The recent craze of Asian horror inspired films has been one I’ve not been most accepting of, mostly because half of them aren’t very good to begin with. Some are dramas painted as horror (Dark Water), and some are just remade into horrible films (Pulse), but I’m always willing to watch a horror film inspired by the trend and see if it lands on its feet or falls flat and breaks its neck. “Watch Me” has all the basic elements of an Asian horror film. Creepy ghost, mysterious object inspiring mysterious deaths, and of course a modern medium used as a facilitator.
“Watch Me,” though, is one different from the group of Asian cinema homages; mainly because in spite of its low budget, it manages to be an utterly spine-tingling horror dose that many of the remakes with million dollar budgets can’t really accomplish. Everything in “Watch Me” is surprisingly tight. The acting, most of all, is very good, and Ansley pulls us in all sorts of directions taking brutally creepy twists in the plot with our heroine coming in very close contact with the demonic entity and never being touched. Tess finds herself at the grasp of this evil spirit when her friend views a video file on her e-mail titled “Watch Me.” When she discovers her friend dead only moments later, she struggles to discover what caused her death.
“Watch Me” bears competent pacing, and a story that takes its time mounting tension and suspense even at a little over an hour. Pair that with a spine-tingling score, and you’re set with an utterly atmospheric horror entry that’s suitable for fans of Asian horror, or just horror buffs in general. Ansley’s direction is wonderful as she can take clichés and twist them to deliver a punch in the gut. The ghosts method of punishment, the way she’s often discovered, and her ability to breeze by her victims until she’s ready to reveal herself end as truly nail biting moments that Ansley pulls off. “Watch Me” is so much fun, and there are too numerous moments where I was utterly surprised at how much skill were inserted into the tense sequences.
One of my favorite sequences involve Tess witnessing the ghost unraveling from her hiding place, and the genuine twist of Tess’ only confidante being a psychotic film fanatic. “Watch Me” is often times very focused and draws out tension with genuinely surprising plot twists, and a frantic finale. Frances Marrington is strong as heroine Tess attempting to explore the origins behind the online video file that results in gruesome deaths, and Ansley finishes the film on a morbid whisper instead of an over-the-top demonstration, and that’s why it works. Ansley’s “Watch Me” is a clever and genuinely creepy pastiche of Asian horror plot devices and storylines forming its own wickedly entertaining horror film with a well paced plot, strong acting, and wonderful direction. I had fun.