SPOILERS for The Watchers (2024)
Summary
ThroughoutThe Watchers,Mina sees a small girl running around in the forest, and it’s never made completely clear who it is. The 2024 supernatural horror film is the directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, who popularized the genre with films likeThe Sixth Sense. Like many of her father’s movies, Ishana Night Shyamalan buildsThe Watcherstoward a plot twist ending, though many important character details contribute to the narrative along the way.
As of June 2024,The Watchersis only playing in theaters.
At the start of the film,Mina (Dakota Fanning) is depicted as a troubled young woman who’s haunted by her past. She’s seen putting on a wig and going out to a bar, pretending to be someone else, showing that she wants to disassociate from herself. By unfortunate luck, she ends up in a forest ruled by supernatural shapeshifting creatures called Watchers, forcing her to confront her past directly. For Ciara (Georgina Campbell), the Watchers take the form of her lost husband, while for Mina, they take the form of a small girl in a pink dress.
The Watchers Is A Perfect Reminder To Watch One Of 2022’s Best Horror Movies
Ishana Night Shyamalan’s feature directorial debut movie The Watchers has one big connection to one of the best horror movies of the last 5 years.
Mina Sees Her Twin Sister As A Kid In Hallucinations
The Girl Is Wearing The Same Pink Dress Mina’s Sister Wears In Flashbacks
It’s revealed early on in the movie that Mina lost her mother fifteen years prior and that she has a sister who’s trying to get in contact with her. Roughly halfway through the film, a flashback scene is shown that depicts exactly how the mother died, showing that Mina’s childlike immaturity distracted their mother while driving, leading to a head-on car crash. In that flashback,Mina’s sister is wearing the same pink dress that Mina sees on the girl in the forest.
Mina is seeing the version of her sister from this traumatic childhood event where they lost their mother. While Ciara sees the Watchers take the form of her husband, in the case of Mina’s sister,it’s likely that she’s seeing her through hallucinations. Madeline (Olsen Fouéré) reveals that spending too much time in the forest can cause people to lose their minds, which is also demonstrated by Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). However, the lack of clarity surrounding these supernatural properties is one of thereasons forThe Watcher’spoor reviews.
Why Mina Is Haunted By Her Twin Sister
Mina Feels Guilty For What Happened To Their Mother
Mina’s defining characteristic inThe Watchersis that she’s haunted by the traumatic car crash, as she feels guilty for her actions. While it seems like her twin sister has moved on,Mina feels like she damaged both of their lives in an irreparable way, having not only incidentally caused their mother’s death but also leaving her twin with permanent scarring. In the flashback scene’s ending, her twin angrily asks Mina why she did what she did, words that could’ve stuck with her through her life until the events ofThe Watchers.
The Watchers
Based on A.M. Shine’s novel, The Watchers follows Mina, a twenty-eight-year-old artist stranded in the middle of a forest in Ireland. Her momentary relief when she finds shelter is shattered when she discovers other strangers in the same predicament - but they’re stalked each night by unseen creatures.
