Disc Details
Special Features:	Widescreen anamorphic format. Chapter selection. Commentary by director John Hough. Theatrical trailers. TV spot. Two alternate endings with optional director commentary. John Hough biography. 20 page booklet. THX Optimizer.
Video Format:	Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) [SS-DL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 6.1 EX) English DTS. English (Dolby Digital 2.0)surround
Subtitles:	None.
Captions:	Yes
Casing:	1-Disc Keep Case

Paul and Helen Curtis (David McCallum and Carol Baker) are Americans living in England. They have a two daughters, Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson)and Ellie (Kyle Richards). The Curtis's rent a large estate from a reclusive old woman named Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis). Mrs. Aylwood is drawn to Jan because her own teenage daughter disappeared 30 years before under mysterious circumstances.

Jan tries to talk her parents out of renting the house. She picks up bad vibes from the woods surrounding the estate. Soon, Jan is seeing visions of Mrs. Aylwood's daughter. Jan becomes convinced that the lost girl is reaching out from beyond the grave or somewhere else for help. Jan sets out to solve the mystery.

The Watcher in the Woods was the first film by Walt Disney studios directly aimed at an adult audience. The trailers state "This is No fairy tale!" While the movie failed at the box-office due to drastic cuts and reshooting, it was a success in that it led the way for Disney to enter an entirely new market.

The film contains some very scary moments. Veteran Hammer horror film director John Hough creates a creepy atmosphere and sustains it for the entire running time. The film's problems came from an uncertainty as to how the film should end. Discarding the book's ending, the producers settled on an ending, which was ahead of its time. The film originally veered off from the world of the occult into the realm of science fiction. A poor critic's screening resulted in drastic cuts and reshoots. The print released into general release was more ambiguous in the resolution of the plot.

The DVD print is of the general release print. There are two alternate endings: one is 14 minutes long and the other is six minutes. While some of the special effects could have been handled better, both alternate endings are far superior to the final release print. Carol Baker and Bette Davis are cut out of the final print to the point that the story fails to make sense on several levels.

The acting is quite good. Lynn-Holly Johnson is considerably less annoying than she was in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. She holds her own in several intense scenes with Bette Davis and Ian Bannen. Hough's direction is superb throughout.

UPDATE: I received an e-mail from Scott Michael Bosco of "www.digitalcinema.net." Mr. Bosco was involved in the long restoration process. Click on the link to check out Mr. Bosco's very interesting tale of the difficult process Anchor Bay went through to have this movie restored. In addition to the back story, you will find interviews with several of the main players in this drama.

Picture Quality: 8/10
Another great job of restoring a worthy film by Anchor Bay. Nor pixilation, artifacts or shimmering. There are a couple of delineation problems in a few of the darker scenes. There are problems capturing the color Black.

Sound Quality: 10/10
Both the 6.1 and DTS are excellent. Nice musical score and creepy sound effects. The wind plays a big part in this film. Leaves rustle through your living room. Very cool effects.

Menu: 8/10
I'd give it a 10 except for Anchor Bay's policy of not using pictures on their chapter selection menus. Excellent atmospheric images and sounds from the film.

Extra Features: 10/10
The two alternate endings are the reason this DVD exists. Anchor Bay has provided horror film fans to opportunity to finally judge this film on its original merits.

While this isn't a great film, it is very good. Director Hough had a long and varied career. His commentary track is excellent.

The 20 page booklet includes interviews with the cast and crew. It also chronicles the film's troubled production history. Very informative.

The Final Word:
A must have for horror buffs. Well worth the price of admission.

Rusty White