The story
About Better Watch Out
On a quiet suburban street in the run-up to Christmas, a teenage babysitter is left in charge of a 12-year-old boy while his parents go out to a holiday party. When the house seems to come under attack from intruders she tries to protect him, only to discover the night is far stranger and nastier than an ordinary break-in.
The CineClaus verdict
A home-invasion film that turns, early and hard, into something much meaner, and the less you know going in the better.
Chris Peckover keeps the tinsel and fairy lights mostly as set dressing, so the season adds flavour rather than meaning. Levi Miller and Olivia DeJonge are very good, and the comedy is properly black.
That cruelty is the point, and it will split a room. Line it up for friends who relish a nasty twist, never for anyone looking for comfort.
The family desk
Can the kids watch?
Our take: rated 15, with sustained threat inside a family home, strong violence and very strong language, so it waits until the later teenage years.
Content advice & accessibility
- Our age guidance
- Editorial, separate from the official 15 certificate, and never looser than it.
