Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

nightroses This has got to be one of the scariest Disney films I've ever seen. I saw this as a kid and found it very unnerving and ghosty. I couldn't follow the storyline as a kid, as I felt too afraid to watch it really. I watched it just tonight as an adult and the film gave me a few jumps and chills. It's a very gorgeously made gothic fairytale about a family who stay in an old mansion in the English countryside. The father is British but his wife and children are Americans. Bette Davies plays a scary lady who owns the house and she comes across as a sinister witch at first but soon you understand that she's always been a grieving mother. Her daughter Karen disappeared decades earlier while playing a game with her friends. Now those friends have all grown up and the solar eclipse is coming, so it's time to see what happens to unlock the mystery and find answers. The camera shots of the swirling woods and trees, the wind, flashing lights, breaking glass, phantoms, whispering voices, all makes a very disturbing and enchanting spooky story.

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.

OllieSuave-007 I remembered watching this movie's trailer in a "Walt Disney and You" special preview of programs that is shown in numerous Disney cartoon collection videos. The movie looked creepy and I thought it was out-of-character for Disney to make these type of movies. But, I grew to be a fan of mysteries and thrillers and this movie was pretty impressive.Based on the novel by Florence Engel Randall, The Watcher in the Woods is about an American family who moves into an old English house in the woods. There, daughter Jan Curtis (Lynn-Holly Johnson) experiences paranormal activities in the woods and suspects it has to do with the daughter of the house's owner, Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis), who disappeared years ago.It's a good old-fashion supernatural tale with built-up suspense throughout the film, from Jan first sensing the abnormality of the woods to the apparition images of Mrs. Aylwood's daughter. The well-paced plot kept the movie exciting and attention-grabbing, helped by the well-acted cast, especially that of movie icon Bette Davis. But, I would have liked to see her and actors Carroll Baker, David McCallum and Benedict Taylor utilized more; too much attention was centered around Lynn-Holly and child actress Kyle Richards. The special effects might appear dated, but it still fits in the movie and contributed to the overall eerie feel of the woods and the missing girl. There is also a bit of unpredictability in the film, especially when the church scenes were first introduced. Therefore, what you get is not another cliché ghost movie.There is an alternative ending to the film and I myself prefer that one over the original one, but,give yourself a bonus and watch the alternative climax after watching the movie and judge for yourself :)Overall, it's a captivating mystery supernatural film that, for a Disney film, keeps you intrigued at its creepiness and horror elements.Grade A-

Scott LeBrun "The Watcher in the Woods" was made at a time when Disney was getting ambitious, making PG rated films and dipping its toes into different genres; other efforts, of course, include "The Black Hole", "Tron", and "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Co-written by Brian Clemens ('The Avengers', "Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter") based on the novel by Florence Engel Randall, it tells a story with a very atmospheric feel. As others have said, it has the appeal of a fairy tale. An American family comes to live in an isolated English country estate owned by a lonely recluse, Mrs. Aylwood (screen legend Bette Davis). In no time at all, the two daughters, teen aged Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and younger Ellie (Kyle Richards) are besieged by other worldly forces, and Jan realizes something must be done to resolve the case of Mrs. Aylwood's daughter Karen, who'd disappeared many years ago when she was Jan's age. Director John Hough and crew make this something worth watching with their moody and stylish presentation. Sometimes some cheesy effects get utilized, and they do tend to stick out a little too much. The reasonably compelling, and never too complicated, story does a good enough job of pulling the viewer in, along with especially strong lighting by Alan Hume and camera-work by Jack Lowin and Malcolm MacIntosh. Right from the start these individuals help to create a very weird feel to the proceedings. Carroll Baker and David McCallum don't get a lot to do as the parents, especially McCallum, but the other adults are all fine, including Richard Pasco as the frightened Tom Colley and Ian Bannen as the cantankerous John Keller. Ms. Davis is wonderful as the distraught old lady who realizes that she could finally find out the truth behind her daughters' disappearance, while Johnson, despite being appealing enough, really overdoes it in terms of her characters' hysteria. What's interesting is how many times the ending was altered during the history of this film. It was originally shown at 100 minutes, with an abrupt ending, then given an elaborate special effects based finale, then reworked again for the films' re-release the following year. The alternate endings are available on the DVD for fans to check out. It's not particularly memorable, but it's pretty enjoyable while it lasts. Seven out of 10.