The Watchers Movie Review

The Watchers (2024) Movie Review

Few directors achieve household name status, with it usually being the stars in front of the camera who receive the notoriety. But one name that many will know is M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan has made a number of memorable films such as ‘The Sixth Sense’, ‘Unbreakable’, ‘Signs’, ‘The Village’, ‘The Visit’, ‘Split’, ‘Glass’, ‘Old’ and ‘A Knock at The Cabin’, which have made him a household name. His legacy in Hollywood is felt among a lot of films and tv shows, with the phrase ‘Shyamalanian twist’ being used frequently when describing a films third act twist. His daughter Ishana Shyamalan, is now following in her father’s footsteps, establishing herself as a filmmaker to watch, with directorial credits already including six episodes of ‘The Servant’, a show her M. Night launched with Apple TV+, and this years ‘The Watchers’, which she adapted from a novel of the same name, written by A.M Shine.

‘The Watchers’ stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré and Oliver Finnegan and follows Mina (played by Fanning), a 28-year-old artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night. Mina must work with these strangers to survive and escape this dreaded situation. Whilst not becoming the biggest box office hit of the year, the film managed to gross $33 million at the worldwide box office, proving to be a moderate success at the domestic box office with nearly $20 million in box office receipts. Given the legacy of the Shyamalan name in Hollywood and the intriguing premise of ‘The Watchers’, I was very excited to see this atmospheric and uniquely set horror, fantasy and thankful, it did not disappoint!

‘The Watchers’ is a highly original take on the horror genre, providing a unique location for its setting, using the cold and gloomy Western-Ireland setting to its full potential. The environment is stark and at the same time oddly beautiful, providing a sense of dread and complete isolation from the outside world. Writer and director Ishana Shyamalan knows exactly what to show and not to show here, letting the atmosphere take hold and really grab the audience, luring them in and creating palpable tension. The eerie quietness of the forest, the dreary weather and the low, natural lighting make you just want to crawl under a blanket. It’s really effective.

The incorporation of folk legend and fantasy elements are also an inspired choice. We as audiences have become so use to ghosts, ghouls and slasher villains wearing masks as our horror antagonists, that when we get something new, it truly is exciting. The creatures here are called ‘the Changelings’. The Changelings are stooped in European folklore, appearing across multiple different countries in varies tales and fables. These supernatural beings take on the appearance of the person, mimicking their physical attributes and personality traits, taking their place and entering society. These godlike creatures were once idolised and worshipped, but due to their immense power were than cast out and vanished to the woods where they now reside. The mythology established here about these creatures does make for truly memorable horror villains. Their design is creepy and shrouded in darkness and the establishment of these creatures provides enough backstory, so they remain vague enough whilst also truly terrifying. 

The cast here are all really solid as well, with Dakota Fanning returning to a leading role after a few years away from the silver screen. She does a great job here with the material, really selling the fear and isolation of the setting and situation whilst also hinting at her troubled past. Georgina Campbell adds another entry to her scream queen resume, following up her great turn in ‘Barbarian’ with her role here in ‘The Watchers’.  She’s really great and shows she’s a powerhouse actress that commands every scene she’s in on-screen. A talent to watch for sure. Special accommodations to actress Olwen Fouéré who shows up here in a great turn, following up her role in 2022s ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and this year’s ‘Tarot’. 

The Watchers was a solid horror film, showcasing a unique vision from up-and-coming director Ishana Shyamalan. The creatures are unique and completely different to anything we have seen before. The cast do a great job here with the material, with the standouts being Dakota Fanning and Georgina Campbell. I am excited to see what Ishana does next as her unique style and dedication to moody atmosphere and the building of tension is a hard combination to come across. This is a must own for horror fans! Be sure to secure your copy from Sanity today on DVD or Blu-Ray, you won’t want to miss it!

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here