Movie Review: ‘Afraid’ Starring “The Walking Dead’s” Alanna Masterson

September 23, 2018

Written by Kelli Marchman McNeely

Kelli Marchman McNeely is the owner of HorrorFuel.com. She is an Executive Producer of "13 Slays Till Christmas" which is out on Digital and DVD and now streaming on Tubi. She has several other films in the works. Kelli is an animal lover and a true horror addict since the age of 9 when she saw Friday the 13th. Email: horrorfuelinfo@gmail.com


 
Jason Golberg, the co-creator of prank series “Punk’d”, makes his directorial debut with Afraid, starring “The Walking Dead’s” Alanna Masterson and George Byrne.
The film opens with a screen filled with twelve security channels. This where I should explain that the entire film is shown from security camera feeds inside and outside of a remote cabin, which often leaves the cast’s faces blurry.
After the couple arrives we learn that Masterson’s character has chosen a college overseas and her boyfriend (Byrne) is trying everything in his power to stop her from leaving, which comes across in my opinion as pathetic, not romantic. He’s way too desperate.
Throughout the movie we see computer screens of phone numbers be cloned and someone messaging Masterson’s character uncovering some bad deeds she has committed. When someone begins to leave messages on the walls of her room and stalk the couple the action begins (if that’s what you want to call it). We only get a glimpse of the mystery stalker a few times, who is wearing a hoodie, how original (insert eye roll).
This film fails in so many ways. To start off with, the cinematography is dreadful.  The entire film is a bit blurry and distant, I know they were going for a look as if it was filmed from the security videos, but in the end, it just looks bad.
Afraid is painfully slow. There are a few attempts at jump scares, but even they fall flat. To be honest, I’m not sure exactly how this film got labeled a horror movie. There was nothing scary about it, not even a little bit. It’s all drama and not the good kind.
Let me be clear, I am not saying anything bad about Alanna Masterson. She is a talented actress and that’s been proven on “The Walking Dead”. BUT there is only so much an actress can do with what she’s been given. Anyone who is lucky enough to her as part of their cast should not squander her abilities. That’s what happened here. George Byrne wasn’t bad, but there is one scene near the end of the film where he loses his shit for a minute that is over the top and felt incredibly fake as did his reactions to pretty much everything in the movie.
There was one twist in this movie and I called it about 10 minutes in. We learn it in the final seconds of the film, literally, but it was obvious from the get-go.
I tried to find something positive about Afraid, but there just isn’t anything. It’s 125 minutes of my life I’ll never get back, so I’m going to have to give it a 1 out of 5. It got that one simply because they somehow convinced Masterson to star in Afraid.
Afraid arrives on digital and DVD on October 2, 2018. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
 

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