The Watcher in the Woods (DVD, 2000)

Florence Engel Randall's novel's, "A Watcher in the Woods," plot goes like this: the Curtis family, Helen (Carroll Baker), her husband Paul (David McCullum), & their 2 daughters, Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) & Ellie (Kyle Richards), rent an old English manor from it's senior owner, Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis at 72yo), who lives in the guest cottage. The elder lady of the manor seems to be haunting, mean & eerily eccentric. Plus, she looks scary.

Jan, the Curtis' eldest daughter, experiences some paranormal events immediately after moving into the manor. For one thing, she can't see her own reflection in a bedroom mirror. Then, Jan begins to strongly sense that someone is watching her in the woods surrounding the manor. Neither parent, Helen nor Paul, are keen about the girls spending time with Mrs. Aylwood. But, as Jan becomes more scared & curious about who or what's in the woods, the pre-teen begins investigating, starting with Mrs. Aylwood.

After Jan enters into Mrs. Aylwood's cottage to talk with her about the mysterious phenomena she's noticed, the secret of the woods starts to be revealed by Mrs. Aylwood. Although she's very reluctant to talk about it, Mrs. Aylwood tells Jan the story about her pre-teen daughter's disappearance in the manor's woods 30 years ago.

The supernatural cinematic effects are well done for 1980. Bette Davis' subdued performance, as a mysterious older woman, makes the show a spine-tingling thriller. The suspense builds to a climax that is not predictable. The settings are spot-on & befitting for a haunting mood.

Keeping in mind that the genre of this movie is a family suspense suitable for children, I found it to be excellent. It's an interesting contrast to experience Bette Davis in a Disney family suspense thriller--maybe the scariest Disney flick ever made. If anyone could have been more mysterious & bewitchingly secretive, I can't imagine who.

Now that this film's on DVD there are special features:

1) This is the 1981 re-release that was revised.
2) It is filmed in Technicolor.
3) This DVD version is Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
4) Dolby Digital THX EX 6.1 in English
5) DTS Surround ES 6.1 in English
6) Dolby Surround in English
7) The alternate endings are featured.
8) The director's, John Hough's, comments are audio.
9) The original trailers are included.
10) There is the option of scene selection
11) Text & Photo Galleries are included.
12) John Hough's bigography is included.

This film is not the kind that will give young children nightmares. It's more metaphysical than it is scary. The suspense & topic are suitable for children & entertaining enough for adults. It's one of the most unusual Disney films I've seen~