Right from the first scene of a nervous, uncomfortable guy practicing how to talk to women in the mirror of his unkempt mess of an apartment it’s clear this won’t end well. Half a lady mannequin with its face largely broken away is never a good sign, either, if you need more convincing this greasy fellow has some bizarre issues.

Aidan (Baker Chase Powell) has trouble meeting women. He does well enough over online chat via dating websites to the point he’s actually made a date for the evening, except Aidan chickens out–as usual–at the last minute. Another dinner at home alone. Well, except for the top half of a lady mannequin he dresses up as dinner company for the evening with its own table setting and meal. When not having creepy mannequin dinners at home Aidan’s off at his retail job where he deals with flirtatious co-worker Elaine (Ashley Jones), who might think twice if she knew what he does in off hours. Suddenly a new neighbor, Chelsea (Samantha Boscarino), moves in across the hall and Aidan feels he might’ve found the one–whether she knows it or not…

So, from the title–We Die Alone–to the music to the setup it’s clear a happy ending isn’t in the offing and that knowing dread compounds well with each passing scene. The cast does well, each bringing enough realism to their characters in the brief time given while also not being the same kinds of brainless schmos often found in the horror/suspense/thriller/etc genres. Ashley Jones does well conveying Elaine’s vaguely mother-y interest in Aidan, even though personally I’d see red flags in a man who eats PB&J with applesauce for lunch, takes baths, likes puzzles, and seemingly doesn’t know how to brush or cut his hair. 

There’s a little bit of bookend narration I think better serves the film on the cutting room floor, but I’m also aware that I’m quite anti-narration when it comes to movies & TV (only because it’s almost always either useless or awful–thankfully this one’s just useless). Overall, We Die Alone is definitely a dread-filled experience that’s not entirely expected so next time you have 24 minutes maybe give this a shot. It’s available now on Amazon Prime, by the by.

8 out 10 Faceless Half Mannequins

Also, if you’re into giving shorts of varying lengths a shot go ahead and click the “short films” tag below to tour some others. There are definitely worse ways to spend a few minutes at a time!