Final Girl Friday: Ashley, Better Watch Out (2017)

The Girl

Ashley, Better Watch Out (2017)

The Situation

Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) is about to leave town for college but tonight she’s babysitting 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller), who has an all-encompassing crush on her. When the two of them are attacked by a home invader, she must protect him to the death. But, are things as they seem?

Clue: They are not.

*Spoilers – beware!*

The Final Girl

BWO – or Male Entitlement Starts Real Young: The Movie. Fun as this film is, and it does try to add something new to a tired old sub-genre, it is going to piss you off. Luckily, there’s a satisfying conclusion that will have you cheering if you’ve ever had a sinister experience with a member of the male persuasion.

Ashley is a good girl, set in the perfect all-American babysitter mould. As soon as Luke’s parents (the amazing Virginia Madsen and Patrick Warburton) have left the building, Luke starts to act up, swigging Champagne from the bottle and acting like a fool. Ashley is having none of it – she nips that in the bud, though she’ll soon be wishing this was the worst of his misdemeanors, believe.

Our girl may be of a more sensible nature but she sure can pick the bad boy, which drives Luke to distraction. Have you ever read one of those Twitter rants by a ‘nice guy’ criticising women for never picking them? This is the film version of that, as Luke keeps on at Ashley about being too good for her current beau.

When Luke tries to seduce Ashley while they’re watching a movie, it’s a step too far – because obviously – and Ashley is horrified. She brushes him off as a stupid kid and thus begins Luke’s foray into proving what a big man he is. But this post isn’t about Luke, his best friend Garrett or even toxic masculinity – it’s about this week’s Final Girl and why she’s ace.

When the two of them are attacked and Garrett is shot dead, Ashley immediately jumps into action to defend them both. She’s scared shitless but has a can-do attitude that I would definitely lack in the same situation. She also has the smarts to quickly figure out that the break in has all been a ruse to trick her into shedding her inhibitions pants and getting it on with a snotty 12-year-old.

Having a now 13-year-old step son IRL, I do wonder if pre-pubescent boys actually think this way or whether Luke is a very unusual character. Guess it depends on the kid.

“I am never babysitting AGAIN.”

Anywhoo. Ashley soon realises she’s been tricked and is rightly peeved. Not least because she almost breaks her neck in the kerfuffle. This is when things take a sinister turn and Luke lets his true colours shine through. He’s a psychopath, basically.

Knocked out and then terrorised by this little punk, Ashley does not just sit still waiting for her fate. She manages to get hold of a shard of glass and eventually frees herself, gaining the upper hand. Unfortunately, her boyfriend Ricky is killed gruesomely in the process.

As this whole sorry plot unravels, allegiances shift, Luke becomes even more unhinged and disgusting, slut-shaming the woman of his dreams and then attacking her, leaving her for dead. But creepy baby fuck-boys can suck it because, even though our antagonist murders everyone and blames in on Ashley’s hapless ex-boyfriend – who has also been tricked into coming to the house and then slaughtered – sometimes getting too cocky on the job will cost you.

And, as stated before, Ashley ain’t messing. Will she live to be victorious? Well, the clue is kind of in the title.

Final Girl Rating

3.5/5 – She’s a survivor, fuck face!