One of this year’s horror movie flops is now getting a second chance on streaming. The Watchers is a horror thriller from Ishana Night Shyamalan in her feature film directorial debut, and it is streaming now on Max. Based on the novel by A.M. Shine. The Watchers features a mysterious premise and shocking twists, and finds Ishana is following in the footsteps of her legendary father, M. Night Shyamalan, who serves as a producer.
In the film, an American artist named Mina (Dakota Fanning) gets lost in a dense forest in Ireland, but finds an older woman and a bunker called “The Coop.” Mina learns the people in “The Coop” are being “watched” by unseen strangers through a mirrored window. Not following the rules or leaving “The Coop” means death, and Mina must find a way to escape her mysterious captors. The Watchers also features a twist ending that might remind viewers of one of Ishana’s father’s films.
In addition to Fanning, The Watchers stars Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) as Ciara, Olwen Fouéré as Madeline, Oliver Finnegan (Outlander) as Daniel, and Alistair Brammer as John. While the film has received a lot of criticism, one of the common areas of praise has been the cast. Fanning has proven herself to be an excellent dramatic actress, as her work in The Alienist and Ripley has shown, and she’s very good in the lead role. Kim Newman of Empire Magazine noted “Fanning brings her A-game” to the role.
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The Critical Response to The Watchers
Critics were not kind to the film, giving it a 32% Tomatoscore on Rotten Tomatoes. Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun Times said “The Watchers feels like a cover band’s take on familiar scary movie themes, with little in the way of original ideas.” Sarah Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak, however, gave it a positive review, saying “As imperfect as this hushed supernatural chiller may be, the demons it conjures up…left a lasting impression, and that’s nothing to scoff at.”
The film premiered in June, in the midst of the summer movie season, and the lack of positive buzz showed at the box office. The film grossed only $19 million domestically and $33 million worldwide during its theatrical run, against a $30 million budget. It’s a terrible performance by any metric for a major studio film given a wide release in over 3,300 theaters. By comparison, Deadpool & Wolverine made $24 million on its first Monday after release.
While The Watchers has its flaws, its moody atmospheric presence, strong performances, and a solid twist ending are worth a watch. The audience score at Rotten Tomatoes was 52%, which isn’t fresh, but far better than what the critics gave it. The influence of Ishana’s father is obvious, and offers more positives than negatives. The Watchers may not be the best thriller to be released this year, but it is certainly worth a watch.
The Watchers
is currently streaming on Max.
