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DVD The Watcher in the Woods
Ghost story meets paranormal mystery in Disney's PG family spookfest, a rare kid-friendly scary movie that still manages to frighten. American girls Lynn-Holly Johnson (Ice Castles) and little sister Kyle Richards move into a secluded British manor cradled in a mist-shrouded forest, home to a ghostly guardian angel and a decades-old mystery that still haunts the place. Director John Hough (whose Legend of Hell House is a classic of supernatural suspense) delivers all the right shiver-inducing ingredients: flashes of light, whispers in the wind, eerie visions of a blindfolded little girl lost (the long-lost daughter of withered widow Bette Davis) reaching out from mirrors, as if trapped behind them. Though tame by today's bloody standards and a flop on its original release in 1981, this handsome little gothic ghost story has become something of a cult film for its suggestive direction, impressionistic imagery, and spooky sense of the unknown. Ages 9 and up, although more sophisticated younger kids should enjoy this. --Sean Axmaker
Watcher in the Woods scared the willies out of me when I was young, and I remember it still being creepy in my teens. I want to report that it has stood the test of time and is STILL creepy in my twenties! Not only that, I watched this with five younger sisters-in-law, ages 11-16, and they loved it! It scared the youngest one so she hid under a blanket for parts, but in a good way! The good thing about this movie is that it manages to be really scary while still being clean--no blood, no gore, no swearing or nudity... The alternate endings on the DVD show that you can explain what happens in several ways, but the original leaves it somewhat to your interpretation, which is very effective. I would try to get the older DVD, as it was done by another company (not Disney) and is more objective about the making of the movie. I hear that the newer Disney version took out some of the extras, and it doesn't have the interviews with the cast that the older copy does.
"The Watcher in the Woods"
I pre-ordered the Anchor Bay Release a few years ago based on the reviews of others...Honestly, I really wanted to like the movie. It was pretty good until the end, when it really defies to explain itself...A bit of a let down...However, the Anchor Bay folks really did a nice presentation with the release, and their were some quite interesting extras, including the booklet inside with interviews of some of the stars of the movie.
spooky Disney fare with Bette Davis and Lynn-Holly Johnson
Based on the novel by Florence Engel Randall, THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS is a finely-crafted Disney thriller with Bette Davis and a great cast.
The story is about an English-American family (David McCallum, Carroll Baker, Lynn-Holly Johnson and Kyle Richards) who move into a creepy mansion in the English countryside. The estate also includes Mrs Aylwood (Bette Davis) who acts as a caretaker of sorts. Mrs Aylwood's daughter Karen mysteriously died in a fire many years ago and she has never really come to terms with her grief.
Once the new family moves in, strange things begin to occur. Eldest daughter Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson - ICE CASTLES) senses something watching her, and starts seeing a blindfolded girl in mirrors. Younger daughter Ellie (Kyle Richards) adopts a little dog and calls it 'Nerak' ('Karen' spelled backwards). Everything that happens seems to lead back to Karen Aylwood and her mysterious death. Jan and Ellie join Mrs Aylwood in a race against time to stop the hauntings and hopefully find out what really happened that fateful night...
Bette Davis gives a mesmerizing performance as Mrs Aylwood (with Georgina Hale also fine as the younger Davis during the flashback sequence). David McCallum sadly doesn't get much to do as the father, though Carroll Baker impresses in her relatively-small role as the mother. Lynn-Holly Johnson (following her breakout role as Lexie in ICE CASTLES) is a knockout as Jan and Kyle Richards is just plain spooky as Ellie.
Filmed entirely on location in England, the tense and eerie atmosphere is perfectly carried throughout the whole movie. Also featuring Eleanor Summerfield, Ian Bannen, Richard Pasco, Frances Cuka, Benedict Taylor and Katherine Levy.
Ray Bradbury adapted his own novel for Something Wicked This Way Comes, Jack Clayton's beautiful rendering of the turn-of-the-century fantasy of a mysterious carnival that literally blows into a small town to taunt and tempt the inhabitants. Jonathan Pryce (Brazil), the handsome but demonic proprietor of Dark's Pandemonium Carnival, preys upon the vanities, the delusions, and the regrets of the townspeople by granting their wishes at the expense of their souls. Jason Robards, as the meek librarian Charles Halloway, becomes his unlikely nemesis when his son Will, with his best friend Jim Nightshade (a deliciously dark name in its own right), discovers the secret of Dark's nightmarish carnival. When they become hunted by Dark's minions (including Pam Grier as the beautiful and... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Jack Clayton DVD Release Date: Released the 03 August 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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An impressive labor of love from independent writer-director Frank LaLoggia, this low-budget supernatural thriller was a sleeper hit in 1988, deservedly praised by critics and horror fans for its effective combination of ghostly terror and small-town charm. The influence of Steven Spielberg can be felt in the movie's imaginative scenario, but it's also got the affectionate appeal of autobiographical nostalgia, mixing details of LaLoggia's own youth in upstate New York with a frightening tale of Halloween horror. It begins when young Frankie (Lukas Haas) is locked in a grade-school cloakroom on Halloween night of 1962; he witnesses the ghostly image of a little girl and is nearly strangled to death by an unknown assailant. From that point forward, Frankie is convinced that the ghost is... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Lukas Haas - Len Cariou Director(s): Frank LaLoggia DVD Release Date: Released the 20 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Jodie Foster is Casey Brown and is billed as the star of this movie. However, the stellar performances by David Niven as four different characters and Helen Hayes as Lady St. Edmund are what make this movie enjoyable.
Casey Brown is a juvenile delinquent who lives in America, where Harry Bundage (Leo McKern) discovers her. It seems that Casey resembles the granddaughter of Lady St. Edmund, which would thus give her access to the St. Edmund estate, Candleshoe. We learn that Lady St. Edmund, her staff of one (David Niven), and a host of orphans are living in near poverty themselves, barely making ends meet. However, there may be a long lost treasure somewhere in Candleshoe if it can be discovered.
The effects are low-tech and no longer special, but Escape to Witch Mountain still has plenty of Disney live-action charm. It's rather quaint by later standards, coming just two years before Star Wars upped the ante on movie magic, but the story's got timeless appeal as a precursor to Harry Potter's more lavish brand of kid-wizardry. Here you've got Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and sister Tia (Kim Richards), orphans unaware of their mysterious past, who are taken in by a nefarious liar (Ray Milland) seeking to exploit their supernatural powers. Populated by '70s stalwarts like Donald Pleasance and Eddie Albert (the later playing the kids' grown-up accomplice, unwittingly rescuing them from Milland), this lightweight Disney fare is perfect for kids under 10, with such enticements as... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Eddie Albert - Ray Milland Director(s): John Hough DVD Release Date: Released the 02 September 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Purportedly one of Walt Disney's most personal pet projects, Darby O'Gill shows the effort and care put into it. Even now the special effects hold up shockingly well. Darby O'Gill is an estate caretaker, but in his advanced years he's more fond of telling tall tales in the local pub about the wee folk than keeping the grounds. A new man (a very youthful Sean Connery) is sent in to take his place, and O'Gill doesn't know what will become of himself and his daughter. He snags three spectacular opportunities, however, when he catches the king of the leprechauns. This film is whimsical without being silly, supernatural without being outlandish, and all and all a treat for the whole family. --Keith SimantonMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Albert Sharpe - Janet Munro - Sean Connery Director(s): Robert Stevenson DVD Release Date: Released the 03 August 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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