The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

When a family moves to a country home, the young girls experience strange happenings that have a link to an occult event years past.

Directors:

John Hough, Vincent McEveety (uncredited)

Writers:

Brian Clemens (screenplay), Florence Engel Randall (novel)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
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
Eleanor Summerfield	...	Mrs. Thayer
Georgina Hale	...	Young Mrs. Aylwood

Storyline

When a normal American family moves into a beautiful old English house in a wooded area, strange, paranormal appearances befall them in this interesting twist to the well-known haunted-house tale. Their daughter Jan sees, and daughter Ellie hears, the voice of a young teenage girl who mysteriously disappeared during a total solar eclipse decades before...

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Plot Keywords:

occult | haunted house | psychotronic film | teenage girl | solar eclipse | 

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Taglines:

As You've Never Seen It Before

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Genres:

Family | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final of seventeen films that Casting Director Maude Spector worked on at the Disney Studios.

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Goofs

When Jan and Mr. Keller are in the chapel waiting for the rest of the people to come she looks through a stained glass window. It is a big missing piece she looks through, but when they show the rest of the people coming it shows the lead in the glass minus the stained glass rather than one big missing piece.

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Quotes

Jan Curtis: Mr. Keller I had to see you, it's about Karen Aylwood.
John Keller: What about Karen Aylwood?
Jan Curtis: She needs help.
John Keller: How would you know that?
Jan Curtis: I've seen her.
John Keller: Where?
Jan Curtis: In mirrors!
John Keller: Oh, mirrors. You say you see yourself as Karen?
Jan Curtis: No! It was her image. Why was she blindfolded at the chapel? I've got to find out what happened that night, it's important to me.
John Keller: Why dear? It's none of your business!
[...]

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Alternate Versions

Original version ran 100 minutes. Notorious for the numerous ending recuts, the film runs 84 minutes. However, you can see some deleted footage in Jan's flashback dream. You see a flashback at the carnival in which Mike says "We've got to hurry!".

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Connections

Spoofed in Winnie the Pooh (2011)

User Reviews

Kids Flick

Ok, it might not be the greatest movie out there, but I really enjoyed it when I was a kid. And because of that the few times since then that I have watched it, I have held a kind of fascination with it. But alas, my opinion is tainted by childhood. That scary (oh so scary) scene in the fun house haunted me for a long time. And Bette Davis, she is awesome.

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Watcher in the Woods

Filming Locations:

St. Huberts, St. Huberts Lane, Gerrard's Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1