Notable Cast: Olivia Stadler, Scarlett DiCaro, Hannah Mae
Beatty, Allisha Pelletier, Same Wexler, Abbas Wahab, Marlo Aquilina
Far be it from me to have too many expectations going into a
film festival, but I certainly did not expect what I got from Stalkers.
On paper, Stalkers sounds like the classic slasher. Littered with
exploitative elements, like having the lead character be a porn star, and then
powering its horror elements with a whodunnit style narrative, the film felt
like it was going to be cheesy, slashery entertaining through and through. Yet,
as Stalkers plays out, it often rejects leaning into any exploitation
elements and aims for something far more dramatic and, dare I say, better, for
its material.
Stalkers has something to say with its themes within
the slasher premise, and never truly embraces the genre until its final act.
It’s a surprisingly reflective and character-driven drama at its heart that
just so happens to end up being a slasher. It’s perhaps one of the biggest
surprises at Panic Fest 2025 already.
Anchored by a nuanced, fun, and surprisingly heartfelt
performance at the core from Olivia Stadler, Stalkers focuses on the
themes around the objectification of women, overcoming past mistakes, and the
choice to face trauma rather than run from it. When Stadler’s character, Kate,
receives a call from Michigan Child Services that her daughter, whom she gave
up for adoption, has suddenly lost her parents (in a fantastic opening slasher
sequence), she leaves her life as a porn star in California to go back to her
home town and face the world she ran away from and have to reclaim it while
addressing the past.
At times, Stalkers really leans into its “Lifetime
Movie” vibes with its narrative and story. The film's title is derived from the
red herrings scattered throughout the film, as multiple people in her hometown,
as well as those searching for her from California, relentlessly pursue Kate. There’s
a certain Lifetime vibe to the film’s proceedings, albeit a much better one
from an execution standpoint; however, director Paul Thomas and some strong
performances make it work. If anything, the focus on Kate’s character arc with
her daughter, along with the general themes surrounding the objectification of
women and the obstacles women face in a small town, carries the weight of its
slow-developing plot.
It’s the slower plotting of its first two acts that horror
fans will struggle with when it comes to Stalkers. Despite a fantastic
slasher cold open and something of a random kill sequence in the second act, Stalkers
really doesn’t lean into its slasher elements until much, much later. The
entire whodunnit of the killer’s identity isn’t quite as propulsive as one
would hope since, well, most of the red herrings are asshole characters to
begin with. Still, when the film settles on a final location— a massive, empty
house —and gathers all its leading players there, the movie starts to cook.
The budget does force Stalkers to lean away from excessive
gore in their kills, but there’s plenty of creativity in the character
interactions or how Thomas paces the scenes to keep them moving. Seeing how
much I liked the third act, it’s a shame that the film resists going there
earlier (or at least teasing the mayhem to come more throughout.) Still, it’s
surprisingly solid and concludes with some nice slices and dices to satisfy the
horror fans.
Stalkers may suffer a tad from the tropes, including
a horny teen boyfriend and girlfriend which becoming immediately recognizable
as slaughter fodder for the finale, there’s enough depth to the script and
characters to make the film far more sturdy than so many other indie slashers.
When it finally reaches the body count in the finale, Stalkers shows its
full hand and ends up sticking the landing. Don’t let its Lifetime or
exploitative synopsis fool you; Stalkers is far more effective and dynamic than
I gave it credit for.
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