Horror Flop From Director’s Daughter Hits #1 On Max
Growing up on sets around the world, Ishana Night Shyamalan watched her father, two-time Academy Award nominee M. Night Shyamalan, helm some of the biggest thrillers and horror features from over the last few decades. Falling in love with the process of creating a film from the ground up, Ishana Night Shyamalan followed in the steps of her father through her feature-length directorial debut, The Watchers, which arrived in cinemas earlier this year. Although the movie didn’t bring in the audiences that were hoped for or the financial profits, it’s enjoying a nice bump in viewership numbers thanks to its arrival on HBO’s streaming platform, Max.
Lost In The Woods
Based on A.M. Shine’s 2021 novel of the same name, The Watchers centers around a young artist who ends up in a nightmare situation after becoming lost in the remote woods of Ireland. Stumbling through her dark tree-covered surroundings, she comes upon a building in which she seeks shelter. Once inside, she meets three other people who are also using the safe haven, only to learn that there are supernatural-like creatures in the woods who stalk them night after night.
Stars Dakota Fanning
Emmy-nominated actress, Dakota Fanning, leads the cast of The Watchers as the adrift woman wandering through the forest. Like the movie’s director, Fanning also grew up on the sets of Hollywood, having appeared in movies since she was just seven years old. Over the last two decades, the performer has gathered quite an impressive repertoire in both film and television, having appeared on the big screen in titles including Uptown Girls, Man on Fire, Coraline, Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, and The Equalizer 3.
Elevated By Georgina Campbell
Joining Fanning in her latest gig is a cast that includes Georgina Campbell (Barbarian), Olwen Fouéré (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Oliver Finnegan (Man in an Orange Shirt). While each of the additional cast members were a lovely inclusion to the movie’s lineup, Campbell’s appearance in The Watchers puts another notch on the star’s belt on her way to becoming a modern day scream queen.
Many will recognize Campbell for her awe-inspiring role in Zach Cregger’s 2022 horror flick, Barbarian, and, with other titles like Bird Box Barcelona, T.I.M., and Lovely, Dark, and Deep also on her credit sheet, Campbell is well on her way to becoming a staple in the genre.
Following In Her Father’s Footsteps
From the synopsis alone, it’s abundantly clear that Ishana Night Shyamalan followed in her father’s footsteps in more ways than one. Like her dad, the blossoming filmmaker leans into supersized plot twists and surprise turns that audiences aren’t supposed to see coming.
Unfortunately, many critics on Rotten Tomatoes, where the movie holds a 32 percent approval rating, felt that those shock moments weren’t quite enough to pull The Watchers out of its tedious script and storytelling patterns that eventually led audiences to disengage.
Decide For Yourself, Stream The Watchers On Max
Having long paired with her father, Warner Bros. took a risk and backed Ishana Night Shyamalan for The Watchers. Unfortunately, the studio was likely disappointed when the title only managed to earn $33 million at the worldwide box office against its $30 million budget. A few months later, Warner Bros. would hit another bump in the road with M. Night Shyamalan’s return to filmmaking in the Josh Hartnett-led feature, Trap, marking a rough year for the filmmaking family and studio.
Now that The Watchers is streaming on Max, audiences have a chance to see where they land on Ishana Night Shyamalan as a filmmaker.
