The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989) User Reviews

The wolves aren't the scariest thing here

[Stevieboy666 · 7/10 · 1 January 2020]

Just watched this on TV, never heard of it let alone seen it before and that does surprise me a little. Having watched the trailer I thought this to be a film about wolves trying to kill and eat people. That does come into it at the finale, however the plot is mainly about 2 young girls, a wicked, scheming nanny and the Victorian workhouses. Stephanie Beacham is superb as said Nanny, in fact she goes all psycho at the end, and the workhouse is horrific. In one scene a boy is crushed to death between 2 giant rollers. The Nanny and the workhouse are the two scariest things here, the wolves (well, black shaggy dogs pretending to be wolves) seem quite tame in comparison. The late British comedian Mel Smith plays a drunken fraudster, he's good value, but it's Beacham and the 2 young actresses who play the cousins that give the best performances. Everywhere is covered in snow (filmed in Czechoslovakia) and featuring a grand, Gothic mansion/castle it is good winter viewing. Entertaining family movie that has plenty of humour but also a dark edge, a few scenes may prove scary for younger viewers.

Good-natured and atmospheric children's adventure film

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 25 April 2015]

THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE is based on a story by the great and spooky children's author Joan Aiken. In it, a pair of children are holed up in a remote mansion in a snowy locale surrounded by the titular wolves. They're in the care of scheming governess Stephanie Beacham and unscrupulous lawyer Mel Smith, and the story becomes a battle of wits between child and adult as each attempts to dispose of the other.

The film's visual style is what makes this so distinctive and indeed I remember loving it as a children. Carriage rides through the snowy landscapes with wolf accompaniment bring to mind the delights of the BBC's THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, while the cast of seasoned performers add plenty to the entertainment value. Richard O'Brien is unrecognisable as the butler and Geraldine James is delightfully ghoulish as the owner of a laundry which utilises child labour.

Inevitably it's Beacham who dominates proceedings as the villain of the piece, although I found her pantomime acting to be far too over the top; she's much more believable when she plays it straight as in the likes of ...AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS! The child actors give efficient turns here and the screenplay has a delightfully macabre streak with some gruesome deaths for some of the characters. Certainly for fans of vintage children's drama who don't mind overlooking the shortcomings of the production (such as the dogs in costume), THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE is a good-natured and atmospheric story.

Certainly has its own style

[Hayden-86055 · 7/10 · 28 February 2021]

I found myself pleasantly enjoying this, just as I did with the book. The costumes were top notch, the relatively small budget is used excellently on the sets and cinematography. The film has a very clever style, a mixture of Victorian England and a sort of steampunk feel.

The acting is fairly apt throughout, Miss Slycarp is definitely my favourite of the characters and I was slightly disappointed to see Pattern and Simon's roles reduced to only a couple of scenes. Further deviances from the book include Bonnie and Sylvia not immediately liking each other, which I suppose allows for the film to show the growth in their relationship and how they contrast but come closer together by the end, in the book despite their differences they got together very well so I don't know why they include the girls calling each other "coward" and "stupid" which I didn't feel necessary but again I suppose it shows growth. Mr Grimshaw was less funny at the start as in the book but that's only a small change.

Because it's an 80s film it has to be really dark as well, unlike in the book where nobody died there are some deaths here: a child drowns whilst working in a mill, a boy gets crushed to death and two women are devoured by wolves - not something you see in every kids film!

7/10: Stylish, dark and fairly well acted. It's easy to follow and quite entertaining

this actually exists?

[mdamon · 11 January 2006]

I saw this about eight years ago when I was eight. My sister and I used to watch it on Disney channel super late at night. For the past few years we've been looking for someone to convince us that we didn't make it up, and yesterday my sister found the book in her library. Good to know other people have seen this movie! All we could remember was that there was snow, wolves, carriages, and a factory where someone got rolled through a dryer/presser. I still haven't seen it in years so if someone knows of a presentation on television or somewhere I can buy it I would love to know!

Thanks

A woeful attempt at a 'family' film

[reg_roversfan · 1/10 · 9 October 2002]

Quite simply 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' is one of the worst family based films I have ever seen. A distinct lack of plot or good acting contribute to what is a shallow and ineffective film that leaves the viewer bemused, and annoyed that they have lost several hours of their lives to this appalling movie. I would not recommend it to anyone, as it doesn't offer anything you would want from a film - no excitement, no storyline of any merit, no good characters, no way to identify yourself with any of the characters, no laughs, no car chases ;), simply - NO MERIT. A better way to spend the 3 hours of your life that this film takes up, would be to make a film of your own, even if you have no media knowledge you would still come up with a better film than this. A definite 1 out of 10 (and that is generous)

Skip the movie--enjoy the book!

[larinmtz · 2/10 · 18 October 2020]

I love this book, along with other books in the series. Author Joan Aiken created engaging characters, interesting settings, and memorable plots in a Dickensian world for children. I recently completed reading the book with my fourth graders, and when we found out there was a movie, we were all hoping to watch it.

Nothing doing. We'll remember the book as it is and look for something else Victorian to watch. It's not only the twisting and rewriting of the plot, but the reworking of characters to no longer reflect who they really were in the book. One of the elements of a really good story is that the main character goes through experiences that bring about growth and change; the book shines in this area, but the movie does not. The movie changes not only the main characters, but even the supporting characters in fundamental ways that make me say avoid this rotten remaking of a stellar story.

Skip the movie, read the book

[bookwormink · 3/10 · 30 March 2011]

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is one of my favorite books. I read it as a child, have read it to my children, and plan to read it to my grandchildren. I was excited to see that there was a film adaptation. After watching it, I am terribly disappointed. With such a great story to work from, it is difficult to understand how this movie happened. The movie showed some promise in the beginning, but it slowly deteriorated as in continued. The book has a very detailed plot, great character development, and is very believable. All of these are missing in the movie. What a shame. Skip the movie and go straight to the book. Joan Aiken continues the story with "Black Hearts in Battersea" and "Nightbirds on Nantucket". The series is called "The Wolves Chronicles" and Ms. Aiken expands the stories even further, but the first three are my favorite.

Plot varies from Aiken's book but still great fun!!!

[catemh1 · 8/10 · 26 December 2005]

I remember being enthralled by both the book and this film when I was little. Stephanie Beacham performs brilliantly as the evil Miss Slighcarp. She is well supported by Mel Smith, Jane Horrocks and Richard O'Brien (really likable as James and totally unrecognisable here from his "Rocky Horror" persona). The plot moves quickly and despite not faithfully mirroring the story of Joan Aiken's novel manages to portray all the characters just as they were depicted in the text. I continue to enjoy watching this as an adult - some fans of the book may be unhappy with some of the added material but as a fan of Joan Aiken myself, I think this adaptation and the actors' performances do great justice to her writing.

Let's be fair...

[pheonix_910 · 9/10 · 12 December 2006]

Alright, we'll be honest - the film isn't perfect. BUT it does have more redeeming features than a lot of modern crap that's hyped and huge (naming no names Mission Impossible 2 and 3!). Amongst these redeeming features is the stunning scenery. The luscious snow that we know was created by good ol' mother nature and not CGI - *cough*LotR**cough*. The beautiful house in which the girls live give the film a definite sense of period realism and creates the claustrophobia that makes the film scarier. Then there's the quite frankly marvellous Stephanie Beaucham. Whether her character is gorgeous or grotesque Beaucham always manages to camp it up wonderfully and seems to be having a truly good time chewing up all of the scenery. Her subtle nuances and facial ticks create so much humour for an older audience and she has all of the best lines. We also need to bare in mind that this film was made some seventeen years ago, meaning that yes, it probably has dated a little, but that doesn't mean that it can't be entertainment along the lines of 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' for a new generation. Deaths aside.

Brilliant film!!

[sammileigh10 · 8/10 · 11 January 2013]

I remember watching this film when i was roughly 8 years old, thirteen long years ago (makes me feel old even though i'm only 21!)and i remember screaming at the television "Run, little girl, RUNNN" I absolutely loved the film as it had two best friends, nice frilly frocks and excitement all rolled into one action packed film. Recently i remembered very vague details of the film and it was driving me insane not knowing the title. All i remembered was a green, little red riding hood like cape/coat, lots of snow, wolves, a big building like a kind of castle and a horse and carriage. I searched for ages and came across this but ignored it as i thought it looked nothing like the memories i had. But after watching the trailer out of curiosity, i realised it was the famous "LITTLE GIRL GETTING CHASED BY WOLVES IN SNOWY FOREST" film that i have been desperately trying to find. Looking back it is very very corny and rather scary for a child may i add, but never the less i think i may have to watch it this Sunday, all wrapped up on the sofa eating crappy foods and plenty of chocolates - cosy. Nothing better than a good reminisce of childhood memories :)

I really enjoyed this

[woods-18568 · 8/10 · 26 November 2016]

I can remember watching this at least 25 years ago and just remembered the films name after racking my brains. I could only remember Stephanie Beacham in it. The snow scenes were superb real snow, wow, for a change. I thought the film was very good as a children's/family film. Would love to know where it was filmed. I watched it with my brother who was about 20 at the time and he also enjoyed it. The scenery locations were beautiful. The scenes that really sticks in my mind is the scene where Stephanie Beachan was riding through the snow on a large sleigh being pulled by a pack of black wolves. Wonder if you can still buy it, if someone could tell me.

A very dark children's tale

[chaz_burgess · 9/10 · 29 December 2005]

WOWC is actually among the darkest tales I have ever seen that is intended for children. The story itself takes us through a typical Victorian era, the class system and the at times, incorrect politics. Bonnie is a classy young lady, even if it times she appears to be a boy in a nice frock. Viewers will love her pushed friendship with cousin Sylvia, and even more her relationship with Richard O'Briens James. But at times this film is a little too mature for children. The theory that a greedy woman simply comes along posing as a governess to look after some children and they end up starving in a work house will scare parents senseless, but the disturbing death of little Joey and even evil Rupert can be hard to watch. What sets this apart from a lot of children's films is its use of duel baddies. Not only are the children escaping Slighcarp, but also a pack of hungry and menacing wolves. Not to be missed!

One of my favourite Children's Films

[LadyoftheOwls · 8/10 · 29 September 2010]

To begin with I have not read the book, and I can understand frustration when films aren't faithful to books, I hate that too.

I first saw this film when I was a kid and was enthralled by the atmosphere, characters and story and the memory stayed with me. I have seen it twice since then as an adult, and still love it.

I do understand worrying that it will scare children (and I certainly wouldn't show it to a 5 year old, it's not meant for small children) but I think that lots of children would love this film and parents should base it on their own knowledge of their children, most parents know roughly what their own kids will love and what they will find scary.

I've been trying to find a DVD of this but there isn't one :(

Fantabulous!

[cassandra_2603 · 10/10 · 23 August 2006]

I loved this film. My granddad filmed it off the TV when i was extremely young, 5 maybe? I loved it.

it was scary the first time and I wouldn't recommend it for young children if they are easily scared, i always was a weird child!)

I loved it and watched it all the time, and then it got taped over about 6yrs ago when I was 10 and I haven't seen it since.

I am looking on the net to buy it though. So If you know a good place to buy it post it here.

I think its a fabulous film and you will all love it!!!

I think its excellent.

Well I liked it...

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 3 October 2010]

I do confess I have not read the book, but whether a film is faithful to its source rarely ruins it for me. That said, while there are one or two somewhat tedious scenes along the way and I would have liked the film to have lasted longer, I liked this film. I liked The Wolves of Willoughby Chase especially for the stunning scenery, the cute wolves and the evil governess marvellously played by Stephanie Beacham. The music is good too, the script is above average, the story is at least interesting and the direction is competent at least. The performances of Emily Hudson and Aleks Darowska are appealing and Mel Smith, Geraldine James and Richard O' Brien(The Rocky Horror Picture Show) while over-the-top are fun. Overall, a good film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

An absolute classic!

[flowerj-54530 · 10/10 · 16 August 2020]

This is one of the most underrated movies I know! Stephanie Beacham is awesome in her role as the frightening Miss Slighcarp and the child actors are great too. (Too bad that basically nothing is known about their whereabouts nowadays) It's that kind of movie that starts very happy & could easily be mistaken for a typical fairytale movie but then it turns darker and darker within each minute. Some of the scenes are frightening, even for adults. Despite containing many sinister moments and even one or two disturbingly gruesome scenes, it also has a kitschy touch and still a very joyful part about it too. Admittedly, it is a bit over dramatic by times too, especially in all the scenes where they run from the wolves, but that's exactly what gives it such a unique vibe! Oh and did I mention that the music is absolutely beautiful too? Colin Towns created a passionate symphony that fits perfectly to this wonderful movie.

Great Family

[eric-54 · 8/10 · 10 September 1998]

I thought this was a great movie for older children. I think very young children might not like one or two of the scenes

It's real

[squeaks209-1 · 12 June 2006]

You didn't make this movie up (well obviously since it's on this site). I watched it growing up too and my mom taped it. My friend and I watched it a few days ago. Basic summery--although I must warn you, I'm really bad at summaries: A girl goes to stay with her cousin while her Aunt and Uncle travel--I believe some place warm so the mother can get better. However, once the parents are gone, the women left in charge turns out to be not such a nice person. She has plotted to have the parent's ship sunk, fired all the servants except for two, forged a will saying she gets all the money (instead of the two girls). When she realizes the girls have discovered her plan, she sends them to the factory--which is the part you remember. It's a clothes washing place, and during their escape the boy watching the workers gets stuck in the clothing press. In the end, the girls escape and return home, I think they kill the women or the wolves get her or something. Anywho, the parents return--evidently surviving the sinking ship, and I'm supposing they all live happily ever after.

I have posted ? to yahoo answers and other sites this is the best movie

[tashablakes · 10/10 · 30 December 2009]

i have searched and asked what was this movie's name the girl actresses. i remember so vividly.

and the well and the wolves eating the lady.

it sounds awful but they persevere and save the day there was like a horseback carriage.

and the scenery was so pretty.

its on youtube the first seen is the wolf silhouette.

it's a well done movie especially for the year i loved this movie and i know you will too i watched it with my grandma too.

check it out.

i know you will love it.

Beloved story butchered

[KatharineFanatic · 26 November 2003]

"The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" was one of my favorite books as a child. I spent long winter afternoons curled up in a corner with a cup of hot chocolate, following the adventures of Bonnie and Sylvia as they attempted to thwart the evil Miss Slycarp. The book was able to give the viewer a sense of the dangerous and otherworldly. The evening they spend too long ice-skating on the stream, the black shapes materializing from the darkness, the violent stops the train must make in order to avoid wolves. All these lent the story its subtle charm. Even as an adult, I still enjoy perusing the familiar pages.

Then came the single TV adaptation to have yet been filmed. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was to find my favorite book had been butchered, wrung out, and completely decapitated. Bonnie is spoiled and bratty. Miss Slycarp isn't at all how she's portrayed in the book. Worst of all, they've attempted to make the orphanage more scary by injecting death into it. One of the girls is dragged to her watery death in a scene guaranteed to give any child nightmares. Then there's the awful ending: wolves in the mansion, some ridiculous snowmobile-like coach, and the bloody end of the villains in the wood. They did this book almost as much disgrace as Sullivan did "Jane of Lantern Hill." For heaven's sake, stay away. More wretched drivel have I not seen.

Are you looking for a family film? Stay away

[jessdraw · 22 November 2008]

I remember this film well from my childhood, that's not a good thing.

I echo the comments of other reviewers: how was this ever conceived as a family film? The scene where someone gets squashed between rollers has stayed with me for life, as the first, and most terrifying vision I had ever encountered. Forgive me for I remember little else of the film, that scene was enough. I have a blossoming 5 year old daughter, dear lord strike me down if I ever show this film to her!

Fortunately, we have come to realise as a society that scaring the wits out of our young ones may not be in their best interests. Go and find Latcho Drom, by Tony Gatlif, instead and inject some vitality into your weekend.