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Theatrical Ending Is WAY Better Than the Alternates!

posted 17 years ago by CalvinValjean
10 replies | jump to latest

Here's my review of the three endings (found on the DVD).

1. Alternate Ending 1
The best part about this version is that it's awesome to see the Watcher! But aside from that, there were tons of problems: to put it gently, Karen is kind of weird-looking. I actually thought it might've been a man in drag. She has a strange face and never talks...then when reunited with her mom, there's a hammy, running with arms wide open scene (now THAT's a Disney-ish happy ending if there ever was one), and finally an ending where Jan gives an anti-climatic explanation to Ellie about everything. Too much sci-fi talk and not enough action.

2. Alternate Ending 2
An extended version of the same ending as above, which means it has all the same problems plus some new ones. The visual effects for the "other dimension" I understand were never finished, and it does look sort of Michael Jackson music video-ish. There's also an added scene of Bette Davis's character warning Jan's mom to stop the seance, but when we see her again later, her hair and her dress is completely different. I guess that's probably why the scene was cut in the first place.

3. Theatrical Ending
Perfect! Don't bother recutting it. The only downside is that we no longer get to see the Watcher, but to see a possessed little girl is just as dark (considering it's Disney), her explanation is done in an interesting way, unlike the alternate, Karen looks somewhat more normal, and her reunion with Bette Davis is done just right, emotional but not over the top like before.

So that's that. If there was ever a time where a studio was right in choosing a new ending, I think this qualifies.

[–] CalvinValjean 17 years ago

BUMP!

[–] nhtucker91360 17 years ago

I felt the alternate endings were good & held up well in their own right, but not as solid as the theaterical ending. The special effects & loose ends were what did in the alternate endings to me, IMO.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] NoelCT 17 years ago

Anchor Bay originally owned the distribution rights to WATCHER IN THE WOODS, RETURN TO OZ, BLACK HOLE, and a few other live-action films Disney had no interest in releasing on dvd. Long story short, the Anchor Bay discs sold well and Disney snatched back the rights to put their own versions out. Sadly, they forgot to include the great features from WATCHER.

The Anchor Bay dvd is out there, but it's no longer in print and a little tricky to find. Good luck.

http://noelct.blogspot.com

[–] pdxguy 17 years ago

I just saw this movie again after many years... and it was pretty bad. The alternate endings were TERRIBLE! When the alien came on screen, I burst out laughing! And the part where Karen walks out of the forest and reunites with Bette Davis was hee-larious! I'm glad they at least had the sense to make it less sci-fi, and more supernatural, with the revised ending.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] decamefo 16 years ago

I think the best part about this film is that we never saw the watcher. That's what made it so scary. I hated the fact that I saw the alternate endings on the dvd. I shouldn't have watched them. It took something away from me. I can't watch the movie in the same way again. It's always the unknown that works best in my opinion. It's what's left to the imagination that allows the viewer to watch the film over and over again and still get the creeps.

[–] atogcheese 15 years ago

I honestly like the alternate endings better.

Getting to see the watcher, I feel, is a rather important aspect of a movie TITLED "The Watcher in the Woods".

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Grinnygog 14 years ago

I think the original ending would be the DEFINITIVE ending IF the film was complete and the OTHER WORLD sequence was finished and included. The film originally ran 100 minutes WITHOUT the Other World sequence, which would have added a couple more minutes. The original opening (which has NOT been seen since April 1980) started the film off very scary and the tension just continued from there. A small girl is seen in the woods playing with a doll. The WATCHER’S presence (a roving camera POV) sneaks up to the girl from behind. She suddenly turns to the camera and screams, dropping her doll and running off. The camera changes it view from the running girl to the doll. There is a growl, the doll floats upward, becoming air borne, and is swiftly launched against a tree where it is struck by a blue beam of light igniting it. The Main Titles are played over the burning doll face which melts as the credits continue accompanied by striking “psycho-like” musical strings.

You can also see from the original endings included on the DVD - the longer scenes, the tension that was building, Carroll Baker's dramatic extra material.....I think when they cut the film and shortened scenes, it hurt the horror of the film. The new ending IS very spooky with Ellie being possessed, but what about her mother? Where is she? And no matter how "bizarre" people think Katherine Levy looked as Karen, she WAS Karen throughout the film blindfolded. I have NEVER been comfortable with the uncredited actress they chose to be Karen in the current ending. She looks NOTHING like Karen seen throughout the film, her dress doesn't even match.

As for the original ending, the director John Hough was not involved with the special effects and the WATCHER itself. In the commentary of the DVD, he states he believes the WATCHER is seen too much. And the growls of the WATCHER were NOT included on the DVD for some reason. If the growls were there, and the shots of the WATCHER were briefer, I don't think it would appear so "cheesy".

When Karen runs to her mother, you should've noticed Bette Davis was wearing the same dress she was wearing the night Karen disappeared!!! They should have included a scene of her rummaging through her closet or fixing herself up, but that would have interrupted the tension. But I realized it right away - she cleaned herself up and put on the dress she was wearing the night Karen disappeared!!!

For the complete story on the different endings and the dealings between Anchor Bay and Di$ney, read the following article written by the producer of the DVD who also happened to be at the premiere of the original cut in April 1980:

http://www.oocities.com/ditcin4/watchermystery.html