“The Watchers” is a horror/thriller movie that is Isha Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut, released in 2024. It is based on the book The Watchers by A.M. Shine. There is a hint of fantastical elements throughout the movie and lore that would have made for a great overall story, but unfortunately, this movie seemed to have fallen short in the horror genre.
The movie follows an American girl, Mina, played by Dakota Fanning, who works in a pet store in Ireland. She seems to want to be someone else entirely, which is shown by her wearing wigs when meeting new people. On her mother’s fifteenth anniversary of her death, Mina is asked to transport a bird to Belfast.
In the middle of unmarked woods, her car breaks down, and Mina runs into a woman, Madeline, played by Olwen Fouere, who quickly ushers her into a bunker. Madeline explains that there are beings in the woods called the Watchers. The bunker has a large window, and essentially, the Watchers will survey them and the other people in the bunker from sunset to sunrise. The bunker residents are free to roam the woods during the day, but their limited time is not enough to escape, leaving them trapped. If they are caught during the night, the Watchers will take them.
The movie did have a mystery about it, especially with the Watchers themselves. The hint of lore about the watchers and the twists in the movie was good until the final plot twist at the end, which seemed to disrupt what the whole movie had been about. The twist was rushed, with no exposition leading up to it, making it seem far too off-center for the movie.
Even so, the Watchers is a decent watch but not a favorite. The movie’s beginning is rushed, and the middle is drawn out. The scenes that are supposed to be scary are only small jump scares that will hardly make you flinch. There is an eeriness about the scenes, but not enough to classify this as a horror movie. The story had strong potential, but the script, characters, and acting did not execute this.
Andrea Roberts can be reached at [email protected]