The Watchers Commentary

SPOILERS AHEAD (though fewer than usual)

“Mina liked these people. Their flaws were as obvious as their situation was grim, but she cared for them. She loved them. And as opposed as she was— as she had always been— to these bonds, these ties that stretch and strangle you, she wanted them to get through this. These weren’t the kind of people you walk away from without saying goodbye. Not anymore.”

A.M Shine’s 2021 novel-turned-motion-picture, The Watchers is an inventive take on the “something’s in the woods” story with a killer premise, executed with lyric prose, exciting plot, and effective dread. While on a road trip to deliver a pet bird, Mina gets lost in rural Ireland and her car breaks down. After embarking on foot through the nearby forest, where no animals seem to live, Mina discovers a strange, concrete structure. A woman at the door pulls Mina inside, who had been unaware anything had been chasing her. Inside, Mina meets Madeline, Daniel, and Ciara, then, the mirror: floor to ceiling on the far side of the large room, lit brightly. Mina can see their reflections, but she does not see what lies on the other side of the glass: the watchers— creatures from Irish folklore who emerge from underground to observe our characters through the mirror. Should anyone go outside after dark when the creatures come out, they will be killed. Ciara’s husband, John, left to find a way out of the forest, but did not return in time, and they hear his screams outside. However, they can’t open the door without the creatures getting inside. The small group dynamic is shredded when Ciara is desperate to save John but is not allowed by the others. Yet they are trapped together over weeks and weeks and weeks. They both work together AND hurt one another— trust an ever-shifting ground beneath their feet. Can this forced family find a way out of the forest and away from the Watchers? And, if so, how do they return to their normal lives after the terrors they’ve seen? The Watchers will make you want to close your curtains. It’s about Irish folklore, being observed without consent, fucked up found families, lost and found trust, mimicking faces (in art and literally), the will to survive, and what follows you home after.

I have not yet watched the M. Night Shyamalan adapted movie, because there is a sequel book called Stay in the Light and I want to read that first (stay tuned). I am not Shyamalan’s biggest fan, so I’m worried the movie might tarnish my experience of the book, which was very positive. As much horror as I read, I don’t often find myself actually frightened. The Watchers scared me. I found myself stopping a few times and nervously glancing at my windows, dark from the evening outside. The hopelessness of being trapped— both with monsters and with unreliable humans— and the eerie sensation of being observed by unseen eyes are what make the book so frightening to me. The creatures have their moments. At first, I pictured them sort of like the aliens from A Quiet Place, but they are more human-like. When we learn that they can mimic faces, I actually had to put the book down and deal with that emotionally.

For readers who enjoyed Peadar O’Guilin’s The Call books, The Watchers has similar monsters and survival themes, but is a bit more adult and less gory.

Oh, and there is a pet bird present throughout our story. If you’re like me and can’t handle reading something where the cute little animal dies, don’t worry, he survives. Mina takes very good care of him through everything.