Director: Sarah Linton
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Domhnall Gleeson, Tessa Thompson
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Tech Horror
Runtime: ~100 minutes
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Claire Morgan, a trauma survivor and graphic designer who moves into a high-tech apartment in Portland seeking a fresh start. Instead, she finds herself trapped in a digital nightmare: voice-controlled devices, smart locks, and AI assistants begin turning against her. Suspicious emails, phantom entries in her calendar, and devices acting autonomously signal that someone — or something — is lurking within her tech-enabled sanctuary. As her paranoia grows, Claire discovers she’s not the first resident targeted. In this dystopian vision, your home is your cage.
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Anya Taylor-Joy’s Performance
Taylor-Joy delivers her most emotionally raw performance yet, portraying Claire with a mix of vulnerability and steely resilience. Her expressive presence anchors the film. -
Atmospheric Direction & Visual Style
Sarah Linton and DP Erik Messerschmidt create a world of cold, sterile design and unsettling digital glitches. Apartment corridors feel oppressive, and every errant flicker in the frame suggests hidden surveillance. -
Sound Design as Horror Weapon
Composer Ben Salisbury’s minimalist, mechanical score, punctuated by notification chimes and electronic whispers, transforms seemingly innocuous background noise into instruments of dread. -
Social Commentary
The film taps into modern anxieties about surveillance: tech designed for convenience becomes a tool of control. It’s a visceral commentary on how our most trusted devices can be turned against us.
Slow-Burn Pacing
The deliberate build-up is effective, but the midsection drags slightly as Claire's isolation deepens with few external triggers.
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Ambiguous Antagonist
The stalker remains mostly faceless—technology itself becomes enemy. This ambiguity amplifies unease, but some viewers may long for a more concrete villain.
The Stalking transcends typical thriller tropes by blending psychological drama with real-world tech fears. Anchored by a powerhouse performance from Taylor-Joy and steeped in eerie atmosphere and modern dread, it’s a compelling film for our digital era.
