The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

. . . to the Bette Davis from OF HUMAN BONDAGE (1934), and returning home after 60 minutes to a Mom who's morphed into the Bette Davis of HUSH, HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964). This is exactly what happens to Katherine Levy in this little-known horror movie released in the late 1900s. Though Ms. Levy's character has spent the intervening three decades (identical to the time span between BONDAGE and HUSH) sequestered in some sort of suspended animation under the nose of a nine-foot dragonfly orbiting earth in an UFO (at least in Alternate Ending #2), The Earth Has NOT Stood Still. Nearly half a century of chain-smoked coffin nails has reduced Bette's version of "Mom Aylwood" into a saggy baggy caricature of her former Sadomasochistic BONDAGE self. Any of the actors Betty Dissed in the 1930s who survived long enough to view THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS surely enjoyed "the last laugh" spying Betty Big Eyes portraying an apparent Rodent Queen in the spectacularly cheesy fright fest. Beyond witnessing Ms. Davis' physical demise, WATCHER's main takeaway is that "Karen" spelled backwards is "Nerak."

The woods to me can be one of the creepiest places to be because you never really know what's hidden out there.This film is another underrated and forgotten gem. I'll admit discovering that Disney made a horror film was unreal to me, I felt this was great because it really showed that Disney was starting to take chances they were starting to take the next step. It's a shame Disney didn't make more horror films, I really would of liked to of seen them.The film seems like a lost anthology tale for the TV show "Are you Afraid of the Dark" because like with that show this is a horror film for the family film genre which I think is really cool since we really don't have that many. 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. I even like the ruined chapel location which almost looks like part of a level in the video game "Castlevania" which looked spooky from it's Gothic feel and structure and amount of darkness that emitted almost a creepy feeling. 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. The suspense is solid, yeah it's a slow burn but I don't mind because as the film gets further things start to escalate. You really have a creepy and disorienting feeling throughout the film because your not entirely sure what's going to happen next or even what all this is leading up to. The mystery I think is very good, it has a great amount of intrigue, there are clues but they're not obvious, we can see them but we can't entirely decipher their meaning or know how they really go together; and I like that feeling it really makes it feel like a real mystery, causing us to think and figure things out. Characters I think are pretty solid from the adult characters mainly Mrs. Aylwood played by Bette Davis one of her last roles. She is pretty much that mysterious wise women on the side of road character but I really like how you actually kind feel for her, as we see throughout the years she has been plagued by this mystery of not knowing what happened to her daughter which is a terrible feeling and in a way just motives you to want the protagonists to solve the mystery and win.And I like both the young female protagonists. Kyle Richards is solid as Elle Curtis and on a side note this actress played Linsey in John Carpenter's "Halloween" which is cool since that's one of my favorite horror films and that's two horror films in a row for the actress which isn't bad. 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. Both the sisters are psychics but don't entirely know it or have no idea how to control it, each of them have the ability but it works different. For Elle it's mainly in hearing, she is able to hear voices from a distance or pick up sounds no others can hear, much like with a dog that can hear certain frequencies. Jan it's sight, where she can see images for a certain amount of time and occur at different times.This makes both sympathetic because their in the same boat as us, their struggling to figure out what in the hell is going on, why this is all happening to them. There are some memorable images like one scene which was creepy was Jan putting up a mirror and then when she looks at it again she doesn't see her reflection. But for me the best scene was in the mirror maze when we see Jan suddenly see multiple images of a girl, blind folded and from her lip movements is constantly saying help me.What also makes this films stand out are two of it's endings. 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

I rented this movie last night mainly based on all of the 9 and 10-star reviews on IMDb. Seriously guys, I'm starting to lose faith in the movie-reviewing public! The positive reviews all use the same clichés: (a) it's aged really well, (b) the acting is great, (c) the scenes with the girl in the mirror are really creepy, even by today's standards.Umm... no. (a) It hasn't aged well. It looks awful, the special effects are below par even for it's time considering it's Disney (it was the year after Star Wars and Jaws...), the plot is very sparse and very linear. (b) The acting is wooden at beast. The supporting cast are awful, David McCallum is underused, Bette Davis looks bored, and she was right: Lynn-Holly Johnson *is* a lousy actress. (c) The scenes with the girl in the mirror are tame - it's an ordinary girl, looking all 'fuzzy' and 'ethereal'. If the people who think this is frightening ever sit down to watch Ringu or the Woman in Black, they'll probably die of fright.But the most dire thing about this movie is the plot and its conclusion. It starts out a bit like Poltergeist or Amityville, but then becomes so repetitive and simplistic that it's just boring. In those movies, you have one parent who's a sceptic, one who's worried about the kids, and the kids themselves who're possessed. In this feature, one parent is never present, and one is completely oblivious to the danger her kids are in until she sees the possession for herself, at which point she does an immediate u-turn and tries to get outta dodge. No tension or character development whatsoever.There is no real logic as to how our heroine, Jan, actually works out that the hauntings aren't caused by a ghost, but by an interdimensional being. Then there's no logic as to why she messes up trying to send said being home - by putting herself in the same position as the victim all those years ago, then surely she's destined for the same fate? Sure enough, she is - she's *that* stupid.The saving graces of this film are that it's short, and the musical score is good. Unless you're desperate to relive the dubious side of 80s cinema, however, I'd give this one a miss.

I have very little interest in movies about the supernatural. Subjects like ESP and other psychic powers just don't interest me. You should keep that in mind, as I am sure this had an impact on my enjoyment of the movie. So why did I watch it? Bette Davis. It's one of the only films she made that I have never seen--this one and "Return to Witch Mountain"--both of which are considered kids' 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. No, it has a bit more of an edge and apparently was a deliberate attempt by the studio to branch into PG-rated films for the first time--with this film and "The Black Hole" (a film I really disliked). Apparently, pre-screenings for "Watcher" were not good, so the studio decided to release "The Black Hole" first--though in hindsight, I think "Watcher" was a much better and less 'kiddie' oriented.The story begins with a family moving to a home in England. Almost immediately, weird things start happening involving the oldest daughter. She starts having what appear to be spooky visions--and they are quite frightening and also sometimes warn her of impending disasters (more than once saving her life). Soon, her little sister starts hearing things--and all this is too coincidental not to mean something is seriously wrong. See the film to find out what happens next.All in all, a mildly diverting film but one that didn't have a huge impact on me. It's not bad--but lacks scary qualities that might have made it better--like the film sometimes pulled its punches. Still, it's worth seeing.