10 Best Horror Movies Like The Watchers

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Watchers.

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Summary

• The Watchers and other horror films like Dark Was the Night delve into folklore and the creepy magic of the environment.
• Despite flaws, The Watchers is a fun watch with great performances & interesting Irish folklore.
• Films like The Wretched & It Follows offer thrilling supernatural elements, like The Watchers

Many great horror movies exist with similar themes, genres, and plot devices to Ishana Night Shyamalan’s The Watchers. The new horror movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter tells the story of a young woman named Mina who gets stuck in a forest alongside three strangers named Madeline, Daniel, and Ciara. The four must follow the rules of mysterious supernatural creatures lest they be murdered. The Watchers’ ending includes a captivating, albeit poorly executed, exploration of what it means to be human.

The Watchers’ strongest elements include the great performances from the cast and the incorporation of Irish mythology, placing the movie in the category of folk horror subgenre. Even with its weaknesses, the movie is a fun watch that could put viewers in the mood for more horror films. Luckily, many movies exist with similarities to Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut, which could satiate the need for scares.

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How Long Every Character Is Trapped In The Forest In The Watchers

Throughout The Watchers, Mina and the other characters remain trapped in the forest together, each for different periods of time.

10 Dark Was The Night (2014)

A Supernatural Horror With Mysterious Creatures

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Dark Was The Night (2015)
Horror
Drama
Thriller

Director Jack Heller Release Date July 24, 2015 Writers Tyler Hisel Cast Kevin Durand , Lukas Haas , Bianca Kajlich , Nick Damici , Heath Freeman , Ethan Khusidman , Sabina Gadecki , Steve Agee Runtime 99 Minutes

The horror movie Dark Was the Night centers on mysterious creatures from a forest in a small town. When a logging company starts tearing the environment down, the creatures start to wreak havoc on the residents of a small town. The movies both have folklore elements. While The Watchers created the Changelings based on faeries, Dark Was the Night never explains the source of the monsters, but they are American woodland cryptids with a horrifying appearance.

In both The Watchers and Dark Was the Night, the woods themselves seem to have a magic of their own as well. The narratives are also largely character-driven, focusing on Mina and Sheriff Paul Shields. The two movies also explore the ideas of trauma and grief. However, Dark Was the Night deviates from the new horror film in that it’s a bloody watch, making it appealing to individuals who prefer gory horror.

9 The Hallow (2015)

An British-Irish Dark Fantasy/Horror

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The Hallow (2015)
Horror
Fantasy
Thriller

Director Corin Hardy Release Date November 5, 2015 Cast Joseph Mawle , Bojana Novakovic , Michael McElhatton , Michael Smiley , Gary Lydon , Wren Hardy , Stuart Graham , Conor Craig Stephens Runtime 97 Minutes

The British-Irish horror movie The Hallow follows a conservationist named Adam Hitchens, his wife Claire, and their son Finn, who move next to a forest in Ireland inhabited by “The Hallow.” This group of faeries, banshees, and baby stealers start coming after the family, making them fight to live. The Hallow and The Watchers are both folk horrors based on traditional Irish folklore. They both present the faeries as horrifying and cruel beings, a divergence from the depiction in pop culture. While The Watchers involves creatures taking on the identity of people, The Hallow focuses on a similar idea of children getting replaced.

However, one major element sets the two movies apart in a way that could make or break the viewing experience for individuals. The Hallow heavily leans into campy designs, visuals, and creatures that are reminiscent of the 1993 movie Leprechaun. Meanwhile, The Watchers uses modern visuals and effects.

8 The Ritual (2017)

A Supernatural Folk Horror

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The Ritual
r
Horror
Thriller

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Director David Bruckner Release Date October 13, 2017 Studio(s) Netflix Cast Sam Troughton , Rafe Spall Runtime 94minutes

The Ritual tells the story of four friends who go on a trip to Sweden where they start getting tortured by an unknown creature. Eventually, they learn that the being is a jötunn named Moder, who will give cult members immortality if they sacrifice humans. Both The Ritual and The Watchers are folk horrors with suspenseful stories and nature settings. By incorporating a jötunn, this movie incorporates Germanic and Norse mythology in the same way that The Watchers uses Irish mythology.

While both stories incorporate folklore, The Ritual has a faster pacing, which leaves many viewers on the edge of their seats. In addition to the supernatural elements found in both movies, The Ritual incorporates very real and human horrors, namely cults. The followers of Moder are willing to defy human values to gain the approval and immortality given by the creature.

7 The Wicker Man (1973)

A Classic British Folk Horror

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The Wicker Man
R
Horror
Mystery
Thriller

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Director Robin Hardy Release Date August 7, 1974 Writers Anthony Shaffer Cast Diane Cilento , Britt Ekland , Edward Woodward , Ingrid Pitt , Christopher Lee Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Runtime 88 minutes

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The 1973 folk horror The Wicker Man is a classic movie that’s worth rewatching or viewing for the first time after seeing The Watchers. In the horror film, a man named Sergeant Neil Howie travels to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate a missing girl’s disappearance. He meets pagan islanders worshipping the Celtic gods, who plan to sacrifice someone in the wicker man effigy. The Wicker Man walked so that The Watchers could run, since the 1973 movie is one of the three oldest additions to the folk horror movie subgenre.

Both The Wicker Man and The Watchers also thrive because of the atmosphere, rather than blood and gore. However, The Wicker Man has one advantage over the newer film. The 1973 movie shows the performance of the late actor Christopher Lee after he got his big break but still relatively early on in his nearly seven-decade-long career.

The three movies regarded as the originators of the folk horror genre are Witchfinder General (1968), Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971), and The Wicker Man (1973).

6 The Blair Witch Project (1999)

A Found Footage Folk Horror

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The Blair Witch Project
R
Horror
Mystery

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Director Eduardo Sánchez , Daniel Myrick Release Date July 30, 1999 Cast Joshua Leonard , Michael C. Williams , Heather Donahue Studio(s) Summit Entertainment Runtime 81 minutes Sequel(s) Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

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The movie The Watcher is a part of the vast folk horror subgenre, which includes classic gems like The Blair Witch Project. The 1999 movie is one of the most prolific found footage movies that follows a group of three students named Heather, Mike, and Josh, who go missing after they go into the woods to make a documentary on the legendary Blair Witch. The movie is meant to be the videos recorded by the three missing kids, revealing what really happened to them.

Both The Watchers and The Blair Witch Project use the ingrained human fear of the dark to create a tense atmosphere. They also turn the forest into something spooky and magical. However, unlike the 2024 movie, The Blair Witch Project created its folklore from scratch, rather than pulling from pre-established culture or tradition. This makes the lore more mysterious throughout the movie, an element that mystery lovers would enjoy more.

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5 In The Tall Grass (2019)

A Supernatural Horror With Cursed Botany

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In the Tall Grass
TV-MA
Horror
Mystery
Thriller
Drama

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Director Vincenzo Natali Release Date October 4, 2019 Cast Avery Whitted , Laysla De Oliveira , Rachel Wilson , Patrick Wilson , Will Buie Jr. Studio(s) Netflix Runtime 101 minutes

Written by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill, In The Tall Grass is a haunting story about siblings Becky and Cal DeMuth who enter a field of tall grass after hearing screams for help from a child. The movies The Watchers and In The Tall Grass have remarkable similarities, making the latter film a perfect choice to watch while waiting for The Watchers to hit streaming.

Both stories follow a group of strangers who all get trapped inside a cursed environment – The Watchers uses a forest, whereas In The Tall Grass uses a tall grass field. Inside the environment, the characters are being watched and killed by mysterious figures. The botany itself also seems to have a magic of its own, which impacts the sense of time and perception. However, unlike The Watchers, In The Tall Grass’ ending doesn’t have quite as hopeful and positive a tone. Rather, the cyclical nature of the titular grass field explores the choices people make.

4 The Wretched (2019)

A Dark Fantasy/Supernatural Horror

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The Wretched
Horror
Mystery
Thriller

Director Brett Pierce , Drew T. Pierce Release Date May 1, 2020 Cast John-Paul Howard , Piper Curda , Jamison Jones , Azie Tesfai , Zarah Mahler , Kevin Bigley , Gabriela Quezada , Richard Ellis Runtime 95 Minutes

Like many other great movies to watch after The Watchers, The Wretched is a dark fantasy/horror crossover with supernatural elements. The movie centers on a troubled teen named Ben, who starts to believe that something strange is going on with his next-door neighbor, Abbie. He quickly discovers that she is being controlled by “The Hag.” The Wretched has a similar feeling to The Watchers because it features the question of whether someone has been replaced with a supernatural creature.

In The Watchers, the creatures simply take on the appearance of someone that they studied, though Madeline proves this can be done secondhand. However, the ending of The Wretched hints that The Hag uses mind control to take over Abbie, though this isn’t explained too well in the movie. Still, The Wretched is an entertaining watch that’s similar to The Watchers without being a folk horror.

3 It Follows (2014)

A Supernatural Horror With A Shapeshifter

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It Follows
R
Horror

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Director David Robert Mitchell Release Date March 27, 2015 Cast Olivia Luccardi , Jake Weary , Keir Gilchrist , Daniel Zovatto , Maika Monroe , Lili Sepe Studio(s) The Weinstein Company Runtime 100minutes

A great movie to watch that feels extremely similar to The Watchers is the 2014 movie It Follows. The popular horror movie tells the story of a murderous shapeshifting monster who passes from person to person when they have sex. The protagonist, Jay, gets infected by the monster after her new boyfriend knowingly passes the monster on to her without her consent. In addition to the shapeshifting plot device that adds suspense, both movies have a slow-burn pacing that feels grounded despite their supernatural concepts.

However, It Follows is unique in its setting, making it a fun watch. The Watchers relies on real-life environments and technology, whereas It Follows intentionally muddles the setting in a sci-fi-like way. Additionally, It Follows is a great choice to watch now because the sequel They Follow is confirmed as being in development, and production is projected to start within the next six months.

2 You Are Not My Mother (2021)

An Irish Supernatural Horror

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You Are Not My Mother (2022)
Horror
Drama

Director Kate Dolan Release Date March 25, 2022 Cast Hazel Doupe , Carolyn Bracken , Ingrid Craigie , Jordanne Jones , Paul Reid , Katie White , Florence Adebambo , Aoife Spratt Runtime 93 Minutes

You Are Not My Mother is an underrated movie that’s similar to The Watchers, making it a great pick to watch after the new movie. The Irish supernatural horror movie You Are Not My Mother follows the story of a teen named Char who realizes her mother, Angela, has a drastically different personality after disappearing briefly. The shift causes Char to dig deep into the secrets of her family.

The plot incorporates multiple supernatural elements that are similar to The Watchers, and they both make use of the Irish greenery. The movies also both explore very important themes about humanity and connections. However, You Are Not My Mother feels tonally different from The Watcher in that the former movie is much more terrifying, instead of just atmospherically creepy. The movie also explores the impact of parental mental illness on children, making it important in its own way.

1 The Hole In The Ground (2019)

An Irish Supernatural Horror

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The Hole In The Ground (2019)
R
Drama
Horror
Mystery
Supernatural

Director Lee Cronin Release Date January 25, 2019 Writers Lee Cronin , Stephen Shields Cast Seana Kerslake , James Cosmo , Simone Kirby , Steve Wall , James Quinn Markey Distributor(s) A24

The Irish-Finnish horror movie The Hole in the Ground explores the horrifying idea that a person’s child has been replaced by someone or something else. The main character, Sarah O’Neill, realizes that her son Chris is exhibiting strange behaviors after going near a sinkhole. The movie soon takes a supernatural twist, including monsters who can shapeshift. The Hole in the Ground and The Watchers both feature the Irish countryside as a setting and incorporate shapeshifting monsters with nefarious motivations. They also both serve as directorial debuts, with Lee Cronin directing The Hole in the Ground.

However, The Hole in the Ground thrives in a few ways that the 2024 movie doesn’t. While the reviews for The Watchers are mixed on the suspense and frights, The Hole in the Ground perfectly executes the scares, creating genuinely terrifying visuals. Additionally, the ambiance and cinematography are more interesting to watch, making it a great pick after The Watchers.

The Watchers
PG-13
Fantasy
Horror
Mystery

Director Ishana Shyamalan Release Date June 7, 2024 Writers A.M. Shine , Ishana Shyamalan Cast Dakota Fanning , Georgina Campbell , Olwen Fouéré , Siobhan Hewlett Studio(s) New Line Cinema Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Runtime 102 minutes

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Source: https://www.lsu.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment