Watcher (2022)

[unberechenbar]

As a serial killer stalks the city, a young actress who just moved to town with her boyfriend notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street in this terrifying thriller.

Source

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awZTfjPrYJw

[DR Herbert West]

Looks like a remake of Someone's Watching Me.

[MikeScott]

Watcher is a slickly made, slow-burn paranoia thriller. The cinematography is gorgeous and the sound design impressive. My issue with it is that there's not much to it. There are no surprises. I adore Maika Monroe and found it captivating thanks to her. If you're a fan of hers the combination of her lead performance and the nice technical aspects should be enough to hold your attention. If you're not and aren't a fan of slower paced films this probably isn't for you. I would definitely recommend it overall though. It's a nice, Hitchcockian throwback thriller.

On a side note I saw this at the Minneapolis St. Paul Film Festival and I had a really difficult time getting comfortable during it. Two people came in about fifteen minutes late and sat right in front of us. I kept trying to maneuver myself so I could see the screen while also not blocking the people behind me. My back was hurting throughout basically the whole movie. I plan on seeing this again at my theater when I can relax in a reclining seat. While I still enjoyed the movie that absolutely hindered my enjoyment of it.

For now I'd go with a B/B+ rating.

I don't understand why Maika Monroe isn't getting bigger roles. I do love that she's been in so many genre films though. She's probably my favorite modern scream queen. Hopefully she won't stop doing horror/thriller movies anytime soon.

[levcore]

She had a bigger mainstream role in Independence Day Resurgence but tbh seemed totally miscast in that. I definitely think she is more effective in indie roles.

[Zillamon51]

She specializes in being followed. Hopefully she continues to chase those roles.

[MikeScott]

Originally Posted by levcore

She had a bigger mainstream role in Independence Day Resurgence but tbh seemed totally miscast in that. I definitely think she is more effective in indie roles.

Yeah I pretty much only went to that movie for her. I thought it might be the beginning of a bigger career for her but it didn't go anywhere since that movie flopped. Mainly I'd just like to see her get a starring role in a big studio release horror movie. Put her in a Scream movie . If not at least she's working consistently in indie films.

[MikeScott]

Originally Posted by Zillamon51

She specializes in being followed. Hopefully she continues to chase those roles.

Ha. She is also cast in any horror movie where a character goes to the cinema to watch Charade. Happened in It Follows and Watcher. Made a couple people in the audience laugh when they saw her going to Charade in this movie too.

[Zillamon51]

That's hilarious! It should be in her contract.

[HorrorBlu]

Surprisingly, the AMC nearby is getting this and they usually don't get a lot of the IFC limited release titles.

VOD will be June 21st.

[MikeScott]

It's supposed to be in 500+ theaters. My Marcus rarely gets them (though they did get Happening recently so maybe they're turning over a new leaf ) and they're getting it. A lot of their theaters seem to be. Won't be surprised if this ends up in closer to 1,000 theaters.

[Arlington]

Saw this tonight…loved it. Increasingly creepy slow-burn. Highly effective locations. Monroe is fantastic; enjoyed the supporting players. Had me questioning a few things and characters along the way, toying with my expectations. Even scarier when you recognize all the parallels it draws to the crap women have to put up with. It’s like a throwback, yet with something new to say. Definitely recommend seeing it in a theater. Already booked tickets to see it again (thank you, AMC A-list!).

[unberechenbar]

Originally Posted by Arlington

Saw this tonight…loved it. Increasingly creepy slow-burn. Highly effective locations. Monroe is fantastic; enjoyed the supporting players. Had me questioning a few things and characters along the way, toying with my expectations. Even scarier when you recognize all the parallels it draws to the crap women have to put up with. It’s like a throwback, yet with something new to say. Definitely recommend seeing it in a theater. Already booked tickets to see it again (thank you, AMC A-list!).

That's encouraging to hear. I plan on seeing this next week. The woman in a window getting stalked seems to be a common trope in movies although I've never seen any of them, so I'm curious to see one.

[The Great Owl]

Five stars

When her husband accepts a job in Bucharest, Julia, played by Maika Monroe, relocates with him, only to find herself alone for long stretches of time in their new apartment or struggling to overcome the language barrier when she goes out in public. The overbearing sense of isolation for our American heroine is compounded by the fact that her husband, whose mother is Romanian, is fluent in the language, resulting in a lonely awkwardness for her when the two of them are in social settings. Unfortunately, Julia has another problem. Whenever she looks out the window of her living room, she sees a man staring straight at her from an adjacent apartment building. As a stranger in a strange land, she has difficulty convincing others, including her patronizing spouse, that she is possibly being stalked, despite the fact that news reports are circulating about a serial killer in the city who is preying on female victims.

The 2022 psychological thriller, Watcher, directed by Chloe Okuno, blends the aesthetics of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window with splashes of Dario Argento's Italian giallo cinema and Brian De Palma's 1980s films. The end result is a deliberately-paced slow burn of a horror movie that earns considerable mileage from the notion that Monroe's Julia, who grapples with anxiety in her new home, may be an unreliable narrator. The paranoia-laced proceedings pay off handsomely when all hell breaks loose during the final 15 minutes of this story.

Maika Monroe, who is best known for her role in the 2014 horror film, It Follows, excels at generating tension simply by way of her uneasy reactions to events that unfold. Karl Glusman, as Julia's husband, is perfect as the beleaguered sort who could benefit from a #MeToo era lesson in believing women. Burn Gorman, a veteran of Guillermo del Toro films, stars as the supposed Peeping Tom.

The IFC Midnight distribution company continues to swing for the fences with modest budget scary movies that often flow with an understated simplicity toward shocking finales. Watcher is no exception to the rule. I like this film a lot.

[BluBonnet]

I'm not really a huge horror fan, so I was a little surprised I found myself enjoying this quite a bit, actually, especially thanks to the compelling performance by Maika, who imho really sells this. All the unfamiliar Romanian locations were an added plus.

The movie does err a bit on the side of predictability towards the end, and I don't think Burn Gorman, who has been so excellent in Paramount's The Offer, had nearly enough screen time here. But those quibbles aside, it was overall a pretty enjoyable watch.

[kopitarrulez]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I'm not really a huge horror fan, so I was a little surprised I found myself enjoying this quite a bit, actually, especially thanks to the compelling performance by Maika, who imho really sells this. All the unfamiliar Romanian locations were an added plus.

The movie does err a bit on the side of predictability towards the end, and I don't think Burn Gorman, who has been so excellent in Paramount's The Offer, had nearly enough screen time here. But those quibbles aside, it was overall a pretty enjoyable watch.

Yeah throughly enjoyed this too she really sells it

[50strat54]

oh I thought this was going to be the next Marvel film with FF and SS

[The Great Owl]

I wonder if the filmmakers got the idea for one specific scene from this song...

The Cure - "Subway Song"

"Midnight in the subway
She's on her way home

She tries hard not to run
But she feels she's not alone

Echoes of footsteps follow close behind
But she dare not turn around
Turn around
Turn around"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQP6XQGSoaY

[MazeRunner]

Saw this at an early noon showing yesterday and was the only one in the theatre and it was an amazing experience.

The cinema scene in the movie definitely creeped me out.

It’s a quick 90 minute thriller with beautiful cinematography. I’m glad I saw this in a movie theatre.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by MazeRunner

The cinema scene in the movie definitely creeped me out.

Have you watched Charade? I think the scene works even better if you have

[unberechenbar]

Thought this was decent. The "jump scare" took me by surprise and the finale was deafening. It did drag a bit in the middle and there weren't enough tense scenes in my opinion. The opening title was quite memorable.