Uważaj, kochanie

A teenage Funny Games, with a portion of unpredictability in the well-crafted screenplay, but the directing doesn’t do a good enough job of depicting the growing seriousness of the situation. When the main victim is supposed to be in the greatest shock in the climax, she looks like she did in the first third of the film, when she still had no idea that this wasn’t just child’s play. The villainous brat is both well cast and well acted, and the filmmakers’ goal of spicing up the Christmas family atmosphere with a bit of morbidity is praiseworthy. (29.11.2023)

*Go to this film with the least possible information, don’t watch the trailer and don’t read longer reviews* /// I had it in my sights for quite a long time – about a year and something – and the only thing I knew was that it was supposed to be a creative horror take on Home Alone. The information I got from the first festival responses was that it is better to not know much before watching it, so I restrained myself and tried for a change to go to a film almost blindly. It was a good idea! During the wait, I came up with many possible horror takes on Home Alone (for example, that they would protect the house against Santa Klaus, lol), but what I saw, well, I wasn’t prepared for that. After a long time, something that has really surprised me. And not with only the development of the plot, but also the atmosphere. I was expecting something lighter, but it’s actually pretty brutal. At the end of the year, this will surely be in the TOP 10, and Chris Peckover has another successful notch after Undocumented. (06.10.2017)

Better Watch Out is a very decently made, suspenseful and clever film with great acting, and it’s strongest point are the several twists and surprises it offers. I enjoyed the creative play with genre and the devilish 15 year old Levi Miller, who does an admirable job for a little boy and I would love to see him in similar films again. The only issue is that the film skimps a lot on the brutality. A fun flick that will bring the Christmas spirit into your home. For a miserable year like this, a nice genre piece! 75% (06.10.2017)

Christmas is slowly but surely approaching, so why not watch something with a Christmas theme to get into the festive spirit? But seriously, you won't find many black comedy thrillers with comedic elements set in a snowy American town during the Christmas season. Home Alone seems like a weak version compared to this; here, it’s really a matter of life and death. Australian director Chris Peckover and his debut film succeeded perfectly and only reinforced my belief that money isn’t everything; what matters most is the idea and its subsequent execution. The initial destruction of the snowman gave me a sense that this film would be something unconventional, something special. If you thought Levi Miller seemed like a nice guy, you’ll lose your smile within a few minutes. His twisted psyche has no intention of doing nice things. After about twenty minutes, the film picks up and doesn’t let up. Some scenes stuck with me (the one involving paint had the highest level of tension). You’ll also encounter a few bloody deaths where, although the camera doesn’t show ugly sights directly, believe me, what we don’t see and only imagine can be more terrifying than what’s in our field of view. The ending really got to me. More films like this would be welcome, and I give it 86%. (02.12.2017)

The Australian-American horror film Better Watch Out is a very specific variation on the home invasion genre, where at times you feel like it's a cross between Halloween and Home Alone. And then suddenly it's all a bit different. Incidentally, though, the references to Home Alone are quite crucial here and only underline the heaviness of the atmosphere, which goes from a children's film to an unpleasant slasher. (18.06.2019)