Is The Watchers actually worth watching? The off-beat folk horror (which serves as the feature debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan) was once one of the most intriguing offerings of 2024, but a near-unanimous wave of bad reviews quelled its promise in a hurry. Ishana’s famous father, M. Night Shyamalan, has long been considered a “misunderstood” filmmaker. And though Ishana started strong on the small screen, directing some great episodes for Apple TV’s The Servant, the dismal reception to The Watchers felt a lot like history repeating.
Admittedly, there are more than a few similarities between The Watchers and any of M. Night’s more popular films, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Those who appreciate the milky, dreamlike cinematography of The Village, the dark fairytale at the heart of Lady in the Water, or the surreal line-readings in Trap will find something to like in The Watchers. But Shyamalan is also her own filmmaker, with a unique vision that’s only just beginning to emerge. The Watchers definitely speaks to her potential, some of it still unrealized — but given its newfound success on Netflix’s Top 10, it’s probably wise not to dismiss her first film as a total wash.
It wouldn’t be a Shyamalan film without some wild twist buried in the heart of the narrative. The Watchers builds its foundation on a supernatural mystery in the forests of Ireland, the wildest of which hold the power to trap unsuspecting travelers. Anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the forests after dark is quickly driven mad before dying (off-screen, mostly) in gruesome fashion. The only refuge in this wood is a brutalist, one-room bunker that houses four strangers: Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), Ciara (Barbarian star Georgina Campbell), Daniel (Oliver Finnegan), and Mina (Dakota Fanning). They are the guests of “the Watchers,” mysterious beasts that stalk the woods at night and observe them through a one-way mirror. And each, except for Mina, has been trapped here for months, abiding by a strict set of rules to survive.
Mina stumbles into this predicament by total accident. A twentysomething American drifting through life in Galway, Mina works for a small pet supply store, and she’s been instructed to deliver a rare bird to a nearby zoo in Belfast. She gets lost in the forests outside of Galway along the way, and just barely survives with Madeline’s help. Her first night in the bunker, known as “the coop,” is an eerie one as Madeline explains the rules of engagement: once the sun sets, the party has to present themselves to the Watchers, standing very still in front of the window. They cannot leave their refuge — or even open the door — at night, lest they get spirited away by their captors.
Who the Watchers actually are is a mystery Shyamalan takes time to untangle, but once answers begin to surface — sometimes in the form of baffling exposition, others through genuinely intriguing worldbuilding — her debut really hits its stride. The most interesting themes within her script, adapted from a novel by A. M. Shine, focus on identity, mimicry, and evolution. Combined with Shyamalan’s interpretation of ancient Gaelic folklore, The Watchers makes for a worthwhile thriller. Its best ideas don’t always get the chance to reach full maturity, succumbing at times to weak character development and inconsistent tone. But even when this story hits a speed bump, Shyamalan delivers a new thrill to compel it forward.
If nothing else, The Watchers lays the foundation for the kind of writer-director Ishana Shyamalan could become in the future. The film doesn’t stray too far from the shadow of the elder Shyamalan, but her instincts as a horror filmmaker do set this apart where it matters most. By blending a traditional puzzle box with more mystical themes, The Watchers delivers the kind of thriller that’s perfect for casual viewing. There are certainly worse ways to spend an afternoon, and Shyamalan’s trippy, twisty narrative is nothing if not watchable.
