Male Loneliness Is Taken to Heartbreakingly Chilling Lengths in This Gripping Tech Horror

Few things are as terrifying as pure, unchecked loneliness. Sure, the slashers that fill the horror genre are unnerving, but nothing compares to the realistic fear of not being connected to those around you, of missing out on the joy of community that having friends can bring. Some films recognize this and become eerie showcases of what loneliness can do to a person, but none portray this concept as disturbingly well as Jon Stevenson's thrillerRent-A-Pal. Following a man desperate for any kind of connection, it sees him find a videotape that promises a friend who will always be there — and who, eventually, will turn our main character's depressed loneliness into a shocking spiral of violence. Despite being set in the '90s, the movie is thoroughly modern; it plays on the trauma so many felt during the Covid-19 pandemic to emphasize just how harrowing our protagonist's experience is. Beyond the pandemic, though, where it really thrives is centering itself in the "male loneliness epidemic," a well-documented issue as more men than ever are citing feeling disconnected from the world around them. It's a complex phenomenon that this film delves into terrifyingly well, with Rent-A-Pal offering a lesson so many people need to hear: sometimes, all you really need is a friend.