I enjoy a good Christmas movie as much as the next person. Filled with snowy landscapes, heartwarming cheer and some good hearty laughs. But, if I'm not quite feeling in the holiday mood, often brought on by holiday shopping and the madness it brings, I find myself reaching for something darker or a little more twisted. Something like Bad Santa, Gremlins or, if I'm really feeling the Bah Humbug, Black Christmas. The newly released Better Watch Out will fit in nicely with those films.
Luke (played by Levi Miller) is being left at home with babysitter Ashley (played by Olivia DeJonge) while his parents (Virginia Madsen and Patrick Warburton) attend a Christmas Party. Luke is thrilled to get to spend the evening with Ashley alone as he has been nursing a crush on her for awhile, which she continually brushes off stating he is too young for her. But Luke has a plan involving a quiet night, a scary movie, a pizza and a bottle of wine, as he explains to his best friend Garrett (played by Ed Oxenbould). With the right mood, he's sure she will see him in a new light. The plans get derailed when someone breaks tries to break into the house, setting off a night the three kids will never forget.
To reveal more would ruin the many wonderful surprises this film holds. I will only say this is not your standard home invasion horror film. Director Chris Peckover co-wrote the film with Zach Kahn and the two manage to have some twisted fun with the prototypical home invasion horror movie while finding ways to subvert expectations. I'm dancing a fine line here because I want to make sure I don't give anything away as the surprises of the film are the best part. The film does have a wicked and dark sense of humor to it as well as working in a reference to the definitive holiday home invasion film, Home Alone, with unexpected (or completely expected, depending on your point of view) results.
The acting for the film was good. Olivia DeJonge gave a good performance as Ashley, who starts off the evening thinking she will just have to get through the night fending off the cheesy romantic ploys of Luke until she can put him to bed, only to have the evening spin out of control in ways she never could have anticipated. Levi Miller is entertaining as Luke, a twelve year old kid with some very surprising and dark layers to his personality and Miller pulls it off with a devilish glee. Likewise, Ed Oxenbould makes a good compatriot for Luke as the two play off with one another, even if his character is more often than not the voice of reason of the two. Likewise, Virginia Madsen and Patrick Warburton have amusing supporting roles as Luke's parents.
Better Watch Out is a difficult film to review in the sense that there are a number of big plot twists throughout the film that I really don't want to spoil for potential viewers. I can confidently say it is a film that people will either love or hate on account of the film's twisted sense of humor, especially with the holiday backdrop. Still, the film does a good job evoking Middle-America suburbia, snarky, raunchy humor and the dangers of toxic masculinity. I loved it, but then again I am pretty twisted myself.
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