Maika Monroe (It Follows) stars as Julia, an American woman who moves to Romania with her husband while he embraces a new job position. Her language skills are very basic and she doesn’t know anyone, so she spends most of her time hanging out at their apartment. But one night, she happens to notice a silhouette of a man across the street who is constantly staring out his window. While this is terrifying as it is, there’s also a series of Gruesome murders happening throughout the city.
Maika Monroe is mesmerizing on camera. She can lead a scene and draw you in just by acting so naturally. The tension in here is effective and keeps a momentum until the very end. We meet a bunch of people who are actually good friends, obnoxious strangers, people constantly screaming in a language she doesn’t understand, and red herrings all along the way – which gives us characters to constantly meet, learn, and judge. It’s a simple set up that is directed very well by Chloe Okuno (V/H/S/94 ‘Storm Drain’) who gives you everything you could want from this type of story.
It’s fresh, its exciting, and it’s Haunting. A bit predictable perhaps, but the journey far outweighs the destination. If the idea of a distant, shadowy stalker sends chills down your spine, then you’ll like this one.
3.5/5
‘Watcher’ is currently streaming on Shudder and Vudu.
‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra
