"Better Watch Out" began as if it were a variation on the home-alone, babysitter, slasher-horror film...or perhaps a satire of any of those styles. But thirty minutes into the show, there was a twist that turned the experience into a most unpleasant and indeed unbearable experience. The main problem was in the plotting that included a sick and twisted character portrayal, yet a predominantly realistic style that made the viewer even more uncomfortable.
In the DVD version of the film, there is a lengthy segment called "The Making Of..." in which the filmmakers have plenty of time to offer a justification for their choices. But their expostulations leave the filmgoer even more confused. It turns out that the idea was primarily to offer something new and different for film audiences. As one of the producers indicated, the goal was to stay ahead of the curve and make a film "for the future" in terms of viewer expectations.
Unfortunately, it is not enough to merely to try to be different or add a new spin on conventional films, whether they are horror films or dark comedies. The most disturbing choice made by the filmmakers was to turn a thirteen-year-old child into a demented monster, perform the scenes realistically, and develop very sympathetic characters (the babysitter, her boyfriend, and her ex-boyfriend) around the kid, who were on the receiving end of the actions of a complete nut case.
The result was a film that was not funny and not suspenseful. At one point in the bonus segment, one of the producers likened the young monster Luke to the film character of Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs." And the film's director, Chris Peckover, casually explained that kids grow up faster today, as if that might explain how young Luke could developmentally become a Hannibal Lecter at age thirteen.
The closing musical selections for the film were the Christmas song "Joy to the World" and the standard Renée Olsted tune "Ain't We Got Fun." Those musical choices demonstrate everything that was wrong in this film. It was not a good Christmas film. It was not a good thriller. It was not a dark comedy. It was nothing more than a jumbled mess masquerading as an innovative piece of filmmaking.
Clearly, the film artists involved in this project have some decent technical skills. But their downfall was in not knowing their audience. If they want to anticipate future audience responses to their work, it would be a good idea for them to read word-for-word every review published on this website.
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