The Watcher
Ryan Rothmaier, Director
Monarch Home Entertainment
April 18, 2017
Reviewed by Elaine Pascale
It is not as if we haven’t seen this before: a young couple purchases their first home. They are full of hope and luxuriating in the American Dream. Their happiness is soon interrupted by something supernatural (possessed doll/cemetery beneath the house/ghost of former inhabitant/Ouija board, etc.) or some serial killer stalker. In the case of The Watcher, Emma and Noah’s home decorating is disturbed by creepy notes, gifts of carcasses, and appearances from The Raven. The Raven is either a monstrous creature or a person in a costume à la The Village. Despite expensive security systems and police involvement, The Raven is able to stalk the couple in an increasingly threatening manner.
The plot of the film is mostly predictable because, as noted, we have seen this before. What rescues The Watcher is the acting. Working with very little, the leads and supporting cast create nuanced characters.
Most impressive is Edi Gathegi as the hard-working and patient husband, Noah. Gathegi does a commendable job of showing frustration, anger, fear, and vulnerability—often with just one facial expression. At one point, Noah receives a “present” from The Raven while at work, and Gathegi is masterful in portraying the inescapable violation his character is suffering from. Noah has the daunting task of trying to hold it together while his wife is, understandably, falling apart.
Erin Cahill is strong as Emma, the wife who is being stalked and terrorized inside her own home. Her panic and fear are relatable and not “scream queen-ish.” Honorable mentions go to Kevin Daniels and Tracy Thoms as the fun and kindly neighbors. The glee on Daniels’ face when he is called in on a stakeout for The Raven is priceless and is also a much-needed spark of levity in the midst of The Raven’s menacing attacks.
Denise Crosby and Riley Baron round out the cast as the neighborhood’s standard creepy mother and son. They swap off on the good cop/bad cop routine of who is creepier, which helps to drive the plot.
The Watcher is a decent stalker film. I wanted The Raven to be scarier and would have liked a few unexpected twists and turns. That said, it would be the type of film that could be shown at a tween’s slumber party as there is very little blood or gore and no explicit sex.
