Scary!
I Cant believe this was a Disney film!
It scared the living sh#te outa me when I was a kid!!!
I Had nightmares for a week and it was shown on a sunday afternoon!
I watched it again recently and I still found it quite disturbing.
As a child, my parents mostly protected me from films with violent/scary content.
For the last day of 4th grade, we were treated to a "movie day." We watched "Flight of the Navigator" [awesome!!!], "Legend" [kind scary with the Tim Curry demon scenes, but otherwise cool] and "Watcher in the Woods" [I almost soiled my shorts amidst tears of terror].
I know I was kind of sheltered, but seriously . . . I watched "Watcher in the Woods" tonight for the first time in over 20 years and it still was creepy as hell! In spite of the obviously 70's/80's acting and environment, the cinematography was almost Hitchcock-ian at points. And, though the plot was somewhat weak at points, Bette Davis always scared the $h1t out of me!! That's a scary woman!
I think the story was exceptional for its time, but the lack of complexity leaves it a far second from the advanced plot of young-adult horror today (R.L. Stine). While some younger children might be scared, the 'young adult' audience it sought in 1980 will likely chuckle at the cheap jabs.
r.
This movie terrified me as a kid. I first saw it when I was in daycare. I was about five I think. I think all the daycare workers saw the Disney label and assumed it was suitable for young viewers. I don't remember much about this movie, all I remember from that horrible experience as a kid was:
1) the blonde girl in front of all the mirrors and instead of seeing her reflection she sees another girl reaching out. Still gives me chills thinking about it, but I think mirrors are creepy, probably because of this movie.
2) the younger girl having a strange voice.
3) something about a giant bell from a bell tower falling on a girl.
4) I vaguely recollect the family driving in a storm and there are weird lights...?
I'm sure if I saw it now, I wouldn't find it scary at all. I was dessensitized to scary movies at a very young age. I think I'd laugh at the cheesy 1970's special effects. But I don't think I could watch the mirror scene without being creeped out no matter what.
"People believe all sorts of things that aren't true-it's called history." The Wizard from "Wicked"
Omigod, this post had me howling. Don't know why it seems so funny to me now, but WTF is a daycare doing playing this movie for 5 year-old kids???
I wanted to join the masses here and say that this movie scared the living daylights out of me when I saw it, and every countless time that I have seen it since (I also became oddly fascinated by it), I still have trouble staying asleep.
The first time I saw it I was eight and it was at a sleepover party for my cousin. A bunch of young girls in sleeping bags, *beep* their pants! No one said a word the entire time it was on, and afterwards I don't think anyone slept.
But to think of the trauma of seeing this movie in daycare! That's horrible. I read this post and just couldn't stop laughing at the images in my mind.