Watch Over Us (2015) Reviews

• Watch Over Us: Harmless effort

  Platypuschow2018-03-04

  Watch Over Us is one of those heavily budget restricted movies that makes up for not showing anything at all using clever camera tricks, well orchestrated sound effects and lots and lots of atmosphere. It tells the story of a father struggling to take care of his two daughters, he can't find work and it's eating him up inside. To make matters worse something is going bump in the night and the more he investigates the closer he gets to a dark family secret. Again though it's a horror which doesn't show anything, literally! It makes up for it in other areas and actually managed to not only entertain but unnerve and that's something I very rarely experience. Okay beyond that the movie is flawed, it leaves much unexplained and is considerably too short! Regardless because of the delivery this is a watchable effort though I'd have liked to see another 30 minutes at least to flesh out the story and offer a suitable finale. Impressive but flawed. The Good: Very atmospheric Some fantastic ideas Great cast The Bad: Leaves too much unexplained Too short Things I Learnt From This Movie: Faust is a concept not touched upon enough in modern cinema

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• low budget spook

  the_doofy2017-10-14

  The best thing about this movie for me was the haunting music, some of the actors were quite good, especially the preacher character The dialogue editing left something to be desired, the spooky voice was lame. The ending punch line was too garbled, you would think a spoken punch line would be enunciated enough so a person could understand what was being said for gods sake. I think once again we have a movie that could have been better if the guy who did most of the work had allowed in some beta watching and or constructive criticism prior to releasing the movie. Two things I DID appreciate was a devil style movie that was kind of creepy but without buckets of gore and blood. That being said, there was just a little too much left for the viewers imagination, it got a little old. Wondering what creepy thing a person is looking at once or twice is OK, but many times over is a cop out. The other was that there is a misdirection on the perception of the main male character, which was well done.

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• An Overly Familiar Setup but with Moments of Genuinely Creepy Atmosphere

  PureLombardi2017-02-06

  Watch Over Us'. A title suitably conceived, serving as a hint at an integral plot point and reveal that will strike viewers with not just shock but also bafflement. These reactions could be mentioned when discussing the whole film's story and narrative, and those invoked emotions are not necessarily the best effects the film could have had. This horror/drama triggers its story by focusing on a family struggling to cope after a break-up. Jon (Daniel Link) alongside his two daughters Becca (Elly Schafer) and Eliza (Avery Kristin Pohl) decide to stay at their grandfather's secluded home. As Jon seeks out steady employment as well as rejuvenation of his love life by attempting a few blind dates, his daughters start claiming to hear creepy sounds emerging from around the farm, but especially from within the barn. This plot soon serves as a parallel of Jon's decisions in life and the general question of "do the ends justify the means", making the film a bit more meaningful. Firstly, horror stories with haunted structures are an unforgivably clichéd trope. Watch Over Us' narrative screams the notion of the characters discovering something nefarious in the barn from the first sound of the eerie noises. Maybe it is because the Horror genre is mostly comprised of predictable narratives and unsatisfying antagonists and maybe that is because there is not much room for variety with all that has already been accomplished, but the story did not intrigue me due to a sense of predictability. What I was really invested in was the dramatic part of the first half. Link's portrayal of the inadvertently selfish but sometimes humorous Jon is believable and even sympathetic. I believe his character would have been more realised and suitable in a full-on drama or comedy, as well as this part of the plot. The indie film's themes of ramifications might have also been served better in a more character-driven film, but the drift in the story keeps the characters developmentally trapped. That plot reveal in question also nonsensically descends the film into that category of undistinguished horror, but some credit is due to the factors of what was achieved despite its low budget and unknown actors. Most of the actors - amid a tad of melodrama from a few others - play their parts solidly, with the daughters played by Schafer and Pohl, and the earlier mentioned Link, being promising highlights. Production values are up to a high standard. Lighting is very well done, and a couple of scenes even incorporate a rare and stylish method to further emphasise the mood - colour-changing filters. I had not witnessed something like this since an early cinema flick, making the atmosphere and style even more memorable. Its cinematography is often safe but sometimes shines in striking aerial shots that solidify the dread of the location and situation. Watch Over Us also gets more merit for managing to not manifest its riskier indie horror constituents by remembering a rule that the best horror films follow: "less is better". In turn, it accomplished a scarier and haunting villain. All in all, Watch Over Us is a safe but flawed indie film that tries to be serious about its overly familiar set-up, albeit with unfortunate execution. This is decently rectified in hindsight by the satisfying inclusions and implementations of odd jokes, great aerial shots, unusual filters and mostly tolerable performances. Enter director's F.C. Rabbath's creation with the expectations of your typical horror flick and you will enjoy it for what it is.

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• Good Acting, Poor Story

  beorhhouse2018-09-15

  The actors are good. The story is poor. The scary moments are super hokey. If you like good chemistry between actors, spend time with this one. But that's the only reason you should ever watch it. Filmed on location somewhere in the backwoods of Florida.

• Just not particularly engaging

  kardosma2018-04-05

  It probably didn't have a huge budget, this movie - but that's no excuse for bad dialogue, unappealing characters, and implied scares tha aren't scary or even mildly spooky. (Some spoilerish bits follow) The gormless father who can't behave even half way respectfully on his tinder ( ot whatever) dates.. no wonder your wife keft, if you treated herr this way. His stupid and inconsistent behaviour from one scene to the next when 'spooky' things occur... ugh. Where is this invisible grandfather? 40 minutes in and he's still just a rumour but they're living in his house... meanwhile, he supposedly banned them from going into the barn where the oogy boogy was and could have explained the whole thing, but no. The worthless priest who stands near the barn doir after hearing the noise and says it's nothing... I'm with thr daughter here "thanks for nothing, father". Turns out its a pretence but really ... he couldn't even find any way to soothe the nerves of the kids? Pfft. The scene of utter gibberish between the daughters in the barn.. wth?! Who wrote this incomprehensible babble? There are ways of getting a point across, and this is really not one of them. Now, at the 39 minute mark granddad suddenly appears and the key plot gets explained ... which I won't put in here in case you keep watching. Suffice it to say, it isn't satisfying and the idiot father refuses to belueve anyway. Come on, people; is it so hard to write a movie with some character appeal and a reaonsable storyline? Sigh. Some may find this movie appealing, judging by some other ratings/comments-but the problems outlined above spoiled it for me.

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