Film Review: Watcher
One of the most overlooked horror films of 2022
by Tadd Mecham
Watcher
(five out of five stars)
Rating: R: some bloody violence, language, and some sexual material and nudity
Run time: 96 minutes
Director: Chloe Okuno
Released: 2022
I haven’t been to the movies in a bit and I usually save everything I’m dying to see for the big screen if I can. So for the Halloween season I figured I would recommend a great modern horror film that I feel didn’t get its due.
Watcher follows Julia (Maika Monroe) and her husband Francis (Karl Glusman) upon their arrival in Bucharest as permanent residents for Francis’ work. Julia does her best to acclimate but finds the language barrier challenging and is advised to take caution when leaving alone as a serial killer referred to only as ‘The Spider’ is stalking the city. Late one night, from her window, Julia notices she is being watched from an apartment across the street. From then on she notices she is being followed by a man who always stays just out of sight. Maybe Julia is just being paranoid…or is it something more?
This is one of the most overlooked horror movies from 2022, and it is such a shame. Some would definitely categorize it as a psychological thriller, but I feel the scares in this film in my guts. It is slick, slow, subtle, and creeping. The tension it builds is nearly unbearable at points and its execution in how it treats fear is refreshing in its restraint.
The direction in this is flawless. I was a huge fan of Chloe Okuno’s short horror film Slut (please check it out on YouTube, it is incredible) and her talent translates effortlessly to feature length work. It feels incredibly polished for a debut.
Maika Monroe is great in the lead role and really sells the fish out of water character. Her performance is sympathetic and intelligent and I enjoyed watching her explore the streets of Bucharest with a killer at large. There is also an incredibly creepy performance by Burn Gorman that should not be missed.
So if you don’t know what to watch but you want to have a spooky night, definitely give Watcher your time. It deserves it.