YMMV / Better Watch Out

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Did Luke's plan really go Off the Rails, or was his initially stared plan just something he thought Garrett would go along with before the real mayhem began? There are multiple times when he escalated the situation with no apparent benefit for himself.
• Complete Monster: Luke Lerner is a sociopathic pre-teen who wants to seduce his babysitter, Ashley. To impress Ashley, Luke stages a home invasion with his friend Garrett. When Ashley finds out it was faked, Luke ties her up, sexually assaults her in a game of truth or dare, and calls her boyfriend, Ricky, to come over. Luke knocks Ricky out and ties him up, and proceeds to torment him and Ashley before calling her ex, Jeremy. Luke hits Ricky in the face with a paint can from the balcony, causing his head to explode, to Luke's sick glee. Jeremy arrives, and Luke goads him into writing an apology to Ashley before lynching him with the rope on the swing. Luke murders Garrett for trying to free Ashley, before stabbing her in the neck and framing Jeremy for his crimes. Upon discovering Ashley survived, Luke plans on "visiting" her at the hospital to finish her off.
• He Really Can Act: Those only familiar with Levi Miller through his role in the critically-ravaged Pan will get quite the surprise with how well he portrays the complex, sociopathic Luke here.
• It Was His Sled: Good luck finding somebody who doesn't know that Luke Lerner is the main villain.
• Love to Hate: Luke Lerner might be the most loathesome child to hit the big screen since Henry Evans but damn if Levi Miller's amazing performance doesn't make him amazing to watch.
• Misaimed Fandom: Many Letterboxd users believe that movie glorifies incel culture, completely missing the point that Luke is a deconstruction of toxic male behavior who is meant to be an entitled, bloodthirsty psychopath that the audience actively hates and roots against.
• Moral Event Horizon: Staging a home invasion was definitely a dick move on Luke's part, and so was knocking Ashley and Ricky unconscious. But what really sets him up as irredeemable is when he brutally murders Ricky For the Evulz.
• Retroactive Recognition: Dacre Montgomery would become far better known for being the lead in the Power Rangers reboot and for his role as Billy Hargrove in Netflix's Stranger Things.
• Squick: The shot of Ricky's blood running down his legs and mixing in with the yellow paint.
• The Woobie:
  • Ashley. She goes from thinking she and Luke are being stalked by an anonymous home invader to finding out that Luke staged the whole thing in an attempt to seduce her, then watches her boyfriend get murdered in front of her.
  • Garrett. Turns out that, contrary to what the Lerners thought about him, he's actually a decent kid, at least compared to Luke. When he tries to make a Heel–Face Turn and rescue Ashley, his own "friend" murders him.

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