IMDb > The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
The Watcher in the Woods
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The Watcher in the Woods (1980) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   2,747 votes »
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Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Hough
(more)
Writers:
Brian Clemens (screenplay)
Harry Spalding (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Watcher in the Woods on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 September 1982 (Japan) See more »
Genre:
Horror | Mystery | Thriller See more »
Tagline:
Scared of going into the woods? You should be ... See more »
Plot:
When a family moves to a country home, the young girls experience strange happenings that have a link to an occult event years past. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
3 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(14 articles)
The 10 great horror films of 1973 that weren't The Exorcist
 (From Den of Geek. 22 April 2013, 2:26 AM, PDT)
FEARnet's April Programming Includes 'After Ghoul Special' Marathon
 (From FEARnet. 26 March 2013, 2:00 PM, PDT)
Essential 1970s Horror
 (From FEARnet. 4 February 2013, 3:00 PM, PST)
User Reviews:
The scariest Disney movie ever! See more (76 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order)

Bette Davis ... Mrs. Aylwood

Lynn-Holly Johnson ... Jan Curtis

Kyle Richards ... Ellie Curtis

Carroll Baker ... Helen Curtis

David McCallum ... Paul Curtis

Benedict Taylor ... Mike Fleming
Frances Cuka ... Mary Fleming
Richard Pasco ... Tom Colley

Ian Bannen ... John Keller
Katharine Levy ... Karen Aylwood (uncredited in the shortened 1981 release)
Eleanor Summerfield ... Mrs. Thayer
Georgina Hale ... Young Mrs. Aylwood
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Dominic Guard ... Young John Keller (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Hough 
Vincent McEveety (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Brian Clemens  screenplay
Gerry Day  uncredited
Florence Engel Randall  novel "A Watcher in the Woods"
Rosemary Anne Sisson  screenplay
Harry Spalding  screenplay

Produced by
Hugh Attwooll .... associate producer
Tom Leetch .... co-producer
Ron Miller .... producer
 
Original Music by
Stanley Myers 
 
Cinematography by
Alan Hume 
 
Film Editing by
Geoffrey Foot 
 
Casting by
Maude Spector 
 
Production Design by
Elliot Scott 
 
Art Direction by
Alan Cassie 
 
Set Decoration by
Ian Whittaker 
 
Costume Design by
Emma Porteus 
 
Makeup Department
Jill Carpenter .... makeup artist
Eileen Fletcher .... makeup artist
Ernest Gasser .... makeup director
Joyce James .... hair stylist
Betty Sherriff .... hair stylist
Bobbie Smith .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Steve Lanning .... production manager
Basil Rayburn .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Hoult .... assistant director
Michael Murray .... second assistant director
Paul Tivers .... third assistant director
 
Art Department
John B. Mansbridge .... art director: Other World sequence
Bryn Siddall .... property buyer
Barry Wilkinson .... property master
 
Sound Department
Keith Batten .... boom operator
Claude Hitchcock .... sound recordist
Gerry Humphreys .... sound recordist
Jim Shields .... sound editor (as Jimmy Shields)
 
Special Effects by
Danny Lee .... special mechanical effects: other world sequence
John Richardson .... special effects
Neil Corbould .... special effects assistant (uncredited)
Tony Dunsterville .... trainee pyrotechnician (uncredited)
Ricky Farns .... special effects technician (uncredited)
Garth Inns .... special effects technician (uncredited)
John Pohl .... special effects artist (uncredited)
Ken Speed .... special effects assistant (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Jack Boyd .... animation effects: Other World sequence
Jane Boyd .... animation effects: Other World sequence
Bob Broughton .... special photographic effects: Other World sequence
Bob Broughton .... special photographic effects: final sequence
Robin Browne .... photographic processes
Art Cruickshank .... special photographic effects: final sequence
Harrison Ellenshaw .... designer: final sequence
John Emerson .... alien designer: Other World sequence
Andy Gaskill .... alien designer: Other World sequence (as Andrew Gaskill)
Joe Hale .... alien designer: Other World sequence
Joe Hale .... animation supervisor: Other World sequence
Rick Heinrichs .... alien designer: Other World sequence
Don Henry .... visual effects: final sequence
Dick Kendall .... visual effects: final sequence
Brian Longbotham .... kinetic light: Other World sequence
David Mattingly .... matte artist: Other World sequence (as David B. Mattingly)
David Mattingly .... visual effects: final sequence
Sam Nicholson .... kinetic light: Other World sequence
Henry Selick .... alien designer: Other World sequence (as C. Henry Selick)
Tad Krzanowski .... model effects (uncredited)
Jon Sorensen .... visual effects camera (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Vic Armstrong .... stunt supervisor
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Kevin Brookner .... assistant camera
Godfrey A. Godar .... additional photography
Jack Lowin .... camera operator
Malcolm MacIntosh .... camera operator
 
Other crew
Peter Bennett .... location manager
Rita Davison .... location manager
Kay Fenton .... continuity
Leon Harris .... creator: Other World sequence (as Leon R. Harris)
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
84 min
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Australia:G | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario)
Filming Locations:
England, UKSee more »
Company:
Walt Disney ProductionsSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Diane Lane auditioned for the film.See more »
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the alternate ending, when the alien ascends with Jan in its arms, the wires used to cause ascension are clearly visible.See more »
Quotes:
Ellie Curtis:Boy, Mrs. Aylwood sure is creepy.
Paul Curtis:How comforting to know we're the "right sort of people."
Ellie Curtis:I've seen the iciest of old ladies melted by your charm.
Mrs. Thayer:I think it was your daughter who did the trick.
Ellie Curtis:Me?
Mrs. Thayer:No, dear, not you.
[to Jan]
Mrs. Thayer:She had a daughter about your age.
Jan Curtis:Had?
Mrs. Thayer:Mm, lost. Many years ago. Perhaps you reminded Mrs. Aylwood of her.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Winnie the Pooh (2011)See more »

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
21 out of 29 people found the following review useful.
The scariest Disney movie ever!, 20 August 2005
Author: Dale Dewoody from United States

This movie terrified me as a child. So I ran across it and had to buy it. I was expecting it to be horrible and cheesy as an adult, but I was wrong.

This movie has some scary parts, even to adults, and I've watched hundreds of horror movies. This one still creates a few chills.

The basic plot is that a family moves to a new house next to some spooky old lady. One of the daughters starts seeing weird things, like a blind-folded girl in the mirror. She also learns the spooky old-lady neighbor had a daughter that disappeared about 20 or 30 years ago. She investigates this mystery despite the scary things that happen.

I promise this movie will at least give you a few chills. The creepy girl in the mirror still freaks me out. It's hard to believe this was a Disney film.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (76 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Scary! DankeSchoen
Needs Remade horsedude2010
Trying to remember a similar movie on_the_can
alternate ending holyredcrayon
Lynn Holly Johnson was terrible! MovieGal237
Disney's Darkest Film? horsedude2010
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