Better Watch Out

Film: Better Watch Out

Year: 2016

Director: Chris Peckover

Writer: Zack Kahn and Chris Peckover

Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller and Ed Oxenbould

Review:

This was a film that I had heard about last year around this time, but I wasn’t subscribed to Shudder so I was unable to see it. Since this year I've been watching either new or Christmas themed horror films during December. I’ve now given it a second watch to prepare for a podcast interview with the co-writer and director, Chris Peckover over on A&B Horror.

Synopsis: on a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it’s far from a normal home invasion.

We start off with a young woman, Ashley (Olivia DeJonge), who is moving to Pittsburgh soon. She agreed to babysit one last time since he has befriended the parents along with the now teen.

The boy is Luke (Levi Miller). He seems timid, but he has a crush on Ashley. He knows tonight could be his last night to make his move. Garrett (Ed Oxenbould) is mocking him and we see that he might not be the best influence. Luke’s parents are Robert (Patrick Warburton) and Deandra Lerner (Virginia Madsen). They are going off to a party that night and won’t be back until late.

Luke's attempt to impress Ashley with champagne fails as weird, escalating events distract her: an unsolicited pizza, a moving Santa decoration, a van that followed her drive, shadows, and silent prank calls. The situation turns sinister when a tire is slashed and a brick with the message "U Leave, U Die" is thrown through a window. Not everything is as it seems though as much like the synopsis said, this isn’t a typical home invasion.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Now I went short with my recap to avoid spoilers, if you haven’t seen this yet. Something I’ll credit here before diving deeper is that I think we have solid writing. There is a debate early on between Luke and Garrett about the paint can trap from Home Alone. There are also little things that get introduced and then explained later that I truly appreciated.

Now that I have it set up, there are things that do seem to be a bit farfetched. What I’ll say though is that the more we get to know the characters, that helps to make it work better. I do love playing with this troupe where a killer is stalking the house. Our babysitter steps up to protect him. There are little things that happen from there that make for sense. Seeing the level of depravity for motivation is good.

Where I want to go next would be the dynamic between Ashley and Luke. What is interesting there is that I can remember when I was closer to Luke’s age and I’d be hanging out with someone that I’ve grown up with. His crush causes him to hang on gestures and things that she says. Whether it is calling him funny and then saying it the same way to her boyfriend, Ricky (Aleksander Mikic). Luke is doing everything he can to make Ashley seem older.

Key themes include subverting genre tropes. There is also the exploration of a budding sociopathy, possibly having Antisocial Personality Disorder. It also is highlighting toxic masculinity and entitlement, especially through Ricky and an ex-boyfriend of Jeremy (Dacre Montgomery). It is also incorporating the classic slasher concept of female empowerment against a threat.

The plot is simple, focusing on a plan and avoiding detection, but the film is elevated by its acting. DeJonge and Oxenbould (who played siblings in The Visit) which is interesting. DeJonge excels as the babysitter, showing kindness and realism as Luke deals with their age gap. Miller is the standout, showing excellent character progression. Credit to him for that portrayal despite his age. Oxenbould and the supporting cast which includes Montgomery, Warburton, and Madsen were also good.

Let’s then finish this out with the filmmaking aspects. I do think that the cinematography is good. It is able to capture the setting. We have this nice house in the suburbs, where you wouldn’t expect bad things to happen. It does well enough capturing that it is cold outside. There are decent things done to contain this to the house mostly. We get limited effects. I’m guessing that is probably partially budgetary. What we do see looks good though. Other than that, the soundtrack fit in helping build the atmosphere needed.

In conclusion, this is a clever and effective holiday horror film that successfully plays with the established tropes of the home invasion and babysitter subgenres, delivering genuine twists and unexpected darkness. Miller's strong performance elevates the sharp script, which balances dark humor and psychological horror. Despite needing minor suspension of disbelief, the film is well-paced, visually competent, and creates a unique, unsettling portrait of budding evil. Highly recommended for a genuinely different holiday watch.

My Rating: 8 out of 10