The timing on this list could be better; with The Conjuring: Last Rites opening this weekend, you may find a little trouble squeezing everything in. The solution is simple: either swap out one film for another—in which case I recommend swapping out Rosemary’s Baby as The Conjuring opens on Friday—or bookmark this list and return to it early next week. Anywho …
Calamity on Cinema this week brings us the unsettling Watcher, along with a few named influences for the film by the director herself, Chloe Okuno. Watcher is slow and deliberate, paced to give space to allow your imagination free reign. The anticipation is tenuous; it carries us through the long, drawn out segments of the film. This style is drawn from films like Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, where the space and setting give rise to our own descent into anger and frustration, echoing those of the main character.
Take up the list and begin with Rosemary’s Baby. This is classic horror; coupled with its vintage appeal, this may be enough to argue for this film as a strong starter. But more to the point of the influence, we are provided with a foundation of a feeling of powerlessness upon which the other films will build on. Next, enjoy It Follows, an earlier film of Okuno’s, which takes the feeling of powerlessness to a new level, putting a paranormal spin on the stalker motif, which adds an extra element of creepy. Complete this journey with Watcher. Watcher plays with the balance between powerful and powerless, and firmly grounds the stalker horror in reality. The more polished look and feel of the film will also bring a welcome closure to this unofficial trilogy.
You can watch Rosemary’s Baby for free here on the Internet Archive.
The entire Calamitous review for Watcher is included below. Be forewarned, there are spoilers. I will, however, argue here that knowing of these things will not spoil your enjoyment of the film in whole. But as I highly recommend watching Watcher, feel free to return to this review upon your completion of it, just in case.
According to JEST, the Calamity's official content rating system, we give Watcher a resounding:
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For more information on JEST, visit this page. Find the full Watcher review below, and the official list on Letterboxd here:
