This 2024 Horror Flop Has Just Topped the Max Charts
While M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap successfully lit up the summer box office, Ishana Night Shyamalan’s folkloric terror, The Watchers, failed to attract many, well, watchers of its own. The theatrical pull might not have been what the burgeoning filmmaker hoped for, but taken on its own terms, The Watchers is fitfully frightening and packed with plenty of Irish lore, an incredulous rarity in the horror genre given the sheer possibilities available (check out Corin Hardy’s 2015 The Hallow for reference). Luckily, The Watchers seems to have found a second life on streaming. Presently, it is the most-watched title on Max.
Check out a trailer and synopsis below:
Per Max: Four strangers trapped in a forest. They can’t see anything, but anyone — and anything — can see them. Are you ready to be watched?
Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré, and Oliver Finnegan star in Shyamalan’s visually stunning debut. While The Watchers‘ narrative might be slight, this adaptation of A.M. Shrine’s novel of the same name is absolutely worth checking out.
In our review, we wrote,
“Overall, Ishana Night Shyamalan shows that she is a bright new voice on the scene, ready to create weird and wild projects. There are undoubtedly issues with The Watchers, especially when it comes to storytelling and pacing, but the creativity on display is still exciting. Here’s to hoping that more filmmakers tap into the power of analog horror to shape their stories and craft their scares.”
The Watchers premiered on Max earlier this month, just in time to start shaping together those Halloween movie marathons. While the critical reviews were as lackluster as its box office take, horror remains one of the most singular genres out there—that is, there’s a pretty solid chance you’ll love it.
Some fans have. Since The Watchers premiered on Max, they’ve taken to social media to share their thoughts on one of the year’s most noteworthy horror releases.
Check out some choice social reactions below:
Expectedly, the reactions have been mixed, but as the final tweet says, there’s a winged skeleton in The Watchers. You can never bet against a winged skeleton.
What do you think? Have you had a chance to watch The Watchers yet? Any fans of the source material? Lastly, what else is worth checking out on Max? Let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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