Netflix thriller gives fans ‘knot in their stomach’ after it originally flopped-Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

Watcher is leaving Netflix viewers terrified (Picture: IFC Films/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

Maika Monroe’s ‘chilling’ horror thriller Watcher has arrived on Netflix giving fans ‘goosebumps’ despite its lacklustre box office reception.

Directed by Chloe Okuno, Longlegs star Monroe appears in the 2022 film as Julia, who moves to Bucharest with her partner Francis (Karl Glusman). Francis works long hours, leaving Julia to spend extended time in their apartment with large windows looking out onto the surrounding buildings.

Soon, Julia realises someone is watching her through the windows, a fact made all the more sinister as a vicious serial killer known as ‘the Spider’ is stalking the streets of Bucharest.

Also starring Burn Gorman, Madalina Anea, and Daniel Nuta, it was Okuno’s feature debut, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.

But despite IFC film president Arianna Bocco dubbing it ‘one of the best feature debuts the company has screened out of Sundance’, Watcher flopped at the box office garnering a $3.2 million (£2.4 million) total worldwide against a production budget of $5 million (£3.8 million).

Fans are discovering the hidden gem thriller now it has arrived on Netflix with many saying it surpassed even their high expectations given the film’s hype.

Watcher stars Maika Monroe as a woman who believes she is being stalked (Picture: IFC Films/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

It is the feature debut of Chloe Okuno, but it flopped at the box office (Picture: IFC Films/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

‘Finally saw Watcher (2022) as it’s been added to UK Netflix, and even after all the hype I’d heard, it may have surpassed it(?) In Maika, we trust’, Valentine_0c wrote on X.

Sunkicksout added: ‘While all the talk has been of Rebel Ridge (and rightly so it f*****g rips), Watcher has also dropped on Netflix.

‘Absolutely gripping horror/thriller. Maika Monroe on stellar form once again The last 15 minutes will leave you with a knot in your stomach.’

Angieclouis pointed out why so many found Watcher terrifying, writing: ‘Just finished Watcher on Netflix and what a chillingly stressful watch (no pun intended).

‘Mainly because in this climate it’s the stark and accurate reality of many a woman to not be believed. A perfect ending though and Maika Monroe was enthralling!’

Fans have gushed about how ‘enthralling’ the horror thriller is (Picture: IFC Films/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

Many dubbed it the ‘best film’ they’d watched in 2024, while others said it gave them ‘nightmares.’

It Follows star Monroe previously revealed how moving to a different country in her childhood prepared her for the role of Julia, who struggles to communicate with the locals in Bucharest.

‘When I was younger and right out of high school, I moved to the Dominican Republic for about nine months,’ she told The Hollywood Reporter.

‘So I experienced a lot of the same things of just feeling very, very alone and not being able to communicate and have deep conversations with the people around me.

‘It was really challenging, but over time in the Dominican, I made good friends and started learning the language. It’s just that those first couple of months were quite challenging for me, so it was really useful to bring in all of those feelings and emotions into this character.’

Watcher is available to stream now on Netflix.

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