel. A deep cut in an alleyway leads to a rendezvous at Karen's home, starting a friendship based on exchanging of past "sad and pathetic" stories. After scoping out Karen's home, and suffering from "dizzy spells" Daniel is offered refuge in the home for the night.
Karen informs her friend Izzy (Rosa Blasi) of her attack and Daniel being in her home and Izzy's suspicious nature leads her to Karen's home. Izzy, a real estate agent catches herself figuring Daniels's lie of him being part of commercial real estate and scoping out home listings in the same place. Also at the time when Karen was conveniently attacked.
Having asked too many questions leads to Izzy being tied up in a closet while Karen finds pictures of her home while snooping through Daniel's phone. Turns out that Daniel, years ago, caused a car crash that saw the deaths of a mother and daughter because he was driving under the influence. The doctor that saved his life was Karen, and the woman he claimed to be his "guardian angel" and also that he fell so in love with.
A knock on the door when Daniel tries to drug both Izzy and Karen with CNS attacking serum happens to be from the man that attacked Karen earlier in the alleyway. Even though they seem to be working together, Daniel ends up killing the man because of his urge to assault Karen. An intense power struggle leads to Daniel digging graves for the girls because he says that Karen did not treat him right. In all good news though, he ends up with the CNS drug in his system, courtesy to Karen's adrenaline rush and makes it behind bars. Three months later, Karen is one year sober and is about to have her medical license re-instated but the phases of lingering PTSD from the traumatic incident continues to haunt her.
This movie won't have people guessing the ending, but will definitely cause a few jumps scares. A "told before" narrative of a "courtship ritual gone wrong" brings back the fear of women letting in strangers and the dangers of participating in trust falls without hesitation after a staged rescuing of a "damsel in distress". An unstable "good samaritan" with sinister elements, is not really the housemate a woman would prefer and although innately predictable.
'Sinister Stalker' calls for goosebumps and a popcorn filled night in.
'Sinister Stalker' will air on the Lifetime Movie Network (LMN) at 8 pm EST on January 31, 2020.
