★★★1/2
Ishana Night Shyamalan clearly has her father’s talent (and some of his flaws) for filmmaking. Her debut film, The Watchers, is a unique gothic/folk horror film that boasts both elegant direction and some of the clunkiest dialogue you’ve ever heard. Ishana Night Shyamalan clearly has talent in crafting intrigue and creating an atmosphere — the best parts of the movie are those early eerie moments we spend in the woods, but too often any emotional beat or potential scare is squashed by exhaustive explanation for the next hour or so. It’s not even frustrating that the final act has this jarring tonal shift made worse by a predictable climax, it’s that the movie rushes through it. Blink once and it’s over. The pacing is all over the place. Folklore horror is such a fun subgenre and while the imagery is there, other aspects of the film really felt half-baked. Is The Watchers flawed? Yep! Did I like it? Also yep! Something I like about the Shyamalan family’s work is the total, 100% commitment to whatever fantastical story is being told. There’s something beautiful about the lack of irony, the complete devotion to whatever crazy plot they are trying to sell. Ishana has something, she just has to nail the pacing. I just appreciate the heart-on-the-sleeve sincerity of it all, it feels much like M. Night’s 2004 film, The Village. The Watchers starts off intense and heart-pounding, but it never goes completely into the horror genre, rather it lingers on the border of that and the thriller genre. Still, there are some terrifying moments and it starts off very intriguing. Unfortunately, too much lore and overexplaining in the 3rd act drags it down — the basic rule of “show don’t tell” seems to have been forgotten here. Regardless of the fact that this movie is flawed, it still worked for me; I enjoyed it! The Shyamalan brand is strong with Ishana’s debut film, and I really can’t wait to see what she does next!
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