Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

gavin6942 When a family moves to a country home, the young girls experience strange happenings that have a link to an occult event years past.I wasn't really aware of this film until Rue Morgue magazine did a focus on it. And wow, it really deserves a wider audience. John Hough is a great director; his "Hell House" is one of my all-time favorites. Here, working more in a family-friendly way, he still manages to terrify.Although the older sister is a terrible actress, at least when she is trying to be emotional, the movie as a whole stands up as creepy and a decent mystery. You can never go wrong with those films where kids know more about what is going on than their parents do.

Armand maybe not the best thriller/horror. but a charming one. for the presence of the unique Bette Davis. for the story. maybe, for the errors. a Disney film who could be interesting example of a good adaptation. for high delicacy, for the tension and for message. for the science of detail. and, sure, for remember a lost period in which a music box was important for search the truth. the grace to present the events is the lead virtue. and it does it special for the mixture of atmosphere from "80's with the scent of Gothic stories. a film for teenagers, it is useful for adults. because, very sentimental, it use the horror rules in wise manner.

ferbs54 "A Gothic horror film without the horror," is how my beloved "Psychotronic Encyclopedia" describes the 1980 Disney offering "The Watcher in the Woods," and although that accusation does have a ring of truth, an entertaining time can certainly still be had here. In the film, an American family comprised of two young daughters and their folks rents out an impressive mansion in the British countryside, and the two girls soon realize that some strange presence is attempting to make contact with them. Could it be the ghost of Karen Aylwood, who had vanished from the mansion almost 30 years before? An interesting setup, but the film, great as it may be to look at, is, sadly, a mixed bag at best. Lynn-Holly Johnson, who I'd only seen previously as a bratty Olympic hopeful in the 1981 Bond outing "For Your Eyes Only," is quite good in the lead as the older, detectivelike daughter, almost coming off like a Hayley Mills for a new generation. Playing her parents, the great Carroll Baker and former U.N.C.L.E. agent David McCallum are given too little to do in smaller roles, while the most formidable actress of Hollywood's Golden Age, Bette Davis, playing Mrs. Aylwood, the mysterious owner of the imposing pile, fails somehow to convince as a British matron. Perhaps worst of all, the film's ending is a rushed and incoherent mess that never adequately explains away all the assorted mishegas that had come before. (The picture's two previously filmed--and scrapped--endings, included as extras on this DVD, show that the usually dependable screenwriter Brian Clemens had no small run of difficulties in wrapping this story up!) Still, the picture somehow manages to please, mainly due to Johnson's sweet portrayal and some fabulous cinematography. (How great this film must have looked on the big screen!) And with that Disney imprimatur, need I even mention that this is one horror flick eminently suitable for watching with the kiddies? Indeed, they'll probably wind up liking it even more than Mom and Pops!

Michael_Elliott 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. What's left is pretty bland stuff. 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. Turns out this is the daughter of the home owner (Bette Davis). Some extremely bad performance, bad special effects and a poor screenplay make this a rather unpleasant film even though there are some redeeming qualities. We might as well start with the bad stuff first. The performances are beyond bad here and I times I couldn't help but wonder if they accidentally used an outtake instead of real footage. Carroll Baker and David McCallum play the parents and I thought both overacted something terrible. Kyle Richards plays the youngest sister and she isn't all that impressive either. Johnson is decent in her role and carries the film just fine even though the screenplay doesn't do her too many favors. As for Davis, she is pretty fun in the movie, although I certainly wouldn't call this one of her best performances. She gives us a few nice facial gestures, which will have one reminded of her early days with those great eyes and dazes off into space. The special effects from start to finish are quite laughable and the ones at the end will have you scratching your head. The screenplay is all over the place but I'm not sure if I'd put too much blame on the writers as it's clear the film has had a lot of tampering with and this includes the multiple endings with two of them appearing on the DVD. Outside of seeing Davis, other items that work here is a nice music score and director Hough's ability to build up some atmosphere. The highlight of the film is a scene where the oldest daughter falls into a pond and gets trapped. There are a few good camera shots but that's about it. While watching the film one can't help but think of THE SHINING, which was released the same year.