User reviews

I have often thought of this novel since consuming the audiobook in a couple days last year. I've recommended it to a lot of fellow horror readers, too. I personally feel that the film adaptation falls incredibly short of what it could have been. The novel is beautifully crafted with suspense and character development, whereas the movie offers 2D characters that are simply there just because. Their faces remain blank the majority of the movie and their line delivery is flat and almost always as if they're bored talking.

In true Shyamalan fashion, (yes, it's M. Night's daughter who directed it, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree), the twist is a huge moment. While it does get revealed, it also changes a huge part of the original ending of the book, which makes the overall story even more of a 2D "horror twist." The book's ending gave me chills; the movie's ending gave me cliché horror.

I will say, I was eager to see who would play the character of Madeline, as she is such a force in the book as the most interesting character, as well as the one who has been trapped in the forest the longest, and Olwen Fouéré portrays her beautifully. The overall set design and atmosphere of the film is also done well, which helps but also makes the movie's poor script and characters feel all the more disappointing at times.

While I won't actively encourage not seeing this movie, I DO encourage you to check out the book, by A. M. Shine. I'm also happy that an author whose work I appreciate it getting the attention of Hollywood to have his work made into a different media form - let's hope if his other works become film or television adaptations, that they'll be given the adaptation they deserve.

"The Watchers" provides an interesting premise at face value. Horror movies that involve a twist on folk stories accompanied with an eerie location usually pair well together and in this case, it does.

Ishana Night Shyamalan's directorial debut is one to be proud of. You can clearly see sprinkles of her father's style imbedded in the film but also boasts her own unique vision.

In regards to the plot, the story is interesting enough to keep you invested throughout the duration. It reveals just enough to ask questions but not enough to give them away.

The design of the "Watchers" is the highlight of the film. Without spoiling too much, every time they were on screen I was fully engrossed. Enough was shown of them that made me wanting to see more.

The worst unfortunately, are the characters which were one dimensional and lacking realism. They acted in ways no human would in this situation, especially the lead. A good horror movie requires realistic and likeable characters to vouch for. "The Watchers" struggled to create such.

As most horrors unfortunately do, "The Watchers" does have some moments that I found a bit silly. Moments where you ask yourself "why would she do that" or "why did that happen like that". Such moments didn't help the film.

I was skeptical towards the beginning on the film, thinking that it would meander in its plot and ultimately be repetitive. However, as the film progressed and its locations changed it kept the story fresh and wanting more. The ending boarded on lacklustre however, I didn't mind that it didn't get too ridiculous and over the top. Felt more realistic and poignant.

Overall, a decent debut film that highlighted a fresh look at folk-lore. The frustrating characters and some silly moments did prevent it from being great. 6.4/10 for me.

The Watchers is a fun movie to watch with friends. I feel that a common problem people now have about movies is that you think that if it is not a cinematic masterpiece it's a terrible movie.

The acting wasn't great but not bad. I felt the leads were pretty good to.

The story was actually a good idea and I liked that part as well.

Overall scare was really just an meh. Not scary at all to me. It was more of a thriller than a horror. I was hoping to be scared but I wasn't. I would say the scare was equal to A Quiet Place.

I would actually recommend this movie. It was fun and i was intrigued the whole film.

While Ishana Night Shyamalan absolutely is her own filmmaker, and should her films judged on their own merits, The Watchers reminded me a lot of her fathers works in the ways that I usually find his films frustrating. I'm going to try my best not to keep comparing this to M. Night's movies but in particular The Watchers reminded me a lot of The Village and the issues I have with that film and I think I'd still feel that way with or without the familial connection.

Because like The Village, The Watchers has a very intriguing hook that presents a lot of interesting story possibilities very early on but it never capitalises on them in any satisfying way. The dialogue is really weak here and it's frequently delivered in extremely wooden ways which most rears its head in the exposition. Because Shyamalan clearly doesn't believe in the less-is-more approach in that she feels the need to over explain everything and as a result the mystery never really feels that intriguing. Most of the reveals come across as very flat that feel like they lack sufficient build up to be satisfying.

It's also very repetitive for most of the first 2 acts with it essentially following the same stricture of leaving this house and returning to it before night fall and it just came across as tiring rather tension-building. The reveals don't really feel earned and they're the one thing I wanted the film to explore more but the script really feels like it strikes the worst balance with what it chooses to focus on. The 3rd act was also a pretty big disappointment. The main action that's being built up for the entire film is achieved in a fairly standard way that doesn't feel fitting for what was being set up and it makes the mistake of feeling like it's getting ready to end only to go on for what felt like another 30 minutes.

Thankfully what saves the film from being a complete waste of time is the truly impressive filmmaking on display. It's gorgeously shot and visually ambitious in a way that feels like it could only come from a first-time director. I thought the score was phenomenal as was the cinematography in a way that didn't feel like it was drawing too much attention to itself. There are some very effective scares and genuine scenes of tension, unfortunately it was just never sustained enough to keep my interest. It's the script that ultimately sunk this movie for me but it's very clear that Ishana Night Shyamalan has real talent behind the camera.

The Watchers was frustrating waste of potential for me and something that never really felt like it capitalised on its intriguing set up. It's just reeks of a script that doesn't trust the intelligence of it's audience and I was just so consistently irritated at how the film kept going out of it's way to explain things in the most clunky and unimaginative ways possible. I can see what Shyamalan was going for, and if anything it makes more interested to read the novel, but her very clear talents just end up being wasted on a really poor script.

The Watched was written and directed by Ishana Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan; I doubt the film would have ever been made if daddy hadn't produced it. The script is absolutely terrible, full of flaws and lapses of logic.

Dakota Fanning plays Mina, who becomes lost in a strange forest where she finds shelter in a glass-fronted building occupied by three other people; there, she is informed that she and her new acquaintances are exhibits, to be gawped at during the night by creatures that live underground during the day.

Here are just some of the things that annoyed me about the film...

When Mina found herself driving down a dirt track that clearly wasn't going anywhere, why didn't she turn around and try to find a new route?

What did the people in 'the coop' use for toilet paper?

How did they keep themselves clean with no washing facilities? Did they wear the same underwear every day?

Did they have plates and cutlery?

If Daniel had been there for eight months, how did he keep his hair so short?

Where did they all sleep? There was only one bed. And when did they sleep? During the night, when the watchers were spying on them? I thought they had to keep the watchers entertained during the night...

Where did Daniel get the huge length of cable needed to connect the camera to the television? And are we expected to believe that the camera came with still functioning batteries?

Where did Daniel and Mina get that long length of rope from?

If it's possible to successfully hide from the watchers under some branches, why not build such hideouts beyond the points of no return, thus making escape more likely?

Who was keeping the generator topped up with fuel? Did no-one question where the power source was hidden?

Would a university really leave a professor's room untouched for over thirty years?

And as for the building of 'the coop', this made no sense whatsoever. Where did the professor live while it was being built? How did he leave the forest to find more construction workers? Did no-one become suspicious about all of the missing builders? And why did he have the coop fitted with a massive one-way mirror if he was going to spend most of his time in the bunker?

The whole time I was watching the film, I was thinking to myself 'How could this get any worse?', and then it did.

1/10. Let's hope there are no more Shyamalan nepo babies in the woodwork.

I enjoy movies with a good story and rich world-building. Although I'd rate this movie a 6/10, I still liked and enjoyed watching it. It's a thriller and mystery that kept me hooked as I wanted to uncover each mystery. The creatures were terrifying, I wouldn't want to come across one of those.

I do agree with some of the reviews that I found some of the characters odd, and no one normal would act the way they did if they were in such a situation.

One thing that could have made a big impact is adding a bit of romance at the end-you'll understand when you watch it. Overall, it's not a mind-blowing story, but I enjoyed it.

This movie looked promising from the trailers. I know the name "Shyamalan" is a gamble, but I didn't realize the potential downside. In the interest of full disclosure, I have not read the book on which the movie is based. Nevertheless, I feel that needing to use as much explicit explanation at the end of the film in order to help the audience understand what was happening indicates that the movie was poorly made. It lacks true suspense, cohesive backstory, and satisfying character development. The last fifteen minutes seemed tacked on in order to sew everything up, but it really attempted to provide resolutions that I really didn't care about. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

I went into this one without watching the trailer and oh boy was I pleasantly surprised. It is not a super scary horror movie. Its more of a folklore horror but what i loved most about this movie is; 1. It quickly gets into the meat of the whole situation/madness 2. The atmosphere is perfect 3. Closer to the end of the movie, when everything makes sense, its a satisfying feeling to get an understanding of whats actually been going on here 4. No blood or gore, and still an good an interesting watch 5. The characters suited their roles perfectly

This i a much much better horror movie than some other overhyped horror movies of 2024. I would definitely recommend this to someone who likes a horror movie with a story and no jumpscares or gore.

Many movie critics are predictable. Shyamalan's daughter has an approach to filmmaking and storytelling not different from the father and in fact the movie is received with mild reviews :)

But honestly I quite liked it. First of all, it's not super scary but it's moody and it has its quite unsettling moments. Sound design is top notch, would have loved to see this in Atmos, but even in 5.1 or 7.1 it was still great. The story is sufficient but also interesting, in general the movie keeps you hooked till the ending. This is typical of father's movies. There are also some metaphors but they land quiet flat for me

Not a movie for movie critics but a good atmospheric and folkloristic movie for movie theatre audience. Also it's a pg13 so suitable for a broader audience Said this, I found first omen (another recent horror movie) quiet better.

Having read some reviews, most of which very negative, decided to give Dakota another shot after the very emotionless performance she displayed on the latest Mr Ripley series. Again, the prodigal War of the Worlds actress offers a very emotionless, expressionless performance. It's like she doesn't want to be there, or is generally numbed. Not having a strong lead made this rely on the premise alone, and it did deliver.

Story is somewhat fresh, suspenseful, well paced action. Overall good entertainment for a monday night flick at home, but no more than that.

I'll give it a 6/10 for the effort put on everything but the acting.

I went into this film with fairly high expectations, intrigued by the trailers and the interesting concept. I recognized only one actor, Georgina Campbell, the lead from "The Barbarian," a film I quite enjoyed. I was also eager to see how Ishana Shyamalan's directorial debut would turn out.

To start, I think the film was very well directed, featuring some really cool and creepy shots that effectively conveyed the story without relying heavily on dialogue. The initial concept of the creatures was interesting; I assume they are based on a real mythical creature, which adds a nice element of realism to the horror genre. However, that's where the positives end for me.

The acting felt mediocre. Despite what I've seen online, I had no issues with the accents, being from the UK and accustomed to Irish accents. The acting, however, often felt forced, and I didn't find the relationships or the characters' dread believable. The only scene with commendable acting involved Georgina Campbell.

My main issue with the film is the twist. Without giving away spoilers, I found it incredibly obvious and poorly thought out. It felt like a placeholder from the first draft, something that should have been replaced with a more refined idea.

Overall, it's an okay film. Not something I'll rave about, but if you're looking for a short horror movie to watch over the weekend, it might be worth a try.

Mina (Dakota Fanning) is a twenty-something girl, then her car is broken down at a treeline, being stranded in a forest in the west of Ireland. When she finds shelter, she unwittingly becomes trapped with three strangers, all of whom are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures every night. Now Mina is trapped inside a decaying woodland shelter with three perfect strangers: Ciara (Georgina Campbell), Madeline (Olwen Fouéré) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). Then some strange creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time. Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. They are watching!. You can't see them, but they see everything !.

Dakota Fanning (Crazy in Albama) stars in this creepy "Folk Horror" directed by Ishana Shyamalan who shares his love of the terror genre like his father, the famous M. Night Shyamalan, director of ¨The Sixth Sense¨ and other successes in the field of horror and fantasy, such as ¨Signs¨ , ¨The village¨ , ¨Lady in water¨ , ¨Knock at the cabin¨, ¨Old¨, ¨The Incident¨, "Unbreakable" , ¨Multiple¨and "Glass" . It is important to name these films because some of them influenced on this ¨The Watchers¨which was also produced by M. Night Shyamalan.

This eerie and mysterious movie depicts the tale of an isolated place confronting the surprising truth that lies just outside its limits, they live under the control of a few 'Watchers' until a revelatory twist at the end. Ishana toys with terrifying ideas and in Irish fairy tales , but at times , she buries them under an illogical and rather unpredictable tale. Writer/director Shyamalan got a good feel for the time period with sinister images, threatening set pieces and tension enough . Stars Dakota Fanning who gives an acceptable acting as a young artist gets stranded in an extensive, immaculate forest in western Ireland, along with other decent players, such as: Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré, Oliver Finnegan, Alistair Brammer and special apperance from John Lynch.

It contains a suspenseful and intriguing musical score by composer Abel Korzeniowski. As well as colorful and evocative cinematography by cameraman Eli Arenson, shot on location in Ireland. The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Ishana Shyamalan , although not too original, because she copies ideas and the peculiar cinematographic style of her father M. Night. And it was directorial debut in a feature movie, she also made some episodes of the series ¨Servant¨. Rating: 6/10. The flick will please horror enthusiasts and fans of the director's father's films.

The Watchers is a new horror thriller directed and written by Ishana Shyamalan. This is her directorial debut. Furthermore, the film was produced by her father, director M. Night Shyamalan.

When young artist Mina (Dakota Fanning) gets stuck in an unknown forest with car trouble. Here she is told by a woman Madeline (Olwen Fouéré) to come to her quickly, to take shelter in her bunker.

Once in the bunker, she hears terrifying noises outside. These sounds come from beings called the Watchers, mysterious beings who emerge to observe the prisoners in the bunker. Anyone who is not in the bunker at night becomes victims of these Watchers. Mina and the other prisoners must now come up with a plan to escape the Watchers during the day, or end up stuck here for the rest of their lives, or become prey to the Watchers themselves.

Ishana Shyamalan, just like her father, knows how to build a story and its mystery. However, she now has to learn to make a film more her own. This film is reminiscent of many other films such as The Blair Witch Project, 10 Cloverfield Lane and even the TV series Wayward Pines, on which her father also contributed as director and producer. The story also has some unusual moments, which sometimes makes the film seem vague rather than scary. All the rules that the characters receive in the bunker do not always seem to have been reflected in such detail. Other details can also seem a bit strange and not always everything seems to have been given the same amount of thought. When you do get answers and further details at the end, it sometimes makes the film just more vague than it actually answers all your answers. As a result, the film can sometimes come across as a bit long-winded.

The Watcher largely remain mysterious in the film, because they are not shown, or only shown. This way your own imagination plays out when you hear the sounds of the Watchers before they are actually shown to you. In the darkness these creatures look believable, but when they come into the light, the quality and believability of the effects diminish slightly. Their shadow appearance may also be reminiscent of how her father tried to keep the aliens hidden in his films Signs.

The acting in the film works, but due to the vague, ill-considered aspects of the story, the actors sometimes come across as if they do not always know exactly what is expected of them or what they have to do. However, they sometimes seem a bit too calm to people who know that they are hiding and being observed by mysterious creatures. Some of the characters are also given too little background to make you as a viewer really care about them.

Here's another film I just can't understand why it is getting ,at least in such high amount, some much hate. However, it isn't like I can not understand why this movie just won't land for a lot of people and won't be for everyone .1. It isn't really "scary" at all 2 . There is no blood or gore or crazy jump scares really 3. I also read someone else mention what i also heard about many people griping over the "big reveal " being predictable.... But this movie ,for me anyways, had a great atmosphere going for it and relatively strong acting through out the course of the movie . But I should I also say I am a sucker for folklore films (so if that ain't your thing def watch something else lol) and also love when a horror movie can incorporate other emotions outside of just your "standard" fear .

Had some doubts after reading some reviews but I actuel liked it! It is creepy enough, story line made sense to me, decent acting, cool script, decent plot and enough action. Maybe not a movie for the die hard horror lover, it was more a thriller/horror combi, but i did not mind at all! Maybe a little bit stranger thing vibes but more creepy.

Decent speed, never really boring and I found myself hooked from the start till it was over. Something I do not experience a lot with other movies, even with big blockbusters!

Negatives; idk.. In my head I have some questions how certain things happened but I do not really see that as a flaw.

Well.. all by all a solid 7 out of 10. Very decent movie in multiple ways!