Who is in the Woods?

I normally love to chat about books each week, but this week I am branching out a little because I can’t get this movie out of my mind. Blame it on the birthday party I went to Saturday night!

Everyone knows that a good sleepover involves scaring yourselves silly. At every overnight my friends and I watch a movie that we think will scare us, but of course it has to be parent approved (PG). There are lots of movies out there that give us the chills, but our favorite has to be Watcher in the Woods.  It's an older movie that my mom had in her collection. I guess she used to watch it when she was my age. Now all my friends make me bring it to their parties, even though we have all seen it. Still, I have to peek from behind my fingers for most of it and thinking about certain scenes gives me the chills.  Thank goodness for the buttery popcorn and chewy Twizzlers that I munch on to ease my stress.

When Jan, her sister, Ellie, and their parents move into an old spooky mansion they have no idea that their lives are about to change. The movie begins, and you feel like you are a watcher spying on the family as they settle in to their new home. As they begin to unpack their belongings, a mirror breaks and Jan swears that she sees a weird vision of a blindfolded girl in it. Jan’s strange visions don’t end there, and no one seems to believe her. The mansion has a caretaker of sorts, Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis) whose daughter, Karen, died in a fire years before. Is it a coincidence that Ellie ends up adopting a dog she names Narek? There seems to be a lot of signs pointing to the past, if they can only figure out the clues in time. Is there someone in the woods watching them? What happened at the chapel in the woods? What secret has been hidden all these years? The way this movie is shot and the supernatural elements will have you shrieking as you dare to peek at the screen.

I don’t like to be scared all the time, but I like how the movie gave me the shivers! There is a scene where Jan falls into the water and Mrs. Aylwood is stirring the water over her that freaks me out! I had no idea Bette Davis could be so scary! For anyone that likes a good fright- check out Watcher in the Woods! Kids who watch this should be old enough that their parents let them watch PG movies and they should enjoy a good dose of fear! The craziest part for me is that it's a Disney movie. I had no idea they made movies like this, but this one gives me goose bumps every time I think about it! 

Has anyone else seen Watcher in the Woods? Or have you seen another movie that unexpectedly made you scream? We’d love to hear about it!

Happy Reading and Watching!
~L