DVD review: “Cyberstalker” is just plain criminal

With a plot-by-numbers formula and minimal flexing of creativity, “Cyberstalker” sees Mischa Barton hindered, harassed, and hunted down by more than just the film’s uninspired bad guy.

And while slack could well have been given to the film if it remained in its original Lifetime Channel movie-of-the-week release, taking the added steps to carry it over to DVD seems about as unnecessary as the stalker’s hoodie. Barton carries the production for sure, but in name alone, offering a performance of intermittent disinterest and wildly needy naiveté. And though more reputable stars have surely cashed in on phoned in performances strictly for the coin – say Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Happening,’ Halle Berry in ‘Catwoman’ and Demi Moore in ‘Striptease,’ just to name a few – the last thing a film needs is for that finance driven fourth wall to be seen for what it is. Not surprisingly, the special features menu is nonexistent for this release. But in light of how creatively conventional the film and its proceedings are, I doubt a blooper reel would have offered any semblance of redemption. So with utter predictability down to its bones, and an actress that got by on her name alone, “Cyberstalker” should definitely keep to the shadows where it belongs.

Studio Synopsis: Thirteen years ago, Aiden’s world was torn apart after an online stalker followed her into the real world and broke into her home to claim the object of his desire. The resulting night of terror ended with the murders of both Aiden’s mother and father. The stalker escaped the scene without Aiden seeing his face.  He is gone without a trace, an unknown man, a murderer now watching Aiden’s every move. To escape this danger Aiden spends the next 13 years offline, in therapy and secluded anonymity. There is nowhere for Aiden to hide when someone wants to love her to death.