Watchers 1988

An explosion erupts at a top‑secret research facility, sparking a fierce blaze and unleashing a mutated creature known as the OXCOM (Outside Experimental Combat Mammal). With the lab in chaos, the creature gives chase to a golden retriever kept inside the facility, tearing through the surrounding woods as sirens wail in the distance. The dog manages to outrun the pursuing monster, and the OXCOM slips away to hide in a nearby barn. Inside the barn, Travis Cornell [Corey Haim] is there with his girlfriend Tracey [Lala Sloatman], and the moment becomes a tense standoff between man, animal, and an engineered terror. Thinking Tracey’s father is nearby, Travis makes the quick choice to leave, hoping to protect her by stepping away from danger.

Tracey soon confronts the beast and screams, drawing its attention and triggering a brutal attack on her host’s familiar territory. In the confusion, Travis discovers the dog in the back of his car, a pivotal moment that shifts his priorities. Meanwhile, a coordinated military/police sweep searches the area for any sign of the escaped animals, led by a hard‑edged force that seems to know more than it reveals. The situation tightens as Travis begins to sense that the dog is more than just a pet; its unusual intelligence hints at experiments gone awry and hidden agendas behind the chase.

At home, Travis’ mother Nora Cornell [Barbara Williams] learns that Tracey has been injured and rushed to the hospital. When they hurry to see her, a pair of NSO agents—led by Lem Johnson [Michael Ironside]—block their path and refuse access, insisting Tracey has been moved to a safer location. The hospital scene underscores the scope of the corporate operation and the human costs at stake. Back at the house, Nora becomes torn between fear for her daughter and acceptance of the dog’s surprising intellect; she eventually allows the creature to stay after recognizing its unusual cognitive abilities, hoping the animal might hold clues about Tracey’s fate. The dog’s ear bears the code GH3, a detail that confirms to Travis this is no ordinary animal.

As the investigation deepens, the dog’s trail leads to Travis’ school, where the creature’s presence triggers a deadly chain of events: three of Travis’ friends are killed in the woods, two school staff members are slain as the animal closes in, and a police officer is fatally drawn into the danger. The sheriff arrives to face a difficult truth only Johnson is willing to reveal privately—the project was never simply about scientific advancement, but about creating an expendable asset. The revelation comes at a cost: the sheriff is murdered in a confrontation that exposes the high‑stakes conspiracy behind the pursuit and the deaths surrounding Tracey and the dog.

A neighborhood ally who’s fixing a washing machine drops a critical hint: a man stopped by earlier, asking if they owned a dog. Realizing they’re being hunted by the NSO, Travis and Nora decide to run, taking Tracey and the dog with them. They retreat to a family friend’s house and then to a cabin deep in the woods, pursued by Johnson and his partner as the net tightens. The group uses improvised weapons and stealth to stay ahead, hoping to survive long enough to reach safety and uncover the truth about the experiment that created the monster and the dog’s possible role in Tracey’s fate.

The tension peaks when the NSO forces close in on the cabin. Johnson’s true nature is revealed: he is not just an agent but the corporation’s third experiment—a genetically engineered assassin willing to do whatever it takes. In a brutal confrontation, Johnson kills his partner and presses the attack. Travis is wounded, but the dog springs into action, leaping onto Johnson and drawing his attention away long enough for Travis to deliver a decisive strike. The killer is defeated, but the cost is high, and the trio must rely on makeshift weapons to defend themselves as the creature—though dangerous—finally makes its presence felt in the room.

With Johnson defeated, the remaining family and the dog marshal their courage for the final stand. The beast arrives, and a desperate gun battle ensues in the woods, culminating in a tense face‑off between man and monster. Travis fires as the creature closes in, forcing a dangerous but necessary choice to save themselves and the dog. The animal is injured but survives, and after a brutal struggle, the group emerges from the carnage. They flee the burning farmhouse in a battered pickup, the dog by their side, as Nora, Tracey, and Travis cling to each other and to a fragile hope for safety.

In the end, what began as a lab accident spirals into a desperate family odyssey through secrecy, sacrifice, and loyalty. The OXCOM is contained, but the price is paid in blood and risk, forcing the Cornell family to confront a world where science can outpace ethics, and where a loyal dog, a determined young man, and a brave mother must outwit a ruthless corporate operative to stay alive. The trio heads into the woods together, under a sky that feels almost too quiet after the storm, and they carry with them the knowledge that their strange journey is far from over.