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This movie may not be a straight up slasher movie due to the fact that there are no deaths at all, but for a TV movie, I found this very much decent and entertaining. The opening where we see the aftermath of a high school girl beaten and raped, which really set the tone for what this movie is about and then it flashbacks to the previous events leading up to what happened.

Like I said this movie is not a slasher but features several elements like the young girl getting strange phone calls, threatening notes and tense stalk scenes. However the suspense here has a very realistic feel and you do feel the raw emotions that this character is going through especially when she sees her rapist getting ready to stalk his next victim and of course we do get a list of suspects and this movie doe's display that angle well and keep you guessing throughout. While what happens is horrifying, there's not much in the way of true horror, but what we have is a pretty solid thriller with lots of build up and a great pay off thanks to its good pacing.

The strongest thing about this movie is the acting which is top notch Kathleen Beller who plays the main character was very good and believable, her innocence and beauty makes you really root for her especially when she turns detective and eventually turns the tables on her attacker. Plus we get a standout performance from a fresh faced Dennis Quaid and Scott Colomby as the boyfriend also really stood out, displaying great chemistry with Gail, in fact all of the cast had great chemistry with each other, even the parents were great.

All in all "Are You in the House Alone" may seem a bit dated by today's standards, but still genially creepy and frightening realistic.

A young high school student begins getting creepy phone calls which eventually leads to her being stalked in 'Are You in the House Alone?". Gail Osborne is a sweet teenage girl who begins going out with classmate Steve. Eventually, she gets a phone call from an anonymous person who does the whole heavy breathing routine. It gets worse from there as Gail gets a note in her locker stating "I'm watching you". We get our list of suspects early on... is it the creepy photography teacher, Gail's current boyfriend or her ex boyfriend? Gail takes a babysitting job in town and that's when the stalker gets close and sadly Gail is raped by this person. We know who did it, and the rest of the film shows Gail trying to prove this person did this to her.

'Are You in the House Alone' is actually an important film for it's time as it tackles tough topics such a rape and women's rights. It isn't so much a horror film (like the title might make it seem) as it is a suspense/mystery movie. We spend a lot of the film trying to figure out who the stalker is. Once we find out the identity of the person, it's hard to watch Gail have to prove it to her closest friend and even the courts/police. Some of the stalking scenes were REALLY well done, and add creepiness to the movie.

The acting was very well done from Kathleen Beller, Scott Colomby, Robin Mattson and a young Dennis Quaid. Where the film lacks is it's pacing. It drags on quite a bit, and focuses a lot of the time on Gail's family issues and her father who's been recently laid off of his job. Good performances by her parents Blythe Danner and Tony Bill. I recommend seeing this 70's made for TV film for sure. It's only ever been released on VHS, but is online as well. It's a slower moving movie, but definitely has it's moments

7/10

Someone should really make an effort to find more of these old 70's TV movies and release them on DVD. I've been fortunate enough to catch "When Michael Calls", "Terror on the Beach", and this one on late-night cable showings. Others like "Bad Ronald", "This House Possessed", and "Go Ask Alice" can be obtained if you don't mind spending money in the morally ambiguous world of bootleg video sellers (or, even worse, on E-bay). Others though like the the made-for-TV slasher flick "Deadly Lessons" seem to be lost forever.

The 70's TV movies were not necessarily good, but they were often pretty enjoyable in a cheesy way. They were aimed at a more general audience than TV movies today (i.e. not just dumb, bored housewives) and they did not try to tackle any "issues". This movie actually kind of does tackle an issue (stalking and acquaintance rape), but it was really before it was an issue. It also has some pretty effective suspense leading up to the rape (scary notes, creepy phone calls, "Halloween"-style POV camera shots ). And instead of turning into a predictable courtroom drama after the rape, it ends on a rather ironic and somewhat cynical note. Interestingly, the movie was based on a fairly well-known young adult novel of the same name by Richard Peck (whose other book "If You Don't Look, It won't Hurt" would later provide the inspiration for the theatrical art film "Gas, Food, Lodging). As adaptations of young adult novels go, it's a hell of a lot better than "I Know What you Did Last Summer". I wouldn't pay $20 to an unscrupulous bootlegger to see this, but it's definitely worth watching if it comes on cable TV.

I think my issue with this film is that I was expecting a very different movie, but I also think it makes sense to expect a different one. It's called "Are You in the House Alone?" and is apparently about a babysitter being stalked by an unknown assailant, but that's really about 10 minutes of the running time. Most of this film is a high school drama about this girl's teen angst and her current boyfriend ... and she receives the odd anonymous note leading into the 10 minutes of not very effective horror. This is not for me.

A late 70s TV movie, that whilst not particularly original, is tightly told and most engaging. It is surprising watching this just over thirty years on just how much the social view of sex, sexuality and rape has changed. One central suggestion here is that the main defence will be that only a virgin can be raped. An attitude we now assume only applies in country areas of such countries as India or Pakistan. But this is modern sophisticated USA, and the other social factor this film raises is that of the protected moneyed class, depicted so devastatingly well later in Brian Yuzn'a 'Society'. The film tells us of the main event early on and then flashbacks to give us the lead up and aftermath. Watching it I wasn't sure this was a good idea but it works astonishingly well with much tension and suspense. Kathleen Beller is excellent as the wider eyed victim and a young Dennis Quad does well in one of his very first films.

A typical TV thriller where a teenage girl named Gail is harassed by a stalker with threatening notes and phone calls. This main plot point is distracted with the sappy subplot of Gail's dating life with her boyfriend, Steve. Her complicated relationship with her parents (played by Blythe Danner and Tony Bill) is more interesting and I especially liked the performance of Blythe Danner in the mother role (including the part where she says she does not want her daughter to settle down at an early age, but to find herself first).

The plot's pacing, though, is very slow and takes a long time to gain any suspenseful traction. When it does, the thrills don't usually last long. And, the title is misleading. Acting was subpar - OK to pass on this one.

Grade D

A teen attends high school in the Los Angeles area (Kathleen Beller) wherein she starts dating a guy (Scott Colomby), but she's harassed by an unknown stalker. Blythe Danner and Tony Bill play the parents while Robin Mattson and Dennis Quaid are on hand as fellow students.

"Are You in the House Alone?" (1978) is a made-for-TV coming-of-age drama/mystery with elements of horror in the stalking & assault mold. In other words, it's real-life horror as opposed to a cartoonish assailant with a mask and a machete butchering people. It borrows a little from "Black Christmas" (1974) and is the precursor to "When a Stranger Calls" (1979), but don't expect a slasher or any gory, over-the-top horror.

This is perhaps the best movie to behold Beller's youthful, winsome beauty. Meanwhile Blythe Danner is attractive at 34 during shooting. On the other side of the gender spectrum, it is interesting to see Quaid when he was just starting out in the biz.

As far as whom the assailant turns out to be, I wasn't able to figure it out, which was a pleasant surprise. I can't say much else because I don't want to give anything away, but the flick drives home its point effectively while entertaining the viewer (as far as this genre goes).

The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles, including Ahmanson Mansion, Hancock Park, with a sequence of Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.

GRADE: B.

A teenage girl is plagued by harassing phone calls. Her fear mounts when she is babysitting at a neighbor's home one evening and the caller rings her at that number.

There seems to be an effort to get this film marketed as a horror film. IMDb says it is one, Scream! Factory is selling it as one, and the title and cover strongly suggest a horror theme. While it is certainly a situation that would be terrifying to anyone in real life, that does not make it a horror film. It is more a "crime drama" or some such thing.

That being said, it is not a bad movie if you go in under proper expectations. A young Dennis Quaid gives a powerful performance, Blythe Danner does her part, and the rest of the cast is quite good. The story is fairly tight in its script.

For horror fans, what may be worth pointing out is that this film actually predates "When a Stranger Calls" by a year. Although the calls in this film are not coming from inside the house, there is a similar feeling and possibly a connection (though it could just be coincidence).

Okay, I love this movie!!!!! I watched it over and over again. It is so hard to tell who the attacker is. You keep thinking it's one person, then another, then back to the first person, then another person. It is so suspense full you want to fast forward your TV to the end to see who it is.

SUMMARY: Gail Osborne is raped and left at her home. She is in the hospital and begins to tell the story of how she was raped. It goes from her meeting her steady boyfriend, to her teacher who takes a liking to her, to her ex-boyfriend, all different stories, all suspects. But who did it?

I love the acting, they have a lot of great talent in here. The suspense is wonderful and the settings are superb. If it comes on TV watch it. *** 1/2 stars 10/10

This TV movie is surprisingly good about a girl being stalked at school. I used to watch a lot of these movies as a kid and this one stands out as one of the best. It has an unpredictable ending and holds your attention throughout. Highly recommended if you get the chance to see it!

The title is a bit misleading on this TV movie, in that we expected a horror film. What we actually get is a reasonably decent high school bullying/stalking drama, with the long-haired Kathleen Beller as the victim. The plot also deals with a rape that goes unpunished, truly edgy material for a 1970s family TV flick. Beller plays a high school senior who starts getting nasty phone calls and notes from a stalker. The adults in her life do not handle the situation particularly well, and she begins to withdraw into herself. There is no end of suspects, to boot. Blythe Danner plays her high-strung mom and Dennis Quaid is one of her fellow students. Looks like it was filmed in a real high school, which helps. But it drags after awhile, and could have been about 20 minutes shorter. Truth is, a little bit of Beller goes a long way. She was a bit exotic looking with her massive mane and big round eyes , but she was not a very good actress.

Lets start by stating that this is not a horror movie. Its much more of a drama on the subject of rape whit thriller elements to it. I must say that for a t.v. Movie, it doesn't take the subject to lightly. Sure, some of the writing isn't a thought provoking and serious as it should be given the subject matter but the core of the story and its unraveling i very close to reality and most of what doesn't resonate truth today sure seem appropriate for the time when this was made. Overall, I went into this thinking I was gonna watch a horror movie and even dough I quickly realize this was not gonna be the case, I was already to invested in it to quit and I see that as a sing of good writing and directing. I liked it a lot.

This film is called "horror" by IMDB and Wikipedia. It isn't a horror movie, at all. It's a TV issue related movie. A teenage girl was raped and most of the story centred around the family and school like a soap opera. So this makes the film a drama and not a horror film. It was dull and I struggled to watch it.

Scripted by Judith Parker, based on a novel by Richard Peck, 'Are You in the House Alone?!' tells the story of high schooler Gail Osborne (pretty Kathleen Beller, 'Dynasty'), who begins to receive ominous notes and phone calls from a stalker. Her best friend Allison Bremer (Robin Mattson, 'General Hospital') believes her to be prone to over-reaction, but Gail is still scared. Still, her ordeal is far from over, even after a horrifying encounter with the stalker...

This viewer realizes that TV movies such as this one are rarely going to pack the same punch as theatrical treatments of similar stories, due to being made for general audiences and designed to be interrupted by commercials. And 'Are You in the House Alone?!' is mild stuff compared to the typical big screen horror film, at least in term of scares and suspense. That's not to say that director Walter Grauman ("Lady in a Cage", 'Crowhaven Farm') doesn't give it some style, though.

However, it's after the villain is revealed (near the beginning of the final third) that this actually turns into a different sort of story, about one of the horrors facing real-life women. One completely sympathizes with Gail and wonders if justice can possibly prevail.

In the meantime, there are some subplots that take up time: Gail's interest / skill in photography (which, unsurprisingly, comes in handy), the secret that Gail's father (Tony Bill, "Shampoo") is hiding from her, Allisons' fantasy of marrying her boyfriend Phil Lawver (Dennis Quaid), etc.

It's the cast that makes this as watchable as it is. Other familiar faces like Blythe Danner ("Futureworld"), Tricia O'Neil ("Piranha Part Two: The Spawning"), Alan Fudge ("Capricorn One"), Scott Colomby ("Caddyshack"), John Travolta's older sis Ellen ("Human Experiments"), and Randy Stumpf ("Silent Night, Deadly Night") all turn up as well. Colomby is particularly endearing as Gail's likeable love interest.

Even though this one may come as a disappointment for TV horror fans expecting more of a spook show, its final third does make it somewhat interesting and impossible to dismiss outright.

Six out of 10.

Gail Osborne is a 16 year old who starts dating Steve Pastorinis who goes to the same school as her. It's also around this time that she starts to receive abusive notes stuck in the grills of her school locker and also abusive telephone calls.

For a film, let alone a TV movie to deal with an issue such as stalking in 1978 was very brave indeed as it hadn't entered the public consciousness yet and was largely an alien concept. But Are You In The House Alone? Deals with the subject very intelligently and exposes it for the vile, terrifying and horrific practice that it actually is.

But the movie also deals with other issues such as Gail's parents struggling with their marriage following her father losing his job. This again is dealt with brilliantly and feels integral to the plot rather than just feeling like padding to fill up the running time.

But Are You In The House Alone? Also deals with rape, another taboo topic for 1978. It deals with it amazingly well with discussions regarding getting the rapist to court and obtaining a conviction against him being seen as being very difficult indeed.

I love doing 31 Days of Halloween as it's a great chance to revisit horror films that I have seen in the past but also to watch films that are completely new to me. Some of these I'm really glad I took the time to watch. A small minority bowl me over as they are just so powerful and brilliant. Are You In The House Alone? Is one such film. When it ended I literally had to just sit and digest what I had just experienced and think about just how trailblazing the production was especially for that time and for the topics it depicted without any sugar coating or saccharine gloss.

Are You In The House Alone? Is a very unsettling experience as it worms it's way into your head and will stay with you long after it has finished. And it's a rare instance of a TV movie rightly finding it's way onto Blu Ray (thank you Vinegar Syndrome!)

I've fallen into the trap of watching this movie for a second time recently, thinking it's a horror movie because IMDB have it listed as 'horror'. It is not! Thriller yeah, drama yeah, not a horror movie. It's free to watch on youtube if you're interested. Okay movie, but the ending is a bit of a fizzer, and i feel there's an underlying moral to the movie, and that is- 'rich people can get away with anything!'