Director Chloe Okuno, who first came to the attention of this reviewer and many a horror fan with her terrific 2014 short film Slut, delivers one of this year’s finest, most gripping horror thrillers with her debut feature Watcher. Elegantly shot, eerie, and suspenseful, the film boasts a fantastic lead performance from Maika Monroe, building on the strong work she has already shown in The Guest, It Follows, and other films.
Julia (Monroe) moves from the U.S. to Bucharest with her husband Francis (Karl Glusman) after he is transferred there as a work promotion. He speaks the language, while she is trying to learn it. He works long days, while she mostly remains in their plush apartment. She notices a man (Burn Gorman of Crimson Peak) in the next building who is seemingly watching her at all hours. With a serial killer called The Spider roaming the streets, Julia naturally becomes suspicious when she sees someone who she believes is the nosy neighbor apparently following her.
In the grand tradition of gaslighting films, Francis thinks Julia is overreacting, and so do his coworkers, the couple’s neighbors, and the police. This leads Julia to do some following of her own, which leads from slow-burn suspense to an absolute nail-biter of a third act.
Monroe gives a stellar performance in Watcher, going through a wide range of emotions that keeps viewers on tenterhooks. Her performance alone makes the film worthy of a watch, but there are many other reasons to do so. Gorman gives a highly effective performance as the target of Julia’s concern, and the supporting cast members all deliver with their roles that make Julia feel further alienated than she already is as a stranger in a strange land.
Okuno, who also receives a “written for the screen by” credit (with Zack Ford receiving a “based on the screenplay by” credit), displays a masterful turn at the helm, delivering on the promise that Slut hinted at that she knows her way around a riveting horror tale focused on a strong female protagonist. Her shots and compositions are jaw droppingly great — with beautiful work from cinematographer Benjamin Kirk Nielsen, who also shot Slut and is now working on an untitled Pet Semetary project — as they capture Julia’s alienation and fears, and the ever-present sense of dread that hangs heavily throughout the film.
Watcher updates the European apartment house horrors of the seventies and the paranoia shocker films from that decade (such as the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers) with a COVID-19 era dose of isolation and alienation, along with very real fears that women around the world face every day. It’s an outstanding chiller and hopefully only the first of many horror features from the highly talented Okuno.
Watcher, from IFC Midnight, arrives in theaters on June 3, 2022.
