The Overlook: The Watcher



(imdb.com)

Sometimes when looking for something to watch, you just want something easy and cheesy like a Lifetime movie, but most certainly a step above that. This is essentially what The Watcher is. Equal parts horror as it is melodrama, The Watcher is, well, easy to watch. It's a slightly trashy, but perfectly suspenseful film with darkened halls and sounds in the night. There's acting and a script that waiver between dismal and fantastic and the film succeeds with varied success. The Watcher is most definitely a shaking film, but it's also enjoyable and for that, noteworthy.


The film focuses on a couple who move into an old home in a typical, nosy suburban neighborhood. When strange happenings start to occur, it becomes clear that there are much more sinister entities at work. The Watcher stars Erin Cahill (Boogeyman 3) and Edi Gathegi (Gone Baby Gone)as the young couple, and Denise Crosby (Pet Sematary) plays an intrusive neighbor whose son, played by Riley Baron, is somewhat offensively depicted as having a disability. Each of them do mediocrely in their roles; Gathegi is the only one who does consistently well, although Cahill makes valiant efforts, despite being brought down by a constricting woman-in-torment role.

The bad of this film has all been outlined above; from somewhat offensive portrayals of those with special needs to some over the top acting that could be tossed up between a weak script or poor skills, The Watcher leave's some yearning. But, where it works, The Watcher really works. There are numerous parts - especially those featuring the birdlike man, that are especially suspenseful and while it eventually gets somewhat lost in translation, the establishment of the film is relatively powerful. The former neighbor is also pretty terrifying as he peers through fences and shows himself into the couple's home.

The Watcher is strongest at creating an atmosphere of fear. It's off-putting and weird style, propelled by scary notes and the impending arrival of the birdman, later seen in visions, is definitely creepy. The film additionally wins some points for it's unsettling turn in the last act. For what could have leveled out as a typical ghost film. The Watcher isn't something to hold a candle to, but it is cheaply entertaining enough to be worthwhile. For those mindless nights of boredom, it's definitely not the worst thing on Netflix and that's saying something.