Die Alone is a 2024 Canadian horror thriller film written and directed by Lowell Dean. The film stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, and Frank Grillo. It tells the story of a young man with amnesia who joins forces with a hardened survivalist during a zombie like outbreak, as they set out to find his missing girlfriend. The film was released in theaters on September 27, 2024.

Plot

Die Alone begins with Ethan, a survivor of a zombie apocalypse, contemplating ending his life. A plant-based virus has turned most humans into plant-zombie hybrids, more resilient than typical zombies. Struggling with severe headaches and memory loss, he is driven by the hope of finding his long-lost girlfriend, Emma, an ER doctor who fled with him towards a remote cabin when the apocalypse began. After a disorienting episode, Ethan encounters armed strangers who shoot at him and a survivalist named Mae, who rescues him and takes him to her remote farm. Mae cares for Ethan, who remains determined to continue his search for Emma. He helps Mae with her solar power setup calling it the work of an idiot despite having it set up himself as we learn later. Venturing to the cabin to find Emma, Ethan encounters a frightened woman and her teenage son, but no sign of Emma. As Ethan navigates this world he eventually uncovers the grim reality: He is himself infected and Emma, now calling herself Mae, has been keeping him alive, even young, but only marginally human for many years by feeding him human flesh daily from an ample supply of visitors in a postapocalyptic world void of humans. He shoots himself in the head only to learn that he can't Die, like all other zombies. Mae states she "can't do this any more" and lets herself get mauled by Ethan. Both rise from the ground holding hands and walk into the sunset, with ambiguous implications.

Cast

Carrie-Anne Moss as Mae Douglas Smith as Ethan Frank Grillo as Kai Kimberly-Sue Murray as Emma Steven Roy as The Wolf Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat as The Fox Jonathan Cherry as Tom Amy Matysio 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 for Die Alone began in June 2023, the primary filming took place on location in Regina, Saskatchewan. 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, and in theatres on September 27, 2024.

Reception

= Critical reception

= On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10. Shawn Van Horn of Collider 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 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

Die Alone at IMDb