The Watcher in the Woods
Tags: gothic, paranormal, cult, horror, flashback, psychedelic, revenge

Plot synopsis:
Americans Helen and Paul Curtis and their daughters Jan and Ellie, move into a manor in rural England. Mrs. Aylwood, the owner of the residence who now lives in the guest house next door, notices that Jan bears a striking resemblance to her daughter, Karen, who disappeared inside an abandoned chapel in the woods thirty years earlier.
Jan senses something unusual about the property almost immediately, and begins to see strange blue lights in the woods, triangles, and glowing objects. Eventually, Ellie goes to buy a puppy she inexplicably names "Nerak" (an anagram for Karen). After seeing the reflection of the name "Nerak" (Karen spelled backwards), Jan is told about the mystery of Mrs. Aylwood's missing daughter by Mike Fleming, the teenage son of a local woman, Mary.
One afternoon, Nerak runs into woods, and Ellie chases after him. Jan, realizing her sister has disappeared from the yard, goes into the woods to find her, eventually locating her at a pond. In the water, she sees a blue circle of light, and is blinded by a flash, causing her to fall in; she nearly drowns, but Mrs. Aylwood saves her. Mrs. Aylwood brings Jan and Ellie to her home, and recounts the night her daughter disappeared.
Later, Mike discovers that his mother, Mary, was with Karen when she disappeared, but she evades his questions. Meanwhile, Jan attempts to get information from John Keller, a reclusive aristocrat who was also there that night, but he refuses to speak to her. On her way home, Jan cuts through the woods, where she encounters a local hermit, Tom Colley, who tells Jan he was also present at Karen's disappearance. He claims that during a seance-like ceremony on the night of a lunar eclipse, Karen vanished when lightning struck the church bell tower.
Jan decides to recreate the ceremony during the upcoming solar eclipse, hoping it will bring Karen back. She gathers Mary, Tom, and John at the abandoned chapel, and they attempt to repeat the ceremony. Meanwhile, Ellie, while watching the eclipse from the front yard, suddenly goes into a trance-like state, apparently possessed, and enters the woods. At the chapel, the ceremony is interrupted by a powerful wind that shatters the windows, and Ellie appears. In a voice that is not her own, she explains that an accidental switch took place thirty years ago, in which Karen traded places with an alien presence from an alternate dimension; thus, the Watcher has been haunting the woods since, while Karen has remained suspended in time.
The Watcher then leaves Ellie's body, manifesting as a pillar of light, fueled by the "circle of friendship". It engulfs Jan and lifts her into the air, but Mike intercedes and pulls her away before the Watcher disappears. Simultaneously, the eclipse ends, and Karen, still the same age as when she disappeared, reappears – still blindfolded. She removes the blindfold just as Mrs. Aylwood enters the chapel.

Review: When I sat down to watch it, I was instantly drawn into a world of eerie mystery that's surprisingly well-done, especially for a film that bears the name of Disney, notorious for their sanitized, 'family-friendly' fare.
I have the 1998 VHS that has a cover with a marvelous photograph of Davis on the back.Florence Engel Randall's plot in her novel, "A Watcher in the Woods," goes like this: The Curtis family, Helen (Carroll Baker), her husband Paul (David McCullum), & their 2 daughters, Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) & Ellie (Kyle Richards), rent an old English manor from it's owner, Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis), who lives in the guest cottage.
Although she's very reluctant to talk about it, Mrs. Aylwood tells Jan the story about her pre-teen daughter's disappearance in the same woods 30 years ago.The supernatural cinematic effects are well done.
The eldest daughter Jan (Lynn Holly Johnson) begins to notice strange things happening in the home and in the woods surrounding the manor.
To add to all the distribution problems, Bette Davis was reportedly bored rigid on set and thought Lynn-Holly Johnson was a lousy actress, often commenting on how much she'd wanted Diane Lane to star as Jan Curtis instead.The atmosphere of the film is undeniably creepy, largely thanks to the music featured in it - both the score and the tune from Mrs Aylwood's music box are first rate.
Much better is adorable Kyle Richards (who had previously appeared in the horror film Halloween and as Alicia Sanderson Edwards in TV's Little House on the Prairie) who plays Johnson's younger sister.
However, it is a shame that Davis, Carroll Baker and David McCallum are all sadly underused - the last named has hardly any screen time at all.Definitely one to see, IF you DO manage to catch it, which is unlikely - the film was never available to buy on videotape in England and has only been on TV about twice in 20 years!NOTE: The film did get a fabulous special edition DVD release in 2001, with all three endings so fans of the movie could FINALLY see the deleted scenes with the alien watcher of the title!.
THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS Aspect ratio: 1.75:1Sound format: Dolby StereoAn attempt by Disney to lift itself out of the doldrums following a creative and commercial downturn in the 1970's, THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS takes its plot from a Young Adult novel by Florence Engel Randall in which an American family takes residence in a creepy old house in the English countryside.
The film has visual style to burn (cinematography and set design are especially eye-catching), and there's a couple of terrific PG-level scares, but all the technical gloss in the world can't make up for a listless pace and repetitious plot line, and Johnson's one-note performance transforms a strong, resourceful heroine into little more than a whining goody two-shoes.
Worse still, co-stars Bette Davis, Carroll Baker and David McCallum are given almost nothing to do, and there's much evidence of editorial tampering during some of the opening scenes.Originally slated to conclude with an ambitious visual effects sequence, the version which premiered in 1980 was basically unfinished and led to scornful reviews which doomed it from the outset.
Florence Engel Randall's book "A Watcher in the Woods" becomes abysmal, dumbed-down entry in Grand Guignol territory by the Disney people, an unusually bland ghost story offering special effects galore but nobody to care about.
"The Watcher in the Woods" was made at a time when Disney was getting ambitious, making PG rated films and dipping its toes into different genres; other efforts, of course, include "The Black Hole", "Tron", and "Something Wicked This Way Comes".
In no time at all, the two daughters, teen aged Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and younger Ellie (Kyle Richards) are besieged by other worldly forces, and Jan realizes something must be done to resolve the case of Mrs. Aylwood's daughter Karen, who'd disappeared many years ago when she was Jan's age.
It was originally shown at 100 minutes, with an abrupt ending, then given an elaborate special effects based finale, then reworked again for the films' re-release the following year.
A watcher, is in the woods, which surrounds the house, and it watches, waiting, surrounding the family with some of the most creepiest scenes in film history!
The Watcher in the Woods is the best horror film made by Walt Disney!
An all-American family (mom Carroll Baker, dad David McCallum and daughters Lynn-Holly Johnson and Kyle Richards) move into a beautiful estate in Britain watched over by the houses owner (Bette Davis).
And how about Johnson looking just like Davis' daughter that disappeared 30 years ago?Weird hybrid of ghost story and sci-fi from Disney.
After enduring multiple gentle Disney movies, like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Robin Hood" and "Mary freaking Poppins", our second grade teacher suggested to watch a slightly more mature and serious film, this being "The Watcher in the Woods".
For some reason I never saw it again until now, nearly 20 years later, and that's quite a shame because "The Watcher in the Woods" is a movie you're supposed to see at young age.
Disney decided to make a movie more of a horror nature and this is the result.An American family move into an English house in the middle of some woods and it turns out to be haunted, as do the woods.
She appears during another eclipse towards the end...This movie is very creepy in parts and is not recommended for younger children.The Watcher In the Woods has an excellent cast: Bette Davis (The Petrified Forest, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) as Mrs Aylwood, Bond girl Lynn-Holly Johnson (For Your Eyes Only), Man From UNCLE actor David McCallum, Ian Bannen and Eleanor Summerfield.
Good acting from all, especially Bette Davis.The Watcher In the Woods is certainly worth seeing, especially for fans of ghost stories.Rating: 4 stars out of 5..
even if the movie is not scary the opening titles music gave me goosebumps.Holly Johnson gives a wonderful performance as "Jan" what happened to this girl?
Bette Davis is top billed in this movie but admirers of the screen legend should take note that her role -and those of other "adult "stars ,David McCallum and Carroll Baker-is little more than an extended cameo -and that the main dramatic weight and screen time is handed over to younger performers ,notably Lynn -Holly Johnson .
Davis plays a widow who earns a living renting out her lavishly appointed English country house to well to do visitors .The family this time around is headed by a composer (McCallum ) his children's author wife (Baker ) and two young daughters ..It is not long before the elder daughter (Johnson )begins to experience a sense of unease as there seems to be a ghostly presence in the woodlands on the estate -a presence linked to the mysterious disappearance many years earlier of Davis' daughter .
But I'd never even HEARD of "The Watcher In The Woods," so after seeing the many glowing reviews, I was determined to download it and see it as soon as humanly possible.I just finished watching this excellently crafted movie from 1980 and must say, it REALLY stands the test of time.
It started off feeling quite a bit like a horror film, then started moving into territory closer to that of the recent gem "Pan's Labyrinth," introducing a decidedly magical element that really got under my skin, and stayed there for the remainder of the movie.I totally agree with narnerbee's review stating that Disney really doesn't make films like this anymore.
"The Watcher In The Woods" is one such vision, and although I wouldn't go so far as to call it a MASTERPIECE, it's definitely a great piece of movie-making history, and one which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to any fans of dark fantasy or magical fiction.
I have seen The Watcher in the Woods a couple times now, and I think it's a great movie.
I know many people think that Disney doesn't make good movies, but they have some excellent films.
I still remembered it twenty-odd years later.I would recommend it as good viewing (for pre-teens perhaps?) if you like `cheesy' horror films.
However, I noticed that at least in the case of "Watcher in the Woods", it has appeal for all ages and isn't just another Disney family film.
The Watcher In The Woods marks the Disney Studios only venture into the horror film genre.
Ultimately the edge that horror films have to have is lost because you know there will be a happy ending with Disney involved.Your average American family the Curtises have come to the United Kingdom to work and have rented an English country estate, the kind that abound in all those old murder mysteries.
Husband David McCallum, Wife Carroll Baker, and daughters Lynn-Holly Johnson and Kyle Richards move into the estate while the owner from whom they rent, Bette Davis lives in the guest house.
At the time, for a Disney movie, it was pretty scary for a little kid.
RELEASED IN 1980/1981 and directed by John Hough, "The Watcher in the Woods" details events in England when an American family moves into a country manor for the summer while the mysterious owner, Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis), lives in the guest house.
But, I grew to be a fan of mysteries and thrillers and this movie was pretty impressive.Based on the novel by Florence Engel Randall, The Watcher in the Woods is about an American family who moves into an old English house in the woods.
There, daughter Jan Curtis (Lynn-Holly Johnson) experiences paranormal activities in the woods and suspects it has to do with the daughter of the house's owner, Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis), who disappeared years ago.It's a good old-fashion supernatural tale with built-up suspense throughout the film, from Jan first sensing the abnormality of the woods to the apparition images of Mrs. Aylwood's daughter.
It is a very tricky feet trying to mix both the horror and family genre, but this film I feel is one done right because it's able to successful balance out both without watering itself down.I really like the production value and even cinematography of the film which I think have some memorable visuals; I really liked how the film used the forest locale, the use of light and shadow which made the woods a character in itself as it emits a sense of mystery and menace.
Or even the viewpoint of the Watcher which adds to the creep factor because you not sure what this thing or entity is about to do, even thought it's not doing anything now you know it will soon.Music is solid, though not memorable which to me is one of the weak points of the film, I wish this film had a more memorable score but still it was good enough to give the film the right moodiness it has.I really like the story, it's not really a ghost story there really isn't a ghost per say it's more of a psychic mystery thriller, which I think is cool since we don't get nearly enough of those in the horror genre.
Anyway, I like that she's not some stereotypical annoying little sister but she a sweet girl, she has a bit of charisma, loves dogs, despite young she's not totally naive she does exercise some intelligence.Lynn Holy Johnson I also thought was solid/decent as Jan Curtis, her character is solid, she takes charge, cares for her little sister; there's a good back and forth between both of them, and I like that she's very open doesn't dismiss what's happening as things shes just seeing.
I personally really liked the original ending they choice for the film it felt right and well balanced, though I even liked the alternate ending which I thought good let alone even stranger, I won't say what it is you just have to see both for yourself.Like any sight in the woods is worth a watch.Rating: 3 stars.
Directed by John Hough, it's a movie from Disney's glory years and while it may not be quite as good as say "Escape to Witch Mountain"-also directed by Hough-the film does manage to weave a story that includes mystery, suspense, and magic that only the old school Disney can produce.
Set in the seemly untouched English country side-a land rife with tales of strange occurrences-the story begins when Jan Curtis (the underrated Lynn-Holly Johnson) and her family move into large, old house owned by a reclusive woman named Mrs. Aylwood (the legendary Bette Davis).
Granted, the movie does have its faults, such as the fact that Jan's dad (the charming David McCallum) seems to disappear halfway through the film and a few inconsistencies with the story ( I suspect this may be due to having to re shoot new endings after the original failed to please target audiences.
But the film more than makes up for this with the chemistry between Johnson and Richards, the performance of the late, great Bette Davis who ,although in her seventies at this point, still had it as well as effective music that manages to be both haunting and beautiful.
I must say, however, that "The Watcher In The Woods" movie is pretty good in what it wants to be: a horror-flick for kids.
Some scenes are downright scary, the woods look creepy and Bette Davis could scare the bee-jeebies out of every little kid just by looking at it.
Bette Davis, as the mother of the girl who disappeared thirty years earlier, seems to be channeling her roles in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte", with a soft demeanor and eerie gaze.The movie isn't outright pathetic.
Watcher in the Woods, The (1980) ** (out of 4)Disney's attempt at a horror movie had all sorts of problems during production, including various endings shot and when the film was finally released it bombed at the box office, which for some reason had the studio go back and re-edit it some more.
A family moves into an old, creepy house where the oldest daughter (Lynn Holly Johnson) begins to see visions of a young girl named Karen who mysteriously disappeared years earlier.
Shortly after their arrival, the two daughters, Jan & Ellie start to see and hear unworldly things, could it have something to do with the disappearance of a young girl many years ago?.Forget that this is a Disney production from the very off.
Not soon after moving in, the daughters realize that there are strange things happening in the woods surrounding the house.Again, this film was very scary for me when I was a child, and I could still see that happening with children these days.
This movie is a strange attempt by Disney to make a Horror Film that everyone can enjoy.
I'm fairly sure I haven't seen a Disney movie since my age hit double figures; and I never really had any intention of doing so, but I didn't do my research before getting myself a copy of this film and it became the first in years.
It's not long before the family is plagued by strange occurrences and after a little investigating, they discover that the daughter of a local, Mrs Aylwood, died in mysterious circumstances and the eldest of the two daughters comes to believe it is her ghost behind the haunting.The film does actually have a fairly strong horror backbone.
I remember seeing trailers for this film on the Disney movies my family rented when I was a kid (I was born in 1973).
A family moves in to a lovely country home owned by Bette Davis and immediately the older daughter (cult favorite Lynn Holly Johnson) begins to sense something evil waiting out in the woods.This classic Disney effort came at a time when the company first began courting older audiences and their nervousness about this film was evident in the original trailer that featured a warning to parents to check out the film themselves before bringing the young ones.
The two sisters, Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and Ellie (Kyle Richards), begin to experience strange phenomenon and sense a dark presence in the woods surrounding the house and they believe that the strange caretaker of the house, Mrs. Aylwood (played by the brilliant Bette Davis) has the answer.
As time goes on, the mystery begins to unravel, and Jan and Ellie must discover what happened to Mrs. Aylwood's daughter, Karen, who went missing in the woods years before, or they may become victims themselves.
"The Watcher In The Woods" is an eerie and entertaining little horror/mystery, that is targeted as a family film but is surprisingly subtle and genuinely creepy.
Bette Davis and David McCallum are good, the rest are pretty bad although Kyle Richards gets a pass due to her age and her creepy performance in the original ending.
Their daughter Jan sees, and daughter Ellie hears, the voice of a young teenage girl who mysteriously disappeared during a total solar eclipse decades before.....The early eighties saw Disney go through a dark period with their live action films.
To make matters worse, Disney also decided to bring the films release date forward, to capitalise on the 50th anniversary of Bette Davis's first movie.
we had recently seen "something wicked this way comes", another movie i vaguely remembered as a child, which was really scary and excellent film, especially for Disney, and was very dark, and we thought "watcher" would be in the same vein as "wicked", since they were only made a few years apart.
something wicked this way comes which came out a few years later was FAR Superior, genuinely scary, great acting, and just all around a better film from Disney studios..
I'm aware of the rocky history of "Watcher," and I can DEFINITELY see why Disney finally reshot the original horrible ending a year later.Lynn-Holly Johnson acts about as convincingly as your average high school cheerleader, and Bette Davis is totally wasted.