Better Watch Out

Horror, as a genre, is both timely and timeless. The shock tactics, as any fan will admit, are pleasantly predictable, but resource-challenged filmmakers tend to populate them with a fresh batch of pop culture references and trendy character quirks. In English? Horror movies make the most of the era in which they were made. Better Watch Out (2017) is no exception, starting with a done-to-death "home invasion" scenario then cleverly covering it tracks to attempt something fresh and new...relatively speaking.

For her final babysitting job before leaving for college, Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) takes on her regular gig at the Lerner's with their son Luke (Levi Miller), a quiet 13-year-old she's been watching for years. Expertly fending off his misguided romantic advances, Ashley winds up fighting for both their lives when a stranger with a shotgun hunts them from room to room. But when the identity of the intruder is revealed, an innocent prank quickly escalates into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

Better Watch Out's first act twist prohibits pretty much any further plot synopsis. It's not a work of genius, but anyone who ruins deserves a punishment equal to what's dished out in the film. Speaking of which, there are plenty of beatdowns, stabbings, shootings and one spectacular gag lifted straight out of Home Alone, which the film can list as one of its many inspirations. Director Chris Peckover packages an odd assortment of horror tropes and unhealthy teenage obsessions and decorates it all with snowflakes, tinsel and multicolored lights.

Oh, did I forget to mention Better Watch Out is a Christmas movie, as well?

Well, it is. And the film's setting is its saving grace. Even though there's not much made of the holiday itself, Peckover wisely peppers the screen with ironic images of Santa, Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman. Better Watch Out gets just as much mileage out of the cozy atmosphere as it does throwaway jokes about the sexual abilities of characters on Adventure Time (note to future directors: nothing dates your film faster that **it like that). It just feels like a holiday movie gone bad...in the best possible way.

There's a dash of immaturity underneath it all and a casual vulgarity that makes the script seem desperate to please at times. But when you add up the above average acting (DeJonge and co-star Ed Oxenbould are reunited from M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit) , energetic directing and twisted holiday cheer, Better Watch Out stuffs a whole lot of fun in one stocking. And Well Go USA's Blu-ray looks tremendous with a Making Of , trailers and holiday greeting card included as extras.