Watchers II
Watchers II
R | 16 August 1990 (USA)
Watchers II Trailers

A genetically re-engineered dog develops a psychic link with a monster created in a lab experiment which goes awry.

Reviews
Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
lost-in-limbo Two years after the Corey Haim starring vehicle "Watchers", Roger Corman would produce another adaptation of Dean R. Kootnz's best-selling novel. This b-grade sequel is a sober retread changing or adding plot devices and losing the suburban setting for something urban, but probably being a little more faithful to the book as this screenplay would try to delve a bit more deeper in to this top secret experiment of genetic engineering. Here we even get an explanation (nothing special, but it is a reason) to why this creature takes out the eyes of its victim. The hybrid creature known as the Outsider is given human like instincts, but it just can't control what it was engineered to do… track down the super-intelligent dog it shares a physic link with and eliminated all who have been in contact with it. Quite slow-burn and carefully structured, but still providing the grisly shocks throughout this fugitive-on-the-run / creature-on-the-rampage theme. Instead of trying for cheap jolts, it tends to rely on its shady atmospherics (as its spends a lot time in darkly lit areas), edgy suspense (like the sewer sequence) and moody storytelling, where in doing so it doesn't feel quite as silly and dumb-down as its predecessor. Although the man in an unconvincing rubber freak of nature suit, does get a fair bit of screen time. The director doesn't really try to hide the creation either. Technically sound direction with a steady tempo if somewhat a dragged out climax. This time we have Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins in the leads and they are quite likable. Jonathan Farwell is adequate as the unstable scientist who led the project. Also showing up in a minor turn is Mary Woronov."Can't teach an old dog new tricks. Cant ya?"
slayrrr666 "Watchers II" isn't that bad for this kind of movie.**SPOILERS**Steve Malcerno, (Jonathan Farwell) a scientist working on a special project for the government, is worried when a group of protesters break into the compound and steal the animals, as one of them was a mutated creature. Another one of the animals, a super-smart Golden Retriever, helps a military prisoner, Paul Ferguson, (Marc Singer) avoid an unseen creature in the middle of the night. Going on the run with the dog, Dr. Malcerno tracks them while the police print him as the culprit in a series of gruesome murders. When Paul reunites the dog with it's trainer, Barbara White, (Tracy Scoggins) they learn that the other creature has been involved in all the murders and try to stop the creature.The Good News: I was expecting much worse from this one. The film has a pretty large body count, so we get some nice deaths as well. As is usual with these kinds of films, it has a requisite number of scratches on the body, as well as a brutal decapitation that is surely the best death here. It's not the goriest film ever made, but it gets the job done when it needs to. There were also some great moments in here as well. The final confrontation with the creature is nicely paced and full of action, and the final resolution scenes are quite moody and effective. A chase through the underground sewers has some nice suspense to it, and it is a little creepy as well. The scenes in the motel room, where Paul and the dog "bond" together has some great scenes between them, as they both discover the genius of the dog. Some of the moments were quite good, I had to add. The last thing about the film I really liked was that, just when the human side of things was getting too much, a killing would come along to keep things interesting. It sorted of knew when it was getting a little bogged down, and therefore came up with an exciting kill scene to liven things up again.The Bad News: As I stated above, the film does have a tendency to bog down a little in the middle section. Every now and then, when it would get a little slow, a killing would come along to get things interesting again, but that creates a real stop-and-go effect that gives it a really choppy feel to it. For such a fearsome creature, the monster in here gladly decides to avoid the light, as he looks really close to a knock off of the Gillman from "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." It isn't scary at all, and I do feel sort of glad that most of the time we see it, it's too dark to tell what it really is like. That's actually a common theme in the movie, as while there are plenty of deaths in here, a lot of the time it's too dark to tell what's going on.The Final Verdict: Yeah, there's worse ones out there, and while it does have it's own problems, this isn't all that bad. You could do much worse than this one. This is on par with the first one, so use that as your judging rod. If you think you might like it, by all means, give it a shot.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and scenes of animals in peril
Paul Andrews Watchers II focuses on a secret genetic experiment named 'Project Aesop' that has thus far produced a super intelligent dog named Einstein & a monstrous deformed mutant creature (Tom Poser) who are both psychically connected with one another. During an unfortunate incident in the lab two NSA agents are killed by the creature, the top woman in the job Dr. Glatman (Mary Woronov) orders it's creator Dr. Malceno (Jonathan Farwell) to destroy it which is an idea he is not too keen on. Dr. Malceno devises a plan to move the creature to safety by creating a distraction so he lets animal rights activists into the lab to cause havoc but things don't go according to plan & the creature escapes as does the super intelligent dog Einstein. The creature wants Einstein but the dog is picked up by Paul Ferguson (Marc Singer) who doesn't know what he has gotten himself into. The creature will stop at nothing to get Einstein & starts a murderous campaign of terror to find the dog, Paul quickly becomes aware that he is being hunted by a monster & decides the best form of defence is attack...Directed by Thierry Notz this is the second Watchers film in a series that now totals four films, the original Watchers (1988), this, Watchers III (1994) & finally Watchers Reborn (1998). I must say right now that I have not seen any other Watchers film so I cannot compare them, sorry. The script by Henry Dominic is based on a novel by Dean R. Koontz (haven't read it so I can't compare Watchers II to it either) is really silly, it's stupid, moronic & you can't quite believe what your seeing on screen but when all said & done I enjoyed it for what it was & at least it entertained me which is all I ask for when I watch a film, to be entertained. It moves along at a good pace & is never boring or dull & it's certainly that little bit different which I'm sure most people wouldn't argue with. Of course it goes without saying that Watchers II is far from a brilliant film either conceptually with it's super intelligent Golden Retriever who can understand English & type on a computer keyboard or the creation of a hostile creature for no good reason whatsoever, or technically as it's a pretty low budget affair & it shows. I loved the scene when the monster walked up to a couple of homeless wino's & started drinking with them! Watchers II takes itself very seriously which actually worked & made me smile on a few occasions at just how daft it was getting.Director Notz does an OK job, some sequences are lit quite well, he keeps the film moving along & there's a decent low budget horror film vibe running through the thing. There isn't much blood or gore, someone is impaled on a hook, there's a decapitated head in a toilet, a clawed back & some splashes of blood & wounds but that's about it.Watchers II must have had a pretty low budget as the monster suit itself is pretty poor, it's obviously just some guy stuck in a rubber suit & the head & mouth have no movement at all, it actually reminded me of the monster from Monster in the Closet (1987)... a bit. The acting was OK, V (1984) fans will recognise Singer & everyone plays their parts dead straight.When broken down & analysed properly Watchers II is crap, of that there is no doubt. But for all that wrong with it, the duff looking monster & the absurd plot amongst other things I found it quite entertaining & it passed the time nicely enough. I can't recommend it I just can't but on a personal level I thought it was a worthwhile watch, the decision is yours.
frankbob_monkey More like the novel than the original, but still unsatisfying. Had its parts that where fun, but still kinda corny. Quality was dark and couldn't see what was going 80% of the time. But still I liked it.Original seemed to be more satisfying, but if your looking for a more novel like movie of Watchers - Watch it. 6/10 Because it wasn't boring, and I enjoyed a few more scenes. Yeah, watch it. Hey, it was better than the Koontz adaptation of Phantoms and Hideaway.IMDb won't let me place this unless its longer.Fine. I do own this on DVD, so it's not too bad. But if you want a REALLY GOOD Koontz adaptation see DEMON SEED. Now thats excellent. WATCH IT!!!!!