A babysitter has to protect a tween from a home invasion, but
​things take a sudden left turn when she learns what's really going on.

HORROR

Better Watch Out (2016)

Directed by Chris Peckover

Written by Zack Kahn and Chris Peckover

Starring Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, Aleks Mikic, Dacre Montgomery, Patrick Warburton, Virginia Madsen

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Connor Eyzaguirre

December 5, 2022

8/10

Better Watch Out was an impulse pick for the December lineup of the Filmgazm Podcast. I knew nothing about it, apart from it being a home invasion thriller that took place at Christmastime. I am so glad I went in blind. It's crucial to one's appreciation of the film if one knows nothing about it. Home invasion thriller? Yes, but it's so much more. It tackles something I rarely see in horror movies. Adolescent misogyny and teenage sociopathy, all wrapped up in a bow. The left turn comes around twenty minutes in, and it is a whopper. 

Ashley (DeJonge) is a babysitter who frequently sits for the Lerner family, specifically their teenage son Luke (Miller). He's got a massive crush on her and tonight, he plans to confess his feelings and make a move. Of course, Ashley still sees him as a child, and there's not getting past that. Before things can progress, masked assailants attack the house. Stop reading now if you don't want to know what happens next. Okay, you ready? Last chance. Turns out there's only one masked assailant: Luke's best friend Garrett (Oxenbould). Luke orchestrated the whole thing to impress Ashley by fighting off a fake assailant, but now that she knows what's up, Luke knocks her out, ties her up, and things get a whole lot worse. The slow reveal that Luke is not only our bad guy but also completely psychotic is done very well.

This film features a particularly grisly death by paint can in a vicious homage to Home Alone. Plus, it's just generally unsettling because you don't often see children doing such evil shit. I wish we'd gotten more from Patrick Warburton and Virginia Madsen as Luke's parents, but what we got was funny. Props to Levi Miller for his unhinged performance. I hope he does more horror in the future.