The Watcher in the Woods

Movie Review: The Watcher in the Woods (** out of 4 stars)

Year of Release: 1980

Country of Origin: USA, UK

Director: John Hough

Cast: Bette Davis, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Carroll Baker

Plot outline: When an American family moves into a beautiful old English house in a wooded area, strange, paranormal things happen. One daughter sees, and the other daughter hears, the voice of a teenage girl who mysteriously disappeared during a total solar eclipse decades before (IMDb).

The story (**)

How the story unfolds (** The atmosphere is pretty good. The movie’s failing is in the ending. You get the sense that while the filmmakers had a good storyline they never quite figured out how to resolve it.)

The characters (** Bette Davis still had incredible presence, and spit her lines out in that inimitable style that could have intimidated Clint Eastwood. It did not, however, phase Lynn-Holly Johnson in the slightest. She wambles on obliviously, leaving only questions as to whether her hair, voice, or facial expressions are most absurd, disproportionate, or inappropriate, in her wake.)

The acting (**)

Overall rating ** out of 4 stars