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Description:
Legendary actress and two-time Oscar(R)-winner Bette Davis (DANGEROUS, 1935; JEZEBEL, 1938) stars in this frightening and atmospheric thriller. When an American teenager joins her family in an English country house, she experiences strange and supernatural occurrences. Mrs. Alywood (Davis), the kindly caretaker, knows the dark secret behind the happenings ... and prepares for the return of a young girl who died mysteriously some 30 years earlier! THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS weaves a haunting, riveting tale that stays with you long after the explosive ending!
Average Customer Review:
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Terrific film with a lot of spook and some great actingJul 06, 2010 I love Bette Davis. When I stumbled upon The Watcher in the Woods while searching for her classic titles on Amazon, I knew I had to see it. I was a kid when this flick hit movie theaters in 1981, but don't remember a thing about it - and my Mother doesn't remember it, either. We were stunned at just how good it is. Subtle, spooky, with great acting and fitting music, The Watcher in the Woods relies on plot to drive viewers to the end - not blood and gore.
The film is subtly suspenseful, but not suspenseful in the nail-biting sense many expect today. The movie is kid-friendly. You cannot miss a moment, otherwise you might miss an interesting or important detail in the ghostly hauntings of the English manor where a young girl disappeared years ago.
The DVD offers two alternate endings. It's a good thing Disney went with the ending it did. These tried to tap into the market for Alien (The Director's Cut), which came out in 1979, according to IMDB. They are interesting to watch, but definitely would have taken away from the subtle nuances of everything the director built throughout the first 80+ minutes.
If you appreciate subtle suspense, and enjoy spooky, kid-friendly films that leave out all the silly gore and semi-nudity, give this movie a shot.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Not reading e-mailJun 01, 2010 I ordered this DVD one day and found out on the same day that this DVD will not be compatible with my DVD player. I e-mailed to cancel my order multiple times and had no answer. The DVD was sent about 3 weeks later and my Visa was still charged for the order. They don't read their e-mails.
Loved this movie since I was a kidFeb 22, 2010 I remember being freaked out by this when I was young. I am a big Bette Davis fan, too. She's definitely creepy in this one.
I don't know if your video-game, gotta-have-it-loud-and-fast generation teens will appreciate this as much as I did because it doesn't kill you with fancy (and- most often- overwhelming) special effects. But the storyline is pretty unique and entertaining. I got a kick out of the extra endings- I'm glad they didn't use them.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
This is a Great Movie!Mar 18, 2009 My sister and I were around 9 & 11-years old when our parents rented this harmless Disney movie to keep us entertained while they had a night out on the town. Oh my. It was so scary! We watched with our eyes half shut, huddled together.
All these years later and with all the "scary" movies I have seen since, Disney's The Watcher in the Woods still stands out as one of my favorites.
3 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Not a great movie at all.Jan 11, 2009 I'm sorry to disagree with other reviewers, but this is not a scary movie. It's not even a good movie. Bette Davis as always gives a great performance, but even her talents can't save this movie! I can understand why some reviewers warn parents about allowing their young children to watch this film. However, as an adult it's not scary. At times it has a spooky element, but as this badly written film drags on one "boo" is no different then the next "boo". The acting by most of the older actors is good. But the performances of the main child stars stink rather badly. I will give this movie credit for attempting to give the audience a bizare and interesting ending. Some reviewers talk about this being a scary movies even for adults, but it's not. I believe that those people remember the movie as they saw it as children, and that's why they still think it's scary. If you can ride the haunted mansion ride (ten times spookier then this film) at Disney Land, then you can watch this film with the lights off.
based on 109 reviews
