The Watcher In The Woods :: Reviews
Scott Weinberg, eFilmcCritic
This is one of those early-80s movies that I somehow managed never to see. I’d always been curious about this 1981 mini-cult flick, a rare thriller from the Disney live-action studios, and a film I’d always heard fairly good things about. Unfortunately "The Watcher in the Woods" seems to be that kind of movie that you’ll love only if you first saw it as a kid. Me? I was wavering between stifled giggles and copious yawning.
Initially planned for a 1980 opening, The Watcher in the Woods was released for a few screenings and was not well received. The ending in particular earned a lot of criticism, so producers stuck the movie on a shelf and went about reshooting a few alternative conclusions. Regardless of these changes, audiences and critics did not embrace the movie and it died a quick box-office death.
It wasn’t until several years later - when the film hit home video - that more fans began to crop up, most of them citing fond childhood memories of a creepy flick. The controversy surrounding the film’s difficult birth only added fuel to the fanbase fire, which is just one of the reasons that this Anchor Bay DVD is a long overdue sight for the hardcore fans. (Of which I, unfortunately, an still not one.)
The plot is a family-friendly pastiche of nighttime creaks, forest-bound shivers, past-life problems, and ghostly messages. Hollywood legend Bette Davis plays Mrs. Aylwood, a kindly-yet-creepy old lady who rents her massive estate to a friendly American family. Mom (an author) and Dad (a musician) are looking for a nice, mellow spot to work in, while daughters Jan (the adolescent) and Ellie (the pesky kid) delight in the house’s massive rooms and the overgrown forest out back.
There are, of course, a few skeletons in Mrs. Aylwood’s closet, most of which revolve around her mysteriously missing daughter Karen. We slowly learn that Karen vanished one creepy night thirty years ago, and that only a handful of tight-lipped locals know what went on that night. After experiencing a series of creepy moments (mostly involving mirrors or windows), Jan begins to piece the mystery together and she bravely sets out to discover what ultimately became of Karen.
The Watcher in the Woods is an intermittently creepy and quite well photographed piece of "gothic lite", but newcomers to this movie may struggle through the movie’s numerous slow spots and ponderous pacing. The screenplay (based on the novel by Florence Engel Randall) sets up a few provocative ideas, but they’re rarely followed up in satisfying style. Most of the acting performances are essentially wooden, with Ms. Davis turning in a glorified cameo that doesn’t leave much of an impression. On the whole, The Watcher in the Woods isn’t a really bad movie; it’s just a bit too safe and more than a little drab. Fans of old-fashioned, atmospheric ghost tales will undoubtedly forgive the film’s obvious faults more than others might, but even they will have a hard time generating much enthusiasm for the movie.
Regardless of how much I enjoyed the flick, there’s no denying that there have been a lot of fans waiting for this one on DVD, and Anchor Bay Entertainment deserves hearty praise for the presentation they’ve delivered. In addition to some of the more traditional features, Anchor Bay has located two alternate endings for the film (one running six minutes, the other running fourteen). Those who’ve been dying to see the ending that had test audiences giggling and Disney execs scrambling for reshoots will be thrilled to find it on this DVD.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.Com
The Watcher in the Woods DVD has Bette Davis's scary face right on the front cover. Yikes! This vintage Disney spookfest is one of the best old favorites to hit DVD in a long time -- for those who saw it in its initial 1981 run, or for those who like their ghost stories bloodless, The Watcher in the Woods is definitely worth a peek.
Based on the popular novel, A Watcher in the Woods by Florence Engel Randall, the film hits the ground running, bombarding us with "boos". American blonde, pretty teen Jan Curtis (Lynn-Holly Johnson, of "Ice Castles" fame) moves with her family to a creepy woods-surrounded mansion in England, owned by the mysterious Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis). Once the realtor reveals to the Curtis family that Mrs. Alywood's daughter, Karen, disappeared into the woods 30 years earlier, strange things are cued to start happening. Jan starts getting haunted by spooky voices and freaky visions (or lack of visions… in one chilling scene, she doesn't reflect in an antique mirror), and her little sister Ellie (Kyle Richards), seems oddly possessed by an entity who like to write backwards.
Director John Hough (whose Legend of Hell House is one of my favorite old-school supernatural flicks) does a great job on keeping the thrills and chills coming as the family moves about the gothic mansion and explores the fog-shrouded woods. The mystery is well-paced, but one can't get too terribly wrapped up in the plot thanks to the overwrought acting which borders on camp (Davis, especially, camps it up as the withered widow who skulks about like an overly made-up wraith with a 10-pack a day habit). The well-directed suspense scenes are buoyed by superb locations and lavishly gloomy sets (a rundown cathedral and mausoleum are especially atmospheric).
Folks who saw The Watcher in the Woods when they were kids (that's me, raising my hand) will probably be nostalgic and forgiving of the film's flagrant flaws. Young children seeing it for the first time will likely be entranced by the ghostly ambiance and the kiddie mystery. Adults seeing it for the first time will either have a laugh, or be mildly entertained by this "horror-lite".
The DVD extras include two alternate endings -- one 6 minutes long, and the other 14 minutes; these were original endings that were scrapped after disastrous test screenings (this delayed the film for about a year, while a new ending was conceived and shot). There are also two original theatrical trailers, which are sort of an interesting time capsule (especially the warning at the end, stating that parents should pre-screen The Watcher in the Woods before taking the kids). In this brand new DVD release, Disney has excised all of the extras that were on the previous Anchor Bay release (now there's no audio commentary, no filmographies, and no collectible booklet).
All in the all, the DVD is worth a look if you're a nostalgic fan, or if you've always wondered why The Watcher in the Woods has such a strong cult following.
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