Stalker in the Attic

In "Stalker in the Attic" (aka, "Within These Walls"), Melanie (Mel) Carver resides in a large house with her teenage daughter Brook. The home is filled with memories of Mel's deceased husband Scott. Mel has invited a man named Ben to reside in the home. He is a helpful handyman, but there was no sign of a deep emotional connection or indeed any real affection to him from Mel, who asks him to move out. Instead Ben secretly moves into the attic. The attic is a treasure trove of Mel's past life with Scott, including a large doll house. The attic becomes Ben's headquarters to taunt and harass Mel with the desperate hope that she will take him back. Ben's delusion becomes apparent when he kills the nice, nosy neighbor Carl who busted him being in the home. There was an excellent ebb and flow to the action in the cat-and-mouse game played by Ben. In the character of Mel, Jen Landon conveyed a deeply troubled past from which she needed to break free. But it was curious why she invited Ben to live in the home in the first place unless it was merely for comfort after the loss of her husband. The film's ending could have been tidier, as it was never clear what became of Sam. The last we saw of him was when he was in the hospital in a coma, thanks to Ben. Mel's choice of men is not stellar. Sam is separated yet still remains in close contact with his wife and children. He is also a co-worker. Mel rushed into that relationship way too fast. Despite its shortcomings, the film scored high on the level of creepiness due to the subdued lighting, camera angles, and the obsessive behavior of the deranged Ben.

Once you see where Ben goes, the rest is pretty much predictable, cliche-filled and delivered with over/poor acting. The actors aren't that good either. Save yourself the the 1h37mins and see something good. ************************************** ************************************** ************************************** **************************************

This had a good amount of excitement, but it suffered from a slow start where the acting was difficult to appreciate. There were some strange choices in direction and editing. But it became more and more compelling despite of some plot holes.

This had a good amount of excitement, but it suffered from a slow start where the acting was difficult to appreciate. There were some strange choices in direction and editing. But it became more and more compelling despite of some plot holes.

Once you see where Ben goes, the rest is pretty much predictable, cliche-filled and delivered with over/poor acting. The actors aren't that good either. Save yourself the the 1h37mins and see something good. ************************************** ************************************** ************************************** **************************************