Are You in the House Alone?
| Are You in the House Alone? | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Walter Grauman |
| Produced by | Jay Benson |
| Written by |
Richard Peck (novel) Judith Parker |
| Starring |
Kathleen Beller Blythe Danner Dennis Quaid |
| Music by | Charles Bernstein |
| Cinematography | Jack Swain |
| Edited by | Anthony DiMarco |
| Distributed by |
CBS MGM Television |
Release dates | September 20, 1978 |
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Are You in the House Alone? is a 1978 made-for-TV thriller film directed by Walter Grauman. The film is based on the 1976 novel of the same name written by Richard Peck.
Plot
16-year-old Gail Osborne is a typical high school student with a passion for photography. Six months ago, she and her parents moved from New York to a smaller town due to her father Neil's claim the city was too dangerous following a burglary. Gail, a high spirited romantic, initially started dating classmate E.K. Miller, but he broke off their relationship because Gail was unwilling to sleep with him.
Now, Gail is dating Steve Pastorinis, despite her overprotective mother's objections. After a while, she receives an anonymous letter which says: I am watching you. Gail thinks the letter is creepy, but is convinced by her best friend Allison Bremer that it is a practical joke from some student. However, when the gorier notes and phone calls keep coming, Gail decides to warn her principal, who informs her it could be the act of her current or former boyfriend.
One day, Gail tries to tell her mother Anne about the stalking, but Anne is too busy to pay attention. Therefore, Gail ditches school and heads to San Francisco to visit her father at work. There, she finds out her father has been fired. Back home, she confronts her mother with this, who demands her to keep silent so Neil will not feel ashamed. Gail realizes more serious matters are going on in life and decides to no longer pay attention to the notes and phone calls.
One night, she is babysitting the children of Jessica Hirsch, who is dating Gail's teacher Chris Elden. She receives a phone call from the same stalker, asking: Are you in the house alone? Afraid, Gail locks the door, until later Allison's boyfriend Phil Lawver stops by. Phil reveals himself to be Gail's stalker and rapes her. Due to the trauma, Gail is hospitalized and refuses to return to school. Her father is outraged at Phil, but finds out they can not sue him because Phil's father is a close friend of the local judge. The fact Gail recently lost her virginity to Steve also plays a role.
Gail is eventually encouraged by her teacher Malevich not to be afraid any longer and she returns to school. There, she finds out another girl is receiving the same creepy notes. Determined to stop Phil, she attempts to catch him with her photo camera. Phil, however, is on to her and attempts to beat her up, but he is caught by Steve. In the end, Phil pleads guilty to assault but is not charged with rape. He has since disappeared, and one rumour has it he is in a boarding school in New Hampshire.
Cast
- Kathleen Beller as Gail Osborne
- Blythe Danner as Anne Osborne
- Tony Bill as Neil Osborne
- Robin Mattson as Allison Bremer
- Tricia O'Neil as Jessica Hirsch
- Dennis Quaid as Phil Lawver
- Alan Fudge as Chris Elden
- Scott Colomby as Steve Pastorinis
- Ellen Travolta as Rouillard
- Randy Stumpf as E.K. Miller
- Magda Harout as Malevich
Home release
Are You in the House Alone was released on VHS by GoodTimes Entertainment and on DVD by Scream Factory as a Double Feature with the 1978 horror film, The Initiation of Sarah on December 10, 2013 [1]