Are You in the House Alone? (1978)

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Doe-eyed high school student Gail (Kathleen Beller) is found beaten and assaulted in the opening scenes of this made-for-TV movie.

The film then flashbacks to the few days before the assault, as Gail is harassed by a stranger. Gail and Steve (Scott Colomby), and her best friend Allison (Robin Mattson) and Phil (Dennis Quaid) are double dating early on. Beller's anxious parents, laid-back Neil (Tony Bill) and shrill Anne (Blythe Danner), wait at home wringing hands and so on. Right away, the 1970's makes its dated entrance, as the young couples discuss the romance and love in "Three Days of the Condor." Gail, an amateur photographer, begins getting threatening notes slipped into her locker at school. The film makers wisely give us a whole slew of suspects: Gail's new boyfriend, Allison's boyfriend, Beller's dad, Beller's ex-boyfriend, and what about that overly friendly photography class teacher who wants Gail to be a little more sexy in her self-portraits? I knew who the attacker was because the old Worldvision Video company VHS video box has a picture of the attack on the back cover, destroying any suspense in that regard (I always found that copy in the HORROR section of my old video stores). The movie then heads south as Gail makes like Nancy Drew to catch the perp.

The suspense here is very real, without going over the top into horror movie territory. Beller is very good, and watch for her and Mattson's scene in an abandoned theater- both do great jobs. The film is full of familiar faces, including Ellen Travolta in a small role, and everyone is professional. This was made in 1978, and some of the attitudes are embarrassing. The teacher who tells Beller to be sexy is never made to explain what exactly he had in mind. Nowadays, if any high school teacher said that, then THAT would have been a made-for-TV movie on its own. After Gail is raped, the rapist is still a part of her life, as warrants are issued, blah, blah, blah. There may not be a case because Gail is not a virgin, and cannot prove she was raped by whom she said. Many of these problems have been addressed with modern technology and policing efforts, but this film obviously knew it would have a chance to add to the reform debate. Sexual assault is an act of violence that has not gone away, but efforts today to catch the attackers are miles ahead of decades ago. The problem is the anti-rape angle feels tacked on as an afterthought. Before that, we have a tight little suspenser that has real characterization. After the assault, everything changes filmwise, and not for the better. I remember Beller from the '70's and '80's, she was very good way back then.

I will recommend "Are You in the House Alone?" based on the acting alone, with a reluctant nod to at least the first two-thirds of the film. If you want to relive 1970's made-for-TV high school life, this is your cup of Tab.

Stats:
(1978) 96 min. (* * * 1/2) out of five stars
-Directed by Walter Grauman
-Teleplay by Judith Parker based on the novel by Richard Peck
-Cast: Kathleen Beller, Scott Colomby, Robin Mattson, Dennis Quaid, Tony Bill, Blythe Danner, Ellen Travolta, Tricia O'Neill, Alan Fudge, Randy Stumpf, Magda Harout, David Keith, S. Pearl Sharp, Lois Hamilton
(TV-14)