WE don’t often write about films on MustDoDubai but Better Watch Out is the surprise – and shocking – release of the festive run-up.
HIDING TO NOTHING: Levi Miller and Olivia DeJonge get scared as the festive spirit turns sour
If Home Alone was the seasonal movie of its time then Better Watch Out is its sinister 2017 cousin.
Certainly it could put you off baby-sitting duties for a while…
Certainly it could put you off baby-sitting duties for a while…
To say too much about Better Watch Out would be to give away its plot twist.
But, needless to say, this is a hybrid flick that embraces elements of horror, rage, jealousy and pure psychotic tendancies.
It begins when babysitter Ashley (Olivia DeJonge, previously of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit) lands at the quiet American suburban family home of Luke (Levi Miller).
But, needless to say, this is a hybrid flick that embraces elements of horror, rage, jealousy and pure psychotic tendancies.
It begins when babysitter Ashley (Olivia DeJonge, previously of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit) lands at the quiet American suburban family home of Luke (Levi Miller).
PAINT HATE: Garrett (Ed Oxenbould) wishes he'd not bothered keeping his friend company this time
The lanky 12-year-old confides in geeky pal Garrett (Ed Oxenbould, The Visit, Paper Planes, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) that he has aspirations for her to be something more than his teenage caretaker.
But those plans take a terrifying twist when a suspected home invasion begins to unfold as the snow falls.
As intruders break into the house it becomes apparent that even more twisted things are in the pipeline and everything from the tumble dryer to house spiders will have to upending your popcorn..
But those plans take a terrifying twist when a suspected home invasion begins to unfold as the snow falls.
As intruders break into the house it becomes apparent that even more twisted things are in the pipeline and everything from the tumble dryer to house spiders will have to upending your popcorn..
KNIFE TO KNOW YOU: Suddenly that $10 an hour doesn't seem like such a good deal for Ashley (Olivier DeJonge)
Given a UAE National Day release, Better Watch Out is a surprising and cunning thriller that mixes comedy and shocks for what could be described as a mesh of Home Alone and Scream.
Miller (Pan, Jasper Jones, Terra Nova, Red Dog: True Blue) is excellent as the conniving youth with more than a chip on his shoulder, and the other young actors absorb the nocturnal trauma with conviction.
The cast also features brief but mostly amusing appearances from Luke’s parents, played by Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated actress Virginia Madsen (Joy, Sideways) and Patrick Warburton (Crowded, Ted, Family Guy, Seinfeld).
DETAILS:
BETTER Watch Out is a Storm Vision Entertainment and Best Medicine production, directed by Chris Peckover (Undocumented) and written by Zack Kahn and Peckover.
COMPLETING the cast are Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things, Power Rangers) and Aleks Mikic (Joe Cinque’s Consolation, Secret City).
Miller (Pan, Jasper Jones, Terra Nova, Red Dog: True Blue) is excellent as the conniving youth with more than a chip on his shoulder, and the other young actors absorb the nocturnal trauma with conviction.
The cast also features brief but mostly amusing appearances from Luke’s parents, played by Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated actress Virginia Madsen (Joy, Sideways) and Patrick Warburton (Crowded, Ted, Family Guy, Seinfeld).
DETAILS:
BETTER Watch Out is a Storm Vision Entertainment and Best Medicine production, directed by Chris Peckover (Undocumented) and written by Zack Kahn and Peckover.
COMPLETING the cast are Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things, Power Rangers) and Aleks Mikic (Joe Cinque’s Consolation, Secret City).
