Chloe Okuno’s directorial debut, Watcher is a spine-chilling thriller about a lonely woman being stalked in an unknown city. Written by Zack Ford, the movie stars Maika Monroe as Julia, Karl Glusman as Francis, and Burn Gorman as Daniel Weber, along with Madalina Anea, Daniel Nuta, Cristina Deleanu, and Tudor Petrut in other roles.

The story follows Julia and Francis, a young American couple who move to Bucharest, Romania. Soon, Julia notices someone constantly watching her from across the street, which leads to a series of spooky and inexplicable events, disrupting her life as well as her relationship. Billed as “a vignette of true nightmares” in our staff review, Watcher looks like something to definitely watch out for. So, check out this handy guide we made about how to watch Watcher, and when and where, you can watch the upcoming thriller movie.

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Image via IFC Films

Related:Chloe Okuno's 'Watcher' Trailer Reveals Maika Monroe in a Deadly Cat and Mouse Game

Is Watcher Streaming Online?

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Image via IFC Midnight

As of now, there’s no information on whether Watcher is going to be available on any popular streaming service or not. It’s possible that the movie might end up on one of the other big streaming channels as well, sooner or later.

Watcher is being distributed by IFC Midnight and Shudder, which means it could eventually end up on the horror-thriller streaming network AMC. However, Shudder’s June lineup does not mention anything about Watcher. Watch this space for any updates in the future for the latest streaming information about Watcher.

Is Watcher in Movie Theaters

Watcher is releasing in theaters across the United States, on Friday, June 3, 2022. The movie premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and also screened at the SXSW Film Festival 2022, in the official selection.

When Will Watcher Arrive on Digital or VOD?

There’s no news about the digital or VOD release of Watcher. For the DVDs and Blu-ray versions of Watcher, there’s some time window between theatrical release and the digital. Usually, as a standard practice, DVDs and Blu-rays release about three to four months after the theater release. So, you could expect the same timeframe for Watcher as well, which means the physical media could be out sometime around September or October 2022.

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Watch the Watcher Trailer

IFC Films has released two trailers for Watcher, the first one in March and the second one in April. The promo is the perfect representation of what a horror-thriller like this is supposed to be. Ominous and haunting, the trailer opening teases you in to what’s about to come, but you’ll have no idea what is actually coming.

It’s slow-burn but amply terrifying, dark but very artsy. Julia and Francis reach Bucharest and settle into a plush apartment. If there’s some excitement for Julia about moving to a new city and starting a new life, that feeling soon turns into something grim. In a quick succession of scenes, it becomes clear that Julia is about to get paranoid and constantly look over her shoulders.

It’s hard to tell if what she sees is real or a figment of her imagination. Julia’s paranoia is only heightened by the anxiety-inducing scenes, without the typical violence and speedy action that most horror-thrillers show. In other words, the fear Watcher promises to bring to its audience is mostly psychological, and you would constantly question yourself if what you are seeing (or Julia is seeing) is there or not. The trailer is proof that Watcher will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. Check out the latest trailer above.

What Is Watcher About?

Here’s the official synopsis of Watcher, which sums up what the story is all about.

“Julia, an American, moves to Bucharest with her boyfriend Francis. Unable to speak the language, isolated while Francis works, and in fear of a local serial killer, she begins to perceive that she is being constantly watched and followed by a sinister neighbor.”

What we understand about Watcher is that though it’s a psychological horror thriller or simply a dark thriller, there’s some deeper message to read here. Many times, people who feel they are stalked or watched, are often ruled out as dramatic or paranoid, mostly because there’s not always proof of what they see or experience. Being watched/stalked is an extremely terrifying and traumatic thing to experience, and this movie could be a way to show how such fears are not baseless but have roots in something really sinister, that others often miss seeing.

Related:Maika Monroe and Dane DeHaan Talk ‘The Stranger’ and Carl E.’s Prior “Experiments”

More Maika Monroe Movies You Can Watch Right Now

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Critically acclaimed for her performance in Watcher, Maika Monroe is also known for other movies in the horror-thriller genre.

It Follows: This 2014 supernatural psychological horror movie became the career breakthrough for Monroe. She stars as the carefree teenager, Jay who ends up with a fatal curse after having sex with her new boyfriend and is chased by the deadly paranormal spirit. At first, her friends don’t believe her paranoia but eventually see the danger Jay is in, and get together to save her. The critically acclaimed movie is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, and also stars Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi, and Lili Sepe in other roles.

The Guest: Another movie that earned Maika Monroe a lot of recognition, The Guest follows a former soldier, David, who loses his best friend, Caleb in combat. He later visits his friend’s family to fulfill his promise to his deceased friend. But as soon as he starts staying over, the town begins to see a series of mysterious deaths. Monroe stars as Caleb’s sister. Directed by Adam Wingard, the thriller movie also features Dan Stevens, Leland Orser, Sheila Kelley, Brendan Meyer, and Lance Reddick in major roles.

Tau: This sci-fi thriller movie sees Monroe in the role of Julia, as a victim of a sinister science experiment. One night, she wakes up trapped inside a mad scientist’s home, along with two more people, where she is psychologically tortured by him until she gets violent and attempts to escape. But her efforts fail, and the other victims get killed. Julia must save herself from him and his AI being called Tau. Directed by Federico D'Alessandro, Tau also stars Ed Skrein and Gary Oldman in leading roles.