When you mention names like Coppola, Lynch, Kazan, Howard, and Cassavetes, images of famous male directors likely pop into your head first.  With this long list of credits and history in Hollywood, it’s understandable that your mind would go to them, not their daughters who followed in their footsteps.  Cinema history is filled with stories of children of celebrities trailing their parents into the family business, but it takes a unique vision to go behind the camera and run the show.  Sofia Coppola, Jennifer Lynch, Maya Kazan, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Zoe Cassavetes are just a few examples of the offspring of celebrated directors who have made significant strides in their careers.

After seeing The Watchers, a new horror film from New Line Cinema, I think they’ll have to make room for Ishana Night Shyamalan in their director’s round table discussions.  The youngest daughter of M. Night Shyamalan makes her feature film debut with her adaptation of A.M. Shine’s 2021 novel. Despite the studio showing a lack of confidence in the film by not screening it in advance for critics, it is an atmospheric thrill ride that taps into the unnerving dread that has become a hallmark of the Shyamalan brand.  Better still, it avoids the convoluted pitfalls that have marred her formidable father’s infamous misses.

A claustrophobic survival tale set in a tranquil forest, the story follows Mina (Dakota Fanning, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood), who appears to be an aimless pet shop employee living in an innocuous village in Ireland who likes to wear wigs and pretend to be other women at night to meet men.  Tasked with bringing a rare bird from her tiny store to Belfast, she packs up the beautiful yellow fowl in a cage and heads out in her blue car…straight into a mysterious wood that we’ve been told swallows people up and never lets them leave.

Sure enough, soon her car has broken down, and she’s lost her way after she sets out on foot.  As the sun sets, she feels uneasy that the bird isn’t the only one keeping her company.  Before anything can pounce, she’s rescued by Madeline (Olwen Fouéré, Texas Chainsaw Massacre), who brings her to a concrete bunker where Ciara (Georgina Campbell, All My Friends Hate Me) and Brian (Oliver Finnegan) are waiting for a strange nightly ritual.  It’s then Mina learns what lurks in the forest to observe them through the double-sided window that takes up an entire wall of their shelter.  They are the Watchers, sinister creatures that emerge at nightfall, wreaking havoc on any unfortunate soul caught above ground.

Daylight hours allow for exploration but not escape, so Mina remains trapped with the strangers, desperately seeking answers before darkness arrives.  Strangers keep secrets, however, and Mina is no exception. Throughout their time, all four will be tested by their captors, who are closer than they think and deadlier than they can imagine.

To say more about the increasingly nerve-wracking experience is to rob a Shyamalan movie of its very essence, but this is one film that never lets itself be pinned down for too long.  Early on, I was ready to pat myself on the back for figuring out “the twist” so quickly, but just as fast, I was put in my place when my solution unraveled before my eyes.  Inasha is playing a tricky game in bringing Shine’s novel to the screen, and she’s assembled a solid team to help her along the way.

Mina’s escalating desperation is conveyed beautifully by Fanning, an actress who has grown up on screen and has been slowly returning to the business after taking some much-deserved time away.  Her ability to convey fear, tenacity, and determination with the subtle vulnerability that has always been her strength is what the part needs, and she truly anchors the film.  It elevates the role from being a typical protagonist in horror to someone relatable and one we care about seeing survive.  She’s matched step-for-step with Fouéré, who I’ve realized comes across like an Irish Glenn Close.  Creating odd and oddly sympathetic characters, Fouére continues her run of magnetic screen appearances, adding a layer of refreshing solemnity to the evening.

While the two women undoubtedly shine brightest, the ensemble supporting them is equally compelling.  Campbell has capably led several films already (Wildcat, Lovely, Dark, and Deep, and Barbarian), but don’t mistake her more minor role as a step back; there’s depth to be found in the passages the script affords her.  It’s not as much as I would have liked, and it could have gone deeper to connect some floating dots, but Campbell is a good enough actress to sell it anyway.  Finnegan is so tightly wound as the fourth captive that the easy-going presence of the dependable John Lynch (The Secret Garden) in a role too spoiler-y to describe creates a welcome balance in energy.  Each actor contributes their special spice to the consistently eerie ambiance.

The world of the Watchers is steeped in lore and, though often drained of color, what plumes pop up are striking. Ishana helps coax that out even more, using Abel Korzeniowski’s (The Courier) hauntingly sparse score and Ferdia Murphy’s meticulously crafted production design.  The arresting notes can divert your attention from an approaching scare while the sets Murphy has designed place you right in the middle of this chilling forest to layer in the frights.  Judicious use of visual effects perfectly balances Eli Arenson’s simple cinematography.  While nothing is sacrificed in terms of quality, everything feels in service to the scare…and quite a few good jolts are waiting for audiences.

After honing her skills on the Apple TV show Servant, Ishana Night Shyamalan has made a confident, polished genre film, a new breed of folk horror that doesn’t follow a set pattern.  While a few of the narrative threads feel underdeveloped and downright dangling at times, overall, The Watchers is a taut entertainment that merits a trip to the big screen for its atmospheric delights and skilled direction.  Any missing pieces in the puzzle feel like minor gaps that don’t detract from the overall picture.  In a genre where originality is a rarity, there’s a freshness to The Watchers that made me want to see more.