The Watcher in the Woods (1980 film)

The Watcher in the Woods
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Based onA Watcher in the Woods
by Florence Engel Randall
Produced byRon Miller
Starring
CinematographyAlan Hume
Edited byGeoffrey Foot
Music byStanley Myers
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Distribution
Release dates
  • April 17, 1980 (1980-04-17) (New York City)
  • October 9, 1981 (1981-10-09) (U.S.)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9 million[1]
Box office$5 million[2]

The Watcher in the Woods is a 1980 American[i] supernatural horror film[3][4] directed by John Hough and Vincent McEveety and starring Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, and David McCallum. Based on the 1976 novel by Florence Engel Randall, the film tells the story of a teenage girl and her little sister who become encompassed in a supernatural mystery regarding a missing girl in the woods surrounding their new home in the English countryside.

Filmed at Pinewood Studios and the surrounding areas in Buckinghamshire, England, The Watcher in the Woods was one of several live-action films produced by Walt Disney Productions in the 1980s, when the studio was targeting young adult audiences. The film had its premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on April 17, 1980, but was pulled from release after ten days, and future screenings were canceled by the studio because of an overwhelming negative response from critics and audiences. Several changes were made thereafter, including the excision of a pre-credits sequence, as well the filming of an entirely new ending, which was directed by Vincent McEveety without Hough's involvement. Disney re-released the revised cut of the film on October 9, 1981, and it grossed $5 million.

Though critical response to the film was varied and included numerous unfavorable reviews, the film went on to gain a cult following in the years following its release.[5] Another adaptation of the novel was released for television in 2017 starring Anjelica Huston.

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference afi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Watcher in the Woods (1981)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  3. ^ McFarlane & Slide 2013, p. 227.
  4. ^ Muir 2012, p. 138.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference bfi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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