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 After a jilted lover (Tom Rolfing) kills his ex-bride-to-be, he decides justice has not been served and decides that all women preparing for their upcoming nuptials must meet the sharp end of his knife. He's arrived in a new town and has eyed Amy (Caitlin O'Heaney) and her wedding party as targets in his sick revenge. Amy's spotted our killer, but everyone just laughs it off as getting cold feet. Can her ex-boyfriend, Marvin (Don Scardino), get her to dump the groom and save her from the clutches of a madman?
Defying conventions was never the slasher genre's strong point, so why start with He Knows You're Alone? It's a simple story stolen right from the pages of the master, John Carpenter, but with a small twist - the killer's face is never concealed (though he remains quite frightening). Arguably, He Knows has never been on the top of critic's list or even fans for that matter, but I still have a soft spot for this nice little thriller. Most detractors of it hate the fact that it's a basic road map of Halloween but some of us dig the minimalist plot and the chemistry between the two leads. Don Scardino makes Marvin a decent and likeable fellow and Caitlin O'Heaney is good as Amy. Lest we forget, this was also Tom Hanks' first film. He only shows up in two scenes, but you can see his star quality shining.
He Knows' has some great set pieces too. The opening scene spins a clever movie within a movie yarn. Eagle eye horror geeks will notice that's Russell Todd from Chopping Mall and Friday the 13th Part 2 hanging over the car! Blink and you might miss James Carroll from Girls Nite Out in another scene. Yes, there's a virtual cornucopia of horror references to be had during just one viewing! Now who could say no to that?
No stranger to the genre, director Armand Mastroianni knew how to keep the bodycount rolling. The best scene in the film features the voluptuous Elizabeth Kemp sitting with her back to the camera, listening to a pop ballad on headphones and toking it up as our killer watches. The talented Mastroianni kept up the pace with The Supernaturals and the underrated mystery The Killing Hour (also starring Kemp).
So while He Knows' is by no means a groundbreaking film it is entertaining and harkens back to the day when films of this ilk had yet to be considered contrived. So take your shoes off, kick back and let the killing begin!
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