'Keep Watching' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an slightly intriguing but very derivative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Keep Watching', with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend and it is a sleeper.

Lets start with the sole positive. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky.

Unfortunately, it is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm.

Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.

Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting. The less said about Bella Thorne the better.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with next to nothing going on worth caring about, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both dreadfully done.

A lot of 'Keep Watching' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.

There is not enough threat here and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, inexperience seems to be all over the film, and the music doesn't really fit and is quite monotonous.

All in all, very bad. 2/10 Bethany Cox

A family are forced to participate in a terrifying game of survival that's being broadcast live on the internet by several vicious masked maniacs.

Director Sean Carter relates the gripping story at a constant pace, takes time to develop the characters, maintains a grim and ominous take-no-prisoners tone throughout, and generates a good deal of suspense. Moreover, there's a creepy voyeuristic bent to the violent proceedings that adds an extra unnerving edge while the surprise bummer ending packs a brutally potent gut punch. The solid acting by the capable cast further keeps this movie humming: Bella Thorne as troubled teen Jamie, Chandler Riggs as her loyal younger brother DJ, Ioan Gruffrudd as flawed dad Carl, Natalie Martinez as feisty stepmom Nicole, Leigh Whannell as easygoing stoner uncle Matt, and Jared Abrahamson as concerned boyfriend Josh. A real nail-biter.

Too dark. Can't see what's going on half the time.