Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Better Watch Out Blu-ray Movie Review

Forget about suicide during the holidays — homicide is definitely the way to go.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 4, 2017

It’s kind of interesting that neither Silent Night, Deadly Night nor Better Watch Out, two holiday themed horror outings whose titles refer to classic Christmas songs, really go out of their way to hide the identity of their maniacal culprits, and it’s further kind of interesting that the culprits in both films are very badly behaved young(er) boys. Silent Night, Deadly Night perhaps had the misfortune of taking itself seriously, including positing a “killer” Santa Claus, something that evidently didn’t sit well with the general (adult) populace at the time of the film’s initial release, but Better Watch Out takes a somewhat more whimsical approach to the exploits of one Luke Lerner (Levi Miller), a hormonal pre-teen who deserves a lot of coal in his stocking. Luke’s well meaning but basically brain dead parents Robert (Patrick Warburton) and Deandra (Virginia Madsen) are going out for the evening, and despite the fact that Luke is at an age when many parents would let him fend for himself at the home front, babysitter Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) has been employed to keep an eye on Luke, perhaps because Deandra is worried that Luke has been sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is the last thing on Luke’s mind, as he is planning to lose his virginity with Ashley (without Ashley’s foreknowledge, of course), a “plan” that is greeted with some considerable skepticism by Luke’s best friend Garrett (Ed Oxenbould). Because it’s the 21st century and legalization is all the rage, Garrett openly tries to suggest that getting stoned is a much better (and more realistic) alternative for Luke in his parents’ absence, though seemingly random and threatening events intervene, something that prevents both potentialities from occurring.

Those seemingly random events of course turn out to be part of Luke’s machinations to get Ashley frightened and therefore supposedly more persuadable to become “naughty” (so to speak). But it’s after this early revelation about Luke’s elaborate plans that some may feel Better Watch Out goes off the rails. Luke more or less becomes an obsessive lunatic, engaging in all sorts of violent behavior that just sort of happens without any real motivation or context. While Ashley is the obvious prime target, first Garrett and then not one but two of Ashley’s boyfriends get swept up into the maelstrom, with a rather large body count accruing as a result. It’s all played for a combo platter of shocks and laughs, but there’s an underlying illogic to it all that keeps everything resolutely in “cartoon” territory, which may in fact have been the original intention all along.

Films as old as The Bad Seed documented the shenanigans of children who were completely out of control, but there have been relatively few which deal with a kid who is more or less a serial killer (or at least serial attacker) which have approached this perhaps provocative material with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Better Watch Out may not have that many laugh out loud moments, but it coasts on a general, and unexpected, geniality that keeps things surprisingly light, despite such sequences as Luke and Garrett doing a “Home Alone experiment” with a paint can and the head of one of Ashley’s boyfriends (the “physics” turn out to be accurate, at least according to this presentation). For those with pitch black senses of humor, the film may offer more entertainment value than for those coming to this enterprise expecting a straight ahead horror outing.

Part of what makes Better Watch Out work is the slyly effective performance of Levi Miller. Unlike The Bad Seed’s Patty McCormack (playing titular bad seed Rhoda Penmark), whom most viewers want to slap silly (kind of like the pretend “spanking” she gets in the film’s closing credits), Miller’s Luke is actually kind of sweet, the sort of kid you’d think about hugging while trying to coax him out of his homicidal tendencies. That gives the film an underlying pull of authenticity despite the completely ludicrous plot dynamics. The film almost inevitably loses a bit of momentum as it moves through its litany of victims, but there’s a kind of cheeky subtext to the proceedings that helps to keep things from seeming too repetitive.

Better Watch Out Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Better Watch Out is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA (in what is a somewhat unusual offering from the label which typically features Asian fare) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. I haven't been able to track down authoritative data on the shoot, but a couple of online sites mention the Arri Alexa in passing (though I wouldn't call either of the attributions I found "authoritative"). One way or the other, this has a sleek, smooth and fairly glossy presentation that provides ample detail levels when lighting conditions allow. A lot of the interior sequences are actually fairly well lit, at least until later in the film, and fine detail actually tends to pop fairly well, especially in terms of elements like pill on sweaters or the fabrics on some of the furniture. The palette is pretty robust at times, with scenes like the "paint can experiment" from Home Alone delivering a glut of hues in vivid saturation. There are some issues with noise in darker moments, and a lot of the dimly lit material has very little visual information at all, let alone things like "detail levels". The candy colored production design helps to elevate the film's visual allure, though, providing a suitably festive looking presentation.

Better Watch Out Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Better Watch Out features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that springs into sporadic life during some of the film's manic set pieces, places where the sound design offers some playful effects that are typically well placed in the surround channels. Some of the film is relatively more tamped down, sonically speaking, with "talky bits" that can still offer discrete channelization for isolated effects but which tend not to provide any overwhelming amount of immersion. Fidelity is fine throughout, with no problems of any kind to report.

Better Watch Out Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of (1080p; 52:41) is a much more in depth piece than you might imagine this film warranted, and includes some good interviews discussing the genesis of the project as well as its production. Kind of interestingly, this seems to have been done when the film was still titled Safe Neighborhood.


• Trailers

  Green Band Trailer (1080p; 2:03)

  Red Band Trailer (1080p; 2:02)

In typical Well Go USA fashion, this disc has been authored so that all of the supplements follow one another automatically. After the Red Band Trailer plays, the disc moves on to previews for other Well Go USA releases. Additionally, there's a kind of postcard included in the keepcase with key art, though the back has advertising copy on it.

Better Watch Out Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have an admittedly (and unapologetically) very dark and jaded sense of humor, and so the whole underlying premise of Better Watch Out played to my curmudgeonly tendencies. Those who think of the holidays as a sweet, nostalgic time of family, friends and faith had best stay far, far away from this film, but those with my same penchant for laughing at horrifying events may find at least a smile or two in this film. There's nothing too innovative in anything presented here, but the cast is fun and director Chris Peckover keeps things moving briskly. Technical merits are generally strong, and Better Watch Out comes Recommended.