Watchers (1988)
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Duration: 91 minuten
Country:
Canada
Directed by: Jon Hess
Stars: Corey Haim, Barbara Williams and Michael Ironside
IMDb score:
5,4 (5.378)
Releasedate: 2 December 1988
Watchers plot
"It started as a secret experiment... It ended up as a new breed of terror."
A boy finds a dog on the side of the road and decides to adopt the animal. Later, however, it turns out that the animal has escaped from a lab and has undergone a number of genetic tests that have made it super-intelligent. Soon the boy is tracked down by a Watcher, a monster who has been tasked with eliminating the dog.
Actors and actresses
Lem Johnson
TV Newscaster
Man On Boat
First TV Reporter
Tracey
Travis Cornell
Bill Keeshan
Cliff
Deputy Porter
Sheriff Walt Gaines
Reviews & comments
Lord Flashheart
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- 6454 messages
- 2375 votes
The late Corey Haim in his heyday.
Watchers is a typical 80s teenage horror, where there is a lot of killing, but where the killings themselves take place offscreen. At most, the viewer gets to see the end result. Think of other Corey movies like Silver Bullit or The Lost Boys. So you shouldn't be here for real horror, it's a bit too light-hearted for that, although the film has enough charm to remain interesting.
I've never read the book, but from what I understand the film has little to do with the original plot. Here it's about teenager Travis (Haim) who takes home a super intelligent dog. Unfortunately the animal turns out to have escaped from a secret experiment and he gets both the government and a terrible monster after him, who also escaped from the same experiment. Haim plays not without merit, although as in all his roles he has to rely mainly on his youthful charm. Something that made the young girls fall in love and the boys jealous. When he grew up and that x factor disappeared his career went into decline for a reason.
The film's biggest asset, however, is Michael Ironside. Wherever that man appears, you've already got half a horror film. As the eternal villain, he plays a wonderful role as a psychopathic government servant this time, who literally goes over dead bodies. While the bodies pile up left and right, an inevitable confrontation between Ironside's characters, Haim and the monster comes. Not a bad climax.
Furthermore, Watchers is quite an atmospheric film. Many silent buildings and dark forests with some gloomy '80s synthesizer sounds in the background still manage to create a threatening atmosphere. It's not all over the top, the monster is a bit too cheesy for that, but I still rate this with a more than sufficient. 3.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Halcyon
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- 9952 messages
- 0 votes
Corey Haim is back in action with his typical facial expressions: open mouth, shiny staring eyes and a smile that is somewhere between pubescent enthusiasm and sarcasm. Not that the story about an experiment gone wrong is all that spectacular, but the eighties vibe in this creature feature does help to enhance the experience. Admittedly, the effects are rather poor and the monster is not exactly impressive either. In addition to Haim, Ironside has a role as a ruthless murderer. Both actors keep the cat-and-mouse game interesting until the finale. Reserved for eighties aficionados.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10012 messages
- 4678 votes
Kiddie horror in which a genetically engineered dog and a monster called an OXCOM escape from a scientific facility. The intelligent dog can also place scrabble blocks to make himself understood. I also remember the book as much better. You should never expect much level from Corey Haim. His monologues with the dog are laughable. The monster (man in suit) is worthless... Such a bad movie man.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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