‘Watcher’ shrewdly villainizes both the stalker and the men who shrug him off

Every time Julia (Maika Monroe) looks out the window, she sees the same shadowy figure staring back in “Watcher.” (IFC Midnight)

Films like “It Follows” and “The Guest” have already made Maika Monroe something of a modern scream-queen with a feminist bent. But the psychological acuity and compelling vulnerability Monroe brings to Chloe Okuno’s lean, stylish thriller “Watcher” suggests that her maturing movie-star presence goes well beyond any particular genre.

“Watcher” is a classic kind of movie set-up shot with enough texture, suspense and contemporary commentary to make it more than the sum of its tropes.