Watchers (1988 film)
Encyclopedia
Watchers is a 1988 horror film starring Corey Haim
, Michael Ironside
, Barbara Williams and Lala Sloatman
. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name
by Dean R. Koontz.
The film was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and grossed $940,173 in the United States.
There have been three sequel
s released in 1990
, 1994
and 1998
.
in the same lab through the surrounding woods. The dog outruns it and hides in a barn. In the barn, Travis Cornell (Corey Haim
) is with his girlfriend Tracey (Lala Sloatman
). Thinking it is her father, Travis leaves. Tracey discovers the beast and screams, summoning her father who is attacked. Meanwhile, Travis finds the dog in the back of his car and a military/police force is sweeping the area for the escapees. Travis starts to realize the dog is extraordinary and decides to keep it.
The next morning, Travis's mother informs him that there has been an accident and that Tracey is in the hospital. Travis and his mother rush to the hospital, but two "NSO" officers guarding the room will not allow them to see her. Travis pushes past them into Tracey's room, only to find it completely empty. The men claim that she has been transferred to a better location. Travis is puzzled as to why one of the men were armed. At home, Travis' mother is displeased about the dog. She allows him to keep it when Travis shows the level of intelligence that the dog possesses. While bathing the dog, Travis sees GH3 printed on its ear, and concludes it is a research dog, which would explain its superior intellect
.
A NSO agent (Michael Ironside
) stops by Travis' house to ask questions and the dog hides. The dog tracks Travis down at school, where he types 'D ANG ER N S O' on a computer. Travis is given detention for bringing a pet to school. Three more murders occur in the woods. The OXCOM has traced the dog to the school, where two staff members are killed. One is able to call police. The now-suspicious sheriff and a policewoman arrive, and she is also killed. When the sheriff confronts the NSO officer, the man is forced to tell him the truth regarding the killer, but asks that they move to a quieter location away from the press. He explains that it was a scientific project gone wrong and that the OXCOM is chasing the dog, which targets and kills anything it comes across or that has been in contact with the dog. He then murders the sheriff.
A family friend who is fixing the washing machine
mentions that a man stopped by earlier asking if they owned a dog. Travis, realizing the NSO is after them, sneaks out of the house. His mother stops him before he can drive away, telling him that they are in it together. Back inside, they find their friend dead. They run upstairs with the dog, locking the bedroom door. The beast begins to break it down. The mother climbs onto the adjacent rooftop while Travis grabs a hunting gun. He tells her to start the truck and jumps out the window followed by the dog who is knocked down by the OXCOM. He fires, then picks up the injured dog, and the three drive to a veterinarian. Noticing the code on the dog’s ear, the vet calls the authorities. Travis catches on and they leave the vet's office before the NSO agents can arrive. The next morning after the agents track them to the motel they are staying, the mother creates a diversion, allowing Travis and the dog to escape the NSO agents. Travis takes the dog to his father's old cabin in the woods. His mother insists the NSO agents let her visit Tracey. Oddly, the sedated Tracey is unharmed and her room appears to have no medical equipment.
The agents take them to the cabin, where Travis throws a homemade Molotov cocktail
at the NSO agents, allowing the two women to run into the cabin. Agent Johnson, who has been established as a madman, fires at them, but he is stopped by a fellow NSO agent who refuses to let him kill them. Johnson then kills him. In a tussle with Johnson, Travis is stabbed in the leg with his own knife. The dog jumps through the window and onto Johnson, allowing Travis to stab him in the neck. Johnson, crazed, claims that they will die anyway before being shot to death by Mrs. Cornell. Armed with homemade weapons, the team readies themselves for the beast. When it arrives, Travis shoots at it and it throws the dog into the truck windshield. Travis follows it into the woods. At first, he cannot bring himself to kill it. It then attacks him and he is forced to finish it off. Travis, his mother, Tracey and the dog regroup and leave in the beaten truck.
, with no living parents and no girlfriend at the start of the story.
in the United States
by Universal Pictures
in December 1988. It was released on VHS
by International Video Entertainment (IVE) in 1989.
Artisan Entertainment
released the movie as a double feature with Watchers 2 on DVD in 2003. The DVD was presented in full frame with no bonus features and is now out of print
.
As of December 21, 2009, Lions Gate has not announced any plans to re-release both movies on DVD. Due to this, used copies of the double feature DVD have increased in value as much as $50.
Corey Haim
Corey Ian Haim was a Canadian actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred in a number of films such as Lucas, Silver Bullet, Murphy's Romance, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream...
, Michael Ironside
Michael Ironside
Michael Ironside is a Canadian-born actor. He has also worked as a voice actor, producer, film director, and screenwriter in movie and television series in various Canadian and American productions. He is best known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, though he has also portrayed...
, Barbara Williams and Lala Sloatman
Lala Sloatman
Lala Cassandra Sloatman is an American model, actress and costumer. Her uncle was musician Frank Zappa; her cousins are Ahmet, Diva, Moon and Dweezil Zappa. She is frequently billed by her first name only, and sometimes as Lala Zappa....
. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name
Watchers (novel)
Watchers is a 1987 suspense novel by American author, Dean Koontz. Along with Strangers, Lightning, and Midnight, Watchers is credited with cementing Koontz's status as a best-selling author.-Plot Summary:...
by Dean R. Koontz.
The film was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and grossed $940,173 in the United States.
There have been three sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
s released in 1990
Watchers II
Watchers II is the 1990 sequel to the Canadian horror film Watchers. Starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins, the film is loosely based on the novel Watchers by Dean Koontz.-Plot:...
, 1994
Watchers 3
Watchers 3 is the 1994 sequel to the Canadian horror film Watchers directed by Jeremy Stanford. Starring B movie veteran Wings Hauser, the film is loosely based on the novel Watchers by Dean Koontz...
and 1998
Watchers Reborn
Watchers Reborn is the 1998 sequel to the Canadian horror film Watchers. Starring Star Wars veteran Mark Hamill, the film is loosely based on the novel Watchers by Dean Koontz.-Plot:...
.
Plot
An explosion occurs in a classified research laboratory, causing an intense fire. A mutated monster known as the OXCOM (Outside Experimental Combat Mammal) escapes and chases a golden retrieverGolden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
in the same lab through the surrounding woods. The dog outruns it and hides in a barn. In the barn, Travis Cornell (Corey Haim
Corey Haim
Corey Ian Haim was a Canadian actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred in a number of films such as Lucas, Silver Bullet, Murphy's Romance, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream...
) is with his girlfriend Tracey (Lala Sloatman
Lala Sloatman
Lala Cassandra Sloatman is an American model, actress and costumer. Her uncle was musician Frank Zappa; her cousins are Ahmet, Diva, Moon and Dweezil Zappa. She is frequently billed by her first name only, and sometimes as Lala Zappa....
). Thinking it is her father, Travis leaves. Tracey discovers the beast and screams, summoning her father who is attacked. Meanwhile, Travis finds the dog in the back of his car and a military/police force is sweeping the area for the escapees. Travis starts to realize the dog is extraordinary and decides to keep it.
The next morning, Travis's mother informs him that there has been an accident and that Tracey is in the hospital. Travis and his mother rush to the hospital, but two "NSO" officers guarding the room will not allow them to see her. Travis pushes past them into Tracey's room, only to find it completely empty. The men claim that she has been transferred to a better location. Travis is puzzled as to why one of the men were armed. At home, Travis' mother is displeased about the dog. She allows him to keep it when Travis shows the level of intelligence that the dog possesses. While bathing the dog, Travis sees GH3 printed on its ear, and concludes it is a research dog, which would explain its superior intellect
Intellect
Intellect is a term used in studies of the human mind, and refers to the ability of the mind to come to correct conclusions about what is true or real, and about how to solve problems...
.
A NSO agent (Michael Ironside
Michael Ironside
Michael Ironside is a Canadian-born actor. He has also worked as a voice actor, producer, film director, and screenwriter in movie and television series in various Canadian and American productions. He is best known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, though he has also portrayed...
) stops by Travis' house to ask questions and the dog hides. The dog tracks Travis down at school, where he types 'D ANG ER N S O' on a computer. Travis is given detention for bringing a pet to school. Three more murders occur in the woods. The OXCOM has traced the dog to the school, where two staff members are killed. One is able to call police. The now-suspicious sheriff and a policewoman arrive, and she is also killed. When the sheriff confronts the NSO officer, the man is forced to tell him the truth regarding the killer, but asks that they move to a quieter location away from the press. He explains that it was a scientific project gone wrong and that the OXCOM is chasing the dog, which targets and kills anything it comes across or that has been in contact with the dog. He then murders the sheriff.
A family friend who is fixing the washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
mentions that a man stopped by earlier asking if they owned a dog. Travis, realizing the NSO is after them, sneaks out of the house. His mother stops him before he can drive away, telling him that they are in it together. Back inside, they find their friend dead. They run upstairs with the dog, locking the bedroom door. The beast begins to break it down. The mother climbs onto the adjacent rooftop while Travis grabs a hunting gun. He tells her to start the truck and jumps out the window followed by the dog who is knocked down by the OXCOM. He fires, then picks up the injured dog, and the three drive to a veterinarian. Noticing the code on the dog’s ear, the vet calls the authorities. Travis catches on and they leave the vet's office before the NSO agents can arrive. The next morning after the agents track them to the motel they are staying, the mother creates a diversion, allowing Travis and the dog to escape the NSO agents. Travis takes the dog to his father's old cabin in the woods. His mother insists the NSO agents let her visit Tracey. Oddly, the sedated Tracey is unharmed and her room appears to have no medical equipment.
The agents take them to the cabin, where Travis throws a homemade Molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
at the NSO agents, allowing the two women to run into the cabin. Agent Johnson, who has been established as a madman, fires at them, but he is stopped by a fellow NSO agent who refuses to let him kill them. Johnson then kills him. In a tussle with Johnson, Travis is stabbed in the leg with his own knife. The dog jumps through the window and onto Johnson, allowing Travis to stab him in the neck. Johnson, crazed, claims that they will die anyway before being shot to death by Mrs. Cornell. Armed with homemade weapons, the team readies themselves for the beast. When it arrives, Travis shoots at it and it throws the dog into the truck windshield. Travis follows it into the woods. At first, he cannot bring himself to kill it. It then attacks him and he is forced to finish it off. Travis, his mother, Tracey and the dog regroup and leave in the beaten truck.
Relation to novel
The film, although credited as "based on" the novel, is only loosely based on some of the ideas in the book, and makes several radical changes that drastically alter the storyline. The characters most extensively affected by the changes are the dog, whose intelligence is far greater in the novel; Johnson, who is actually an amalgam of two very different characters from the book; Travis, who bears no resemblance to the character of the same name from the novel, and Nora who is now Travis's mother . In the book, Travis is a former member of Delta ForceDelta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
, with no living parents and no girlfriend at the start of the story.
Release
The film was given a limited releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
in December 1988. It was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
by International Video Entertainment (IVE) in 1989.
Artisan Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment Inc. was a privately held independent American movie studio until it was purchased by a Canadian studio, Lionsgate, in 2003. At the time of its acquisition, Artisan had a library of thousands of films developed through acquisition, original production, and production and...
released the movie as a double feature with Watchers 2 on DVD in 2003. The DVD was presented in full frame with no bonus features and is now out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
.
As of December 21, 2009, Lions Gate has not announced any plans to re-release both movies on DVD. Due to this, used copies of the double feature DVD have increased in value as much as $50.
External links
- EOFFTV credits, plot summary
- Watchers trailer at Videodetective.com