Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Watchers.
Summary
Many great horror movies exist with similar themes, genres, and plot devices to Ishana Night Shyamalan’sThe Watchers. The new horror movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter tells the story of a young woman named Mina who gets stuck in a forest alongside three strangers named Madeline, Daniel, and Ciara. The four must follow the rules of mysterious supernatural creatures lest they be murdered.The Watchers’ endingincludes a captivating, albeit poorly executed, exploration of what it means to be human.
The Watchers’strongest elements include the great performances from the cast and the incorporation of Irish mythology, placing the movie in the category of folk horror subgenre. Even with its weaknesses,the movie is a fun watch that could put viewers in the mood for more horror films. Luckily, many movies exist with similarities to Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut, which could satiate the need for scares.
How Long Every Character Is Trapped In The Forest In The Watchers
Throughout The Watchers, Mina and the other characters remain trapped in the forest together, each for different periods of time.
The horror movieDark Was the Nightcenters on mysterious creatures from a forest in a small town. When a logging company starts tearing the environment down, the creatures start to wreak havoc on the residents of a small town. The movies both have folklore elements. WhileThe Watcherscreated the Changelings based on faeries,Dark Was the Nightnever explains the source of the monsters, but they are American woodland cryptids with a horrifying appearance.
In bothThe WatchersandDark Was the Night,the woods themselves seem to have a magic of their own as well.The narratives are also largely character-driven, focusing on Mina and Sheriff Paul Shields. The two movies also explore the ideas of trauma and grief. However,Dark Was the Nightdeviates from the new horror film in that it’s a bloody watch, making it appealing to individuals who prefer gory horror.
The British-Irish horror movieThe Hallowfollows a conservationist named Adam Hitchens, his wife Claire, and their son Finn, who move next to a forest in Ireland inhabited by “The Hallow.” This group of faeries, banshees, and baby stealers start coming after the family, making them fight to live.The HallowandThe Watchersare both folk horrors based on traditional Irish folklore.They both present the faeries as horrifying and cruel beings, a divergence from the depiction in pop culture. WhileThe Watchersinvolves creaturestaking on the identity of people,The Hallowfocuses on a similar idea of children getting replaced.
However, one major element sets the two movies apart in a way that could make or break the viewing experience for individuals.The Hallowheavily leans into campy designs, visuals, and creatures that are reminiscent of the 1993 movie Leprechaun. Meanwhile,The Watchersuses modern visuals and effects.
The Ritualtells the story of four friends who go on a trip to Sweden where they start getting tortured by an unknown creature. Eventually, they learn that the being is a jötunn named Moder, who will give cult members immortality if they sacrifice humans. BothThe RitualandThe Watchersare folk horrors with suspenseful stories and nature settings. By incorporating a jötunn,this movie incorporates Germanic and Norse mythology in the same way thatThe Watchersuses Irish mythology.
While both stories incorporate folklore,The Ritualhas a faster pacing, which leaves many viewers on the edge of their seats. In addition to the supernatural elements found in both movies,The Ritualincorporates very real and human horrors, namely cults. The followers of Moder are willing to defy human values to gain the approval and immortality given by the creature.
The 1973 folk horrorThe Wicker Manis a classic movie that’s worth rewatching or viewing for the first time after seeingThe Watchers. In the horror film, a man named Sergeant Neil Howie travels to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate a missing girl’s disappearance. He meets pagan islanders worshipping the Celtic gods, who plan to sacrifice someone in the wicker man effigy.The Wicker Manwalked so thatThe Watcherscould run, since the 1973 movie is one of the three oldest additions to the folk horror movie subgenre.
BothThe Wicker ManandThe Watchersalso thrive because of the atmosphere, rather than blood and gore. However,The Wicker Manhas one advantage over the newer film. The 1973 movie shows the performance of the late actor Christopher Lee after he got his big break but still relatively early on in his nearly seven-decade-long career.
The three movies regarded as the originators of the folk horror genre areWitchfinder General(1968),Blood On Satan’s Claw(1971), andThe Wicker Man(1973).
The movieThe Watcheris a part of the vast folk horror subgenre, which includes classic gems likeThe Blair Witch Project. The 1999 movie is one of the most prolific found footage movies that follows a group of three students named Heather, Mike, and Josh, who go missing after they go into the woods to make a documentary on the legendary Blair Witch. The movie is meant to be the videos recorded by the three missing kids, revealing what really happened to them.
BothThe WatchersandThe Blair Witch Projectuse the ingrained human fear of the dark to create a tense atmosphere. They also turn the forest into something spooky and magical. However, unlike the 2024 movie,The Blair Witch Projectcreated its folklore from scratch, rather than pulling from pre-established culture or tradition. This makes the lore more mysterious throughout the movie, an element that mystery lovers would enjoy more.
Can The Watchers Explain The Biggest Mystery Of This 25-Year-Old Horror Classic?
The Watchers has some similarities to a 25-year-old classic, and it can finally offer an explanation for that movie’s biggest mystery.
Written by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill,In The Tall Grassis a haunting story about siblings Becky and Cal DeMuth who enter a field of tall grass after hearing screams for help from a child. The moviesThe WatchersandIn The Tall Grasshave remarkable similarities, making the latter film a perfect choice to watch while waiting forThe Watchersto hit streaming.
Both stories follow a group of strangers who all get trapped inside a cursed environment–The Watchersuses a forest, whereasIn The Tall Grassuses a tall grass field. Inside the environment, the characters are being watched and killed by mysterious figures. The botany itself also seems to have a magic of its own, which impacts the sense of time and perception. However, unlike The Watchers,In The Tall Grass’ endingdoesn’t have quite as hopeful and positive a tone. Rather, the cyclical nature of the titular grass field explores the choices people make.
Like many other great movies to watch afterThe Watchers,The Wretchedis a dark fantasy/horror crossover with supernatural elements. The movie centers on a troubled teen named Ben, who starts to believe that something strange is going on with his next-door neighbor, Abbie. He quickly discovers that she is being controlled by “The Hag.“The Wretchedhas a similar feeling toThe Watchersbecause it featuresthe question of whether someone has been replaced with a supernatural creature.
InThe Watchers, the creatures simply take on the appearance of someone that they studied, though Madeline proves this can be done secondhand. However, theending ofThe Wretchedhints that The Hag uses mind control to take over Abbie, though this isn’t explained too well in the movie. Still,The Wretchedis an entertaining watch that’s similar toThe Watcherswithout being a folk horror.
A great movie to watch that feels extremely similar toThe Watchersis the 2014 movieIt Follows. The popular horror movie tells the story of a murderous shapeshifting monster who passes from person to person when they have sex. The protagonist, Jay, gets infected by the monster after her new boyfriend knowingly passes the monster on to her without her consent. In addition to the shapeshifting plot device that adds suspense,both movies have a slow-burn pacing that feels grounded despite their supernatural concepts.
However, It Follows is unique in its setting, making it a fun watch.The Watchersrelies on real-life environments and technology, whereasIt Followsintentionally muddles the setting in a sci-fi-like way. Additionally,It Followsis a great choice to watch now because the sequelThey Followis confirmedas being in development, and production is projected to start within the next six months.
You Are Not My Motheris an underrated movie that’s similar to The Watchers, making it a great pick to watch after the new movie. The Irish supernatural horror movie You Are Not My Mother follows the story of a teen named Char who realizes her mother, Angela, has a drastically different personality after disappearing briefly. The shift causes Char to dig deep into the secrets of her family.
The plot incorporates multiple supernatural elements that are similar toThe Watchers, and they both make use of the Irish greenery. The movies also both explore very important themes about humanity and connections. However,You Are Not My Motherfeels tonally different fromThe Watcherin that the former movie is much more terrifying, instead of just atmospherically creepy. The movie also explores the impact of parental mental illness on children, making it important in its own way.
The Irish-Finnish horror movieThe Hole in the Groundexplores the horrifying idea that a person’s child has been replaced by someone or something else. The main character, Sarah O’Neill, realizes that her son Chris is exhibiting strange behaviors after going near a sinkhole. The movie soon takes a supernatural twist, including monsters who can shapeshift.The Hole in the GroundandThe Watchersbothfeature the Irish countryside as a setting and incorporate shapeshifting monsters with nefarious motivations. They also both serve as directorial debuts, with Lee Cronin directingThe Hole in the Ground.
However,The Hole in the Groundthrives in a few ways that the 2024 movie doesn’t. While thereviews forThe Watchersare mixed on the suspense and frights,The Hole in the Groundperfectly executes the scares, creating genuinely terrifying visuals. Additionally, the ambiance and cinematography are more interesting to watch, making it a great pick afterThe Watchers.
