Starring
Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, Aleks Mikic, Dacre
Montgomery, Patrick Warburton, Virginia Madsen. (2016, 89 min).
Enter our giveaway of this title HERE.
It's
difficult to summarize movies like Better Watch Out without
providing major spoilers, especially since the plot-twist it heavily depends on occurs during the first act. One major narrative
strike against the film is that, due to some heavy-handed and clumsy
foreshadowing, said-twist probably won't come as a real surprise.
Still,
this Christmas themed horror film presents an interesting take on the
home invasion subgenre. Olivia DeJonge is Ashley, an 18-year-old who
agrees to babysit 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller) while his goofy,
bickering parents go to a Christmas party. Later, Luke's
less-than-responsible best friend, Garrett, shows up. Initially more
concerned with an over-the-phone spat with her boyfriend, Olivia soon
has much a bigger problem: Somebody begins terrorizing
her, cutting the phone lines & internet and threatening to kill
anyone who leaves the house.
 |
| Kids, Santa's never gonna come if you wait up for him. |
To
reveal much more would ruin the fun. Suffice it to say, Better
Watch Out is not your garden variety home invasion thriller.
Though the big plot twist is bungled by obvious exposition, it does
lay the groundwork for an off-kilter, suspenseful, sometimes
disturbing film with a mean streak a mile wide and a sense of humor
as black as coal in your stocking. Of course, horror movies are only
as good as their villains. This one has a doozy: a truly sadistic,
hateful character that's bolstered by a remarkably unhinged,
scenery-chewing performance.
Though
not always particularly scary, Better Watch Out is suitably
unnerving and sometimes jarringly violent, with better than average
performances and a resolution that's both infuriating and cryptically
funny. Those game for this type of entertainment might also find
themselves laughing at inopportune moments. Make sure not to shut it
off when the end credits start to roll.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
MAKING-OF
FEATURETTE
TRAILERS
HOLIDAY
POSTCARD
DVD
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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