Les yeux de la forêt

I have very little interest in movies about the supernatural. Subjects like ESP and other psychic powers just don't interest me. You should keep that in mind, as I am sure this had an impact on my enjoyment of the movie. So why did I watch it? Bette Davis. It's one of the only films she made that I have never seen--this one and "Return to Witch Mountain"--both of which are considered kids' films. However, I noticed that at least in the case of "Watcher in the Woods", it has appeal for all ages and isn't just another Disney family film. No, it has a bit more of an edge and apparently was a deliberate attempt by the studio to branch into PG-rated films for the first time--with this film and "The Black Hole" (a film I really disliked). Apparently, pre-screenings for "Watcher" were not good, so the studio decided to release "The Black Hole" first--though in hindsight, I think "Watcher" was a much better and less 'kiddie' oriented.

The story begins with a family moving to a home in England. Almost immediately, weird things start happening involving the oldest daughter. She starts having what appear to be spooky visions--and they are quite frightening and also sometimes warn her of impending disasters (more than once saving her life). Soon, her little sister starts hearing things--and all this is too coincidental not to mean something is seriously wrong. See the film to find out what happens next.

All in all, a mildly diverting film but one that didn't have a huge impact on me. It's not bad--but lacks scary qualities that might have made it better--like the film sometimes pulled its punches. Still, it's worth seeing.

This typical teen gothic plot about a family who moves into an old house and then biizarre things start to happen . It deals with Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis) , a distraught mother since her daughter, Karen , vanished in the Welsh countryside 30 years ago. When the Curtin family (David McCallum, Carroll Baker , Lynn Holly Johnson , Kyle Richards) move into the Aylwood manor for the summer, strange occurrences begin to unnerve the family and Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) begins to suspect that they are linked to Karen's disappearance . As Jan needs to find out what is going on in the woods before it has a permanent effect on her sister Ellie (Kyle Richards) . As Jan unravels the dark past hidden by the townspeople , she delves further into the mystery and deeper into danger, but now it might be too late to escape the Watcher in the Woods. Scared of going into the woods? You should be ...What can't be explained, must be explored. A Masterpiece Of Suspense! Something Is Watching. Something Unknown. The Most Legendary Monster Of All Can Now Be Seen For The First Time .As You've Never Seen It Before . It was just an innocent game... until a young girl vanished for thirty years.

This is a mysterious and creepy film about the classic plot regarding ghostly appearances , as once a family moves into the Aylwood house amazing things begin to happen and along the way , Jan hears whispers in the woods , Ellie is sleep talking/screaming , and mirrors are breaking. This is a chilling adaptation based on an assortment of ghouls , ghosts and weird apparitions . It is an interesting and completely obscure film and ends by defiantly refusing to explain itself . Middling budget makes for big scary scream-feast and frights . Based on The Watcher in the Woods by Florence Engel Randall, this movie will have you on the edge of your seat ; however, being rated ¨Parents Guide¨ because of minor violence and some very terrifying scenes . This film is better than its new remake (2017) and strikes a cord of fear and kindness effortlessly. It's fun to watch and it dissects a dark past and its connect connection to Karen's disappearance. This movie leaves no question unanswered and uses the landscape masterfully . Stars the beautiful teen Lynn Holly Johnson and the attractive little girl Kyle Richards along with a good support cast as Carroll Baker , David McCallum , Benedict Taylor , Richard Pasco , Georgina Hale, Ian Bannen and special mention for the great Bette Davis .

The picture was very well directed by John Hough . He often uses visual and sound recourses , echos , zooms and imaginative camera movements . He's a craftsman with eclectic and long directing career . Beginning in television series (Avengers, Protectors) , making Hammer films (Twins of Evil) , Adventures (Island treasure, Black arrow) , wholesome Disney fare (Return and escape to witch mountain) , regency romantic drama (Duel of hearts , Ghost in Montecarlo , Hazard of hearts , The lady and the highwayman) and Horror movies (Howling , American Gothic , Bad karma) and his best film , Legend of Hell House .

It had an inferior remake also titled The Watcher in the Woods (2017) by Melissa Joan Hart with Anjelica Huston , Tallulah Evans , Nicholas Galitzine , Rufus Wright and Benedict Taylor.

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.

I watched this film when I was about 7 I think and I am not joking when I say it had a profound effect upon me and many of my friends. I was terrified of the dark for years and even scared to look in the mirror in case there was someone else staring back. Quite how this film was shown at 6pm on a Tuesday has always baffled me. It was a shocking decision by the BBC and they would never get away with it now. I met a guy at university who had also been traumatised by this film and I think we bonded over it because we are still very good friends! My memories of it are quite hazy but I'm sure I started crying half way through and didn't stop until the end; would have turned it off but my 10 year old sister wanted to watch it or rather wanted to watch me cry and I was too scared to leave the room. I'm giving it a 9 for fright value. It was a good film and a good idea.

"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.