History Film / TheWatcherInTheWoods

* RaceAgainstTime: To recreate and complete [[spoiler:the initiation ceremony]] before the eclipse ends. This is particularly critical because not only do eclipses happen rarely, but the amount of time between them means if the chance is missed this time, [[spoiler:the three friends (and for that matter, Mrs. Aylwood) will be dead by the next eclipse. Which means the ceremony cannot be recreated and Karen not be reunited with her mother]].

A 1981 live-action Creator/{{Disney}} film based on the YA novel by Florence Engel Randall, ''The Watcher In The Woods'' is a supernatural mystery about a family that moves into an old British manor. Shortly after, the two daughters attract the attention of what appears to be a ghostly presence lurking in the woods surrounding their house. Elder daughter Jan finds herself unraveling a fifty-year-old mystery in order to save her little sister Ellie...as well as another young girl thought lost long ago.

The film is also known among fans for its troubled production history. Due to Disney's rush to release ''Watcher'' in time for the fiftieth anniversary of star Creator/BetteDavis' film debut, special effects in the climactic final sequence were left unfinished, resulting in derision and disappointment from test audiences. An attempted second ending, minus the special effects, left the resolution so vague that audiences were confused as to what had just happened. Finally, at the last minute, a very different third ending was filmed with a new director; this final version was the one that made it to theaters. The multiple endings led to a long-running {{Urban Legend|s}} that the original ending had been so terrifying that Disney refused to release it. The two unused endings were later made available as an extra to the remastered Blu-Ray release.

A 1981 live-action Creator/{{Disney}} film based on the YA novel by Florence Engel Randall, ''The Watcher In The Woods'' is a supernatural mystery about a family that moves into an old British manor. Shortly after, the two daughters attract the attention of what appears to be a ghostly presence lurking in the woods surrounding their house. Elder daughter Karen finds herself unraveling a fifty-year-old mystery in order to save her little sister Ellie...as well as another young girl thought lost long ago.

The film is also known among fans for its troubled production history. Due to Disney's rush to release ''Watcher'' in time for the fiftieth anniversary of star Creator/BetteDavis' film debut, special effects in the climactic final sequence were left unfinished, resulting in derision and disappointment from test audiences. An attempted second ending, minus the special effects, left the resolution so vague that audiences were confused as to what had just happened. Finally, at the last minute, a very different third ending was filmed with a new director; this final version was the one that made it to theaters. The multiple endings led to a long-running UrbanLegend that the original ending had been so terrifying that Disney refused to release it. The two unused endings were later made available as an extra to the remastered Blu-Ray release.

* AdaptationalUgliness: Florence Engel Randall describes the Watcher as [[spoiler: a humanoid little girl with long flowing robes, in the original ending of the film, it is a black archangel from outer space with clipped wings and an insect-like face. The new ending, where the Watcher possesses Ellie and has a female voice, is closer to the mark.]]
* AnotherDimension: [[spoiler: Where the Watcher is from, and where Karen went]].

* BittersweetEnding: Partly averted. [[spoiler:Karen and the Watcher have returned to where they both belong, Mrs. Aylwood and her daughter are happily reunited, and Karen seems none the worse from her experience.]] On the other hand, three decades have passed [[spoiler:with Karen having not aged while her mother and friends have, leaving the question of her adjusting to being back in a changed world.]]

* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Mrs. Aylwood speaks of her daughter Karen in ways that point to this trope (as does Tom Colley), and she also sees similarities in Jan (asking her if she is kind and sensitive). Jan is the heroine who must save the day, while Karen is the DistressedDamsel to be saved.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: John Keller's not a pleasant man at all, but he does harbor massive guilt for what happened to Karen [[spoiler: and ultimately joins in [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong setting things right.]]]]

A 1981 live action Creator/{{Disney}} film based on the YA novel by Florence Engel Randall, ''The Watcher In The Woods'' is a supernatural mystery about a family that moves into an old British manor. Shortly after, the two daughters attract the attention of what appears to be a ghostly presence lurking in the woods surrounding their house. Elder daughter Karen finds herself unraveling a fifty-year-old mystery in order to save her little sister Ellie...as well as another young girl thought lost long ago.

A 1981 live action Creator/{{Disney}} film based on the YA novel by Florence Engel Randall, ''The Watcher In The Woods'' is a supernatural mystery about a family that moves into an old British manor. Shortly after, the two daughters attract the attention of what appears to be some kind of ghostly presence lurking in the woods surrounding their house.

The movie is notable for being a well-done example of a suspenseful thriller while still being accessible to kids (although younger children may find it too scary), and also managing to be quite different from the typical Disney fare of the era. The film makes good use of atmosphere to develop a sense of tension and urgency as the plot unfolds.

* AdaptationalUgliness: Florence Engel Randall describes the Watcher as [[spoiler: a humanoid little girl with long flowing robes, in the original ending of the film, it is a black archangel from outer space with clipped wings and an insect-like face.]]

* AdaptationalUgliness: Florence Engel Randall describes the Watcher as a humanoid little girl with long flowing robes, in the original ending of the film, it is a black archangel from outer space with clipped wings.

* LargeHam: John Keller's the one character who overacts in every scene he appears.

* MissingTrailerScene: A clip from the original ending, which features Jan's mother asking [[spoiler:Karen's childhood friends what they saw when they reenacted the "secret club" initiation with Jan]], appears not only in the trailer, but also in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHzFO0w2WcQ "Walt Disney and You" ad]] [[MontageEndsTheVHS that appeared at the end of numerous Disney videos in]] TheEighties.

* AdaptationalUgliness: Florence Engel Randall describes the Watcher as a humanoid little girl with long flowing robes, in the original ending, it is a black archangel from outer space with clipped wings.
** Slightly justified in the official ending where it takes the form of Ellie.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* SupernaturalProofFather: Played with. When Ellie first suggests the house might be haunted he scoffs at the notion; later after both she and Jan relate Mrs. Aylwood's story, he wryly comments that if there is a ghost, it's fine with him as long as it just stays in the woods. And then he departs for London to work on his music, and is thus absent for all the supernatural goings-on as they escalate for the climax; it is noted he's coming back near the end of the movie, for the eclipse, but naturally everything is resolved before he can put in an appearance.

* CrustyCaretaker: Tom Colley has shades of this in both his appearance and attitude and the fact he lives in an old hunting lodge on the state. Like Mrs. Aylwood this too is subverted when he is revealed to be a kindly man who looks after wounded animals, and who was very close to Karen and misses her greatly.

* HauntedHouseHistorian: Mrs. Aylwood.

* OminousMusicBox: The tune itself isn't particularly upsetting, but the scene where the box entrances Ellie [[spoiler:and briefly possesses her]] is rather unsettling.
* OnceMoreWithClarity: When Ellie finds her eclipse-watching glasses and randomly makes comments similar to those she made while in a trance, Jan flashes back to them, as well as to the strange visions she'd seen, the pieces of the stained-glass windows, and so forth to put all the pieces together to solve the mystery.

* {{Arc Symbol}}s: Triangles and circles
* CreepyChild: Ellie, when she's [[spoiler: possessed by the Watcher]].

* DontGoInTheWoods

* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: Tom Colley, and also Mrs. Aylwood.

%%* {{Arc Symbol}}s: Triangles and circles

%%* DarkSecret: [[spoiler: Karen's disappearance.]]
%%* DontGoInTheWoods
%%* HauntedHeroine: Jan and her younger sister Ellie.
%%* HauntedHouseHistorian: Mrs. Aylwood.

%%* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: Tom Colley, and also Mrs. Aylwood.

%%* SdrawkcabName: Nerak.
%%* TotalEclipseOfThePlot: Plays a key role.

A 1981 live action Creator/{{Disney}} film, ''The Watcher In The Woods'' is a supernatural mystery about a family that moves into an old British manor. Shortly after, the two daughters attract the attention of what appears to be some kind of ghostly presence lurking in the woods surrounding their house.

* {{Arc Symbol}}s: Triangles and circles

* DarkSecret: [[spoiler: Karen's disappearance.]]
* DontGoInTheWoods
* HauntedHeroine: Jan and her younger sister Ellie.
* HauntedHouseHistorian: Mrs. Aylwood.

* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: Tom Colley, and also Mrs. Aylwood.

* SdrawkcabName: Nerak.
* TotalEclipseOfThePlot: Plays a key role.

A 1981 live action Disney film, ''The Watcher In The Woods'' is a supernatural mystery about a family that moves into an old British manor. Shortly after, the two daughters attract the attention of what appears to be some kind of ghostly presence lurking in the woods surrounding their house.

* MissingTrailerScene: A clip from the original ending, which features Jan's mother asking [[spoiler:Karen's childhood friends what they saw when they reenacted the "secret club" initiation with Jan]], appears not only in the trailer, but also in the "Walt Disney and You" ad that appeared at the end of numerous Disney videos in the 1980's.

A 1980 live action Disney film, ''The Watcher In The Woods'' is a supernatural mystery about a family that moves into an old British manor. Shortly after, the two daughters attract the attention of what appears to be some kind of ghostly presence lurking in the woods surrounding their house.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The film's original ending was to have [[spoiler:The Watcher be an insectoid being who takes Jan to its spaceship in order to help Jan reverse the swap between Karen and the Watcher.]] However, Disney wanted to rush the film's release to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Bette Davis' film career. Hence, the effects of the [[spoiler:UFO sequence]] weren't finished in time for the film's release, resulting in an ending that was unintelligible. In turn, Disney pulled the film from release, and instead of finishing the effects needed for the [[spoiler:UFO sequence]], made a new ending altogether with a different director (although part of the original ending does appear in the film's trailer).

* [[HeyItsThatGuy Hey, It's That Guy]]: Bette Davis plays the caretaker of the haunted house (and [[spoiler: Karen's mother))]], while [[TheManFromUNCLE David McCallum]] plays Jan and Ellie's father.

* [[spoiler: AnotherDimension: Where the Watcher is from, and where Karen went]].

* [[spoiler: TrappedInAnotherWorld: During the eclipse thirty years ago, Karen and the Watcher switched places when a portal was opened between their dimensions, and they need Jan's help to reverse it]].