‘Better Watch Out’ review — Nothing is what it seems in this Holiday horror

Better Watch Out is the kind of smart and witty horror movie that fans will love to watch and dissect

You’d better watch out. You’d better not cry. You’d better not shout, I’m telling you why… Because there are armed invaders attacking the home you’re babysitting in.

That’s the horrifying premise of Better Watch Out, an Australian horror movie that takes place in the American suburbs around Christmas time. However, this is no holly jolly Christmas movie. 17-year-old Ashley (Olivia DeJonge, quite good here) is babysitting 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller), your typical preteen boy who is going through that awkward stage of puberty where his voice is a little lower but squeaks and is having sexual urges but is still seen as a kid.

However, that’s not stopping him from trying to seduce Ashley while she’s watching him. That storyline is already played for laughs as he tries and fails to prove that he’s more adult than she thinks. But then, a brick comes crashing through an upstairs window that reads, “U leave and U die.”

It’s difficult to talk about the rest of the movie because part of its success comes from the effectiveness of its twists and turns. So I’m going to warn you now. If you haven’t watched Better Watch Out, go on and watch it, then come back to this review. If you are a fan of psychological horror with an edge of wit to it, then this one is for you.

I’ll try and tread lightly, so you thrill seekers that want to risk reading the rest can do so generally spoiler free.

Better Watch Out reveals the movie it’s really trying to be in almost a split second. And it’s that change that will make or break this movie for audiences because it asks you to very quickly reevaluate your feelings toward characters without exactly earning it. For me, it was an incredibly effective twist that makes this movie a stunning watch.

For the rest of the running time, Better Watch Out plays like Home Alone mashed together with Funny Games. It may be one of the oddest descriptions of a film, but it is actually adept at explaining the mood and plot beats. At one point, the characters play a demented game of truth or dare that ends with one of the most twisted horror movie kills in recent memory, but director Chris Peckover doesn’t glorify the gore. It’s present, but he doesn’t linger on it.

In general, he doesn’t linger on the violent side of what is happening. Instead, the movie is a pretty sensible commentary on privilege, as one of the characters feels justified in their actions because they believe they deserve it. Halloween was a commentary on how our suburbs aren’t safe. Better Watch Out is an updated view on that topic that makes the danger a little closer to home.

Like The Cabin In the Woods, which stands as one of the best horror movies of the decade, Better Watch Out has a razor wit to its storytelling. It has a surprisingly light mood considering the subject matter and plays well as a comedy, albeit the darkest of comedies, and a horror.

Although, its success as a horror and a comedy rely on your buy-in to the characters. And Miller and DeJonge make that easy with two beautifully realized performances. Miller, in particular, feels like a star in the making. Which might happen with A Wrinkle in Time on the way.

Better Watch Out is like a puzzle that horror fans get to dissect, which makes it a true joy to watch. Even better, it’s a movie that demands you react to it. You’ll laugh. You’ll yell at characters. You’ll cringe. It’s just another indication that we’re in a golden age of horror. But not only that. It’s a golden age of original horror. The kind that you never see coming. And trust me, you won’t see what Better Watch Out has in store coming.

Better Watch Out is available to stream on Shudder!