Yes, believe it or not, not that long ago there was a time before corporate greed ruined the company's spirit of fun when Disney was taking some interesting chances with their live action films. One of these chances was a little horror film called The Watcher In The Woods, directed by John Hough who went on to direct a few episodes of the Hammer House Of Mystery television series and abysmal The Howling IV. Hough cut his teeth on a Hammer film or two (Twins Of Evil comes to mind) as well as a few episodes of TV's The Avengers and had proven himself a decent British horror director.

The story follows a seemingly normal American family named the Curtis' as they move into a gorgeous old English country home set aside a thick patch of woods. The elderly caretaker named Mrs. Aylwood (played by legendary actress Bette Davis) is there to look after them and things seem to be going reasonably smoothly so far.

Soon enough though, the Curtis family begins to notice some strange happenings around the home. The two Curtis girls, Jan and Ellie, see and hear a young girl who disappeared ages ago during a lunar eclipse. Other bizarre supernatural shenanigans begin going down as well. Mrs. Aylwood seems to know more than she initially lets on and the Curtis' don't know what to do. People begin getting possessed and there's something out there in those woods surrounding the home…

The Watcher In The Woods benefits from Davis' unbeatable screen presence and some nice, if conservative, cinematography. Hough and company effectively create some very convincing moments of legitimate suspense, particularly during the first half of the movie. Things get off to a very tense start and the movie looks like it's going to hit all the right cues at all the right moments – a pedigree horror film, if you will. Everything looks very nicely, from the sets to the lights to the actors and their make up. I'd have to guess that Hough did everything in his power to make this a good movie.

The problem is that the films inadequacies soon rear their heads in fine form. The cast could have been a bit stronger – some of the deliveries are way too over the top and border on obnoxious, sending the film into the dreaded 'unintentional humor' zone. While everything maintains a professional look and feel, Lynn-Holly Johnson shrieks some of her dialogue in such a nauseatingly annoying tone that it may very well inspire you to turn the movie off. She's poorly cast here and it really brings the movie down quite a bit.

Then there's the ending. Much has been made about the alternate endings to the movie, and the one chosen for the cut of the film shown here, which is how it is most commonly seen, is one that is debated quite a bit. You kind of have to see it to make up your own mind about it, but needless to say it does leave room for improveent.

Video:

Once you get past the credits, this 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer looks quite nice. There is some print damage here and there but it's only mild stuff that you'll really even notice, and there's a nice high level of detail present throughout the print. Blacks are nice and deep and color reproduction looks nice and natural, as do the flesh tones. A few of the darker scenes are just a tad murky but other than that, this is quite a good transfer. Edge enhancement is slightly present but only if you're looking for it and compression artifacts aren't a problem at all.