Chris Peckover's Christmas horror comedy is a deft melding of "Scream" and "Home Alone" that takes a surprisingly nasty turn in its last act...he really excels in his direction of his young cast
The twists and turns of the plot, the occasional "jump out at you" moments and a story that is like a demented "Home Alone," make for a solid horror/humor package for the fans.
Olivia DeJonge carries the film on her shoulders, even in sock feet. She's asked to act the film's most emotional sequences with duct tape over her mouth!
Best described as Home Alone meets Michael Haneke's Funny Games, the sadistic horror comedy Safe Neighborhood is the kind of film that's tough to categorize but easy to enjoy.
Arizona Republic
October 05, 2017
It's scary and fun, if your idea of fun involves occasional gore and torture, things like that. Plus: Christmas decorations!
Seems destined to become one of those Yuletide perennials for people who like their holiday-themed entertainment as perversely un-wholesome as possible.
Both the screenplay and the editing maintain the intricate plate-spinning required to go back and forth between laughs and screams, all the while imperceptibly boosting the tension as the night progresses.
[Better Watch Out] is a silly-to-serious film that's sure to enter the canon of Christmas movies for people who prefer a bit of arsenic laced into Santa's cookies.
