Stalkers (PANIC) Stumbles Through Familiar Slash and Dash Tropes

Title: Stalkers

First Non-Festival Release: August 12, 2025 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)

Director: Paul Thompson

Writer: Maryna Gaidar, Luke Sneyd

Runtime: 115 Minutes

Starring: Olivia Sadler, Scarlett DiCaro, Cynthia Menard

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Panic Film Festival in 2025.

With everything hurled at sex workers, it’s necessary to have some representation that is positive yet nuanced. Swinging either between depictions of sainthood and absolute trash, the need for varied and human perspectives on sex workers is needed, which is a growing trend in film today. Cue Stalkers.

Kate (Olivia Sadler) is a popular adult film actress living in Los Angeles when she gets a call from a social worker letting her know that the daughter, Charlotte (Scarlett DiCaro), she gave up for adoption years ago has just been orphaned after a vicious double homicide. Choosing to leave behind her profitable, if emotionally unfulfilling, life behind, Kate decides to move back to Michigan to take care of Charlotte. Upon arrival, however, she learns that the killer is only getting started.

Great in concept, Stalkers devolves into familiar slasher territory quite quickly.

Borrowing heavily from slasher franchises before it, Stalkers positions its unexpected mother-daughter pair as survivors to root for. Much of the conflict and comedy of the story arises from Kate’s awkward attempts at connecting with and caring for Charlotte. It’s clear that Kate is out of her element, but Stalkers gives a thoughtful case for why she puts herself out there. Between her own strained relationship with her family and lack of any close friends, Kate is isolated in every sense, making her a perfect target. Charlotte benefitted from growing up with a loving family which allows her to extend an inordinate amount of grace for Kate as she takes on a new parental role she is clearly not prepared for. In fact, both of them give concessions to the other, which gives a nice foundation for a sweet, atypical relationship.

While its story has been told many times before, the way in which Stalkers goes about its mystery feels cheesy and unearned given its setup. Mixing slasher and whodunnit tropes without much success, the story putters until it gets to its tame third act bloodbath. Artificial body count fillers and lame kills destroy any tension built up and the ensuing reveal is underwhelming to say the least. There’s very little exciting in Stalkers which is disappointing considering its promising idea.

Lacking tension and scares, the rising action of Stalkers feels more like an afterthought most of the time. Spending more time on developing its central relationship, Stalkers fails to build suspense despite the action rising. Most of the conflict comes from Kate trying to connect with Charlotte while ignoring the threat of the killer. Sure, there are a few throwaway scenes leading up to its third act confrontation, but the stakes feel arguably low based on how much attention is paid to them. 

The stilted performances bring down the already disappointing story. Its cast of mostly unknowns do their best with the material but never quite elevate it. Leads Olivia Sadler and Scarlett DiCaro are thankfully the best in the cast. Sadler imbues a prickliness that nails the angst that Kate has developed over the years from familial estrangement and industry knowledge. Her line delivery may not always be there, but her attitude and demeanor fit well. DiCaro benefits from her more restrained interpretation of Charlotte. Meek but otherwise willing to do what is needed to survive, DiCaro plays the traumatized child part well enough. The problems get more apparent with the cast that spends less time onscreen, especially with the eventual reveal. Already hokey story-wise, the performance drags the film down further.

There is a glut of low budget slashers out there, and unfortunately, Stalkers does not do much to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack. Its fun concept aside, Stalkers never seems to rise to the occasion throughout its plodding story. Uneven performances and a repetitive approach to horror sinks any chances of it capturing the magic of similarly quippy slashers. More middling than outright bad, Stalkers is a dull slasher without a hook.

Overall Score? 4/10