Expert: 7devonapes - 10/30/2010

Question
I am looking for a movie made im guessing in the 70's or 80's. It is a thriller about a family that moves into a house that seems to be watched by something or someone. The elderly lady next door had a daughter about the age of 17 that went missing on a night like Halloween. It just so happens that the new neighbors have a girl the same age that resembles the missing girl who by the way went missing some years before. The family has three children one of which is about 9 or so and the elderly neighbor seems to be able to put this girl in some sort of trance only to try to find her daughter. As far as certain scenes go there is a part in the movie when the little girl is in a trance and writes her sisters name on some glass but writes in backwards(Nerak) which is how they got the name for the dog. The end of the movie ends with some teenagers doing a séance and they were able to bring the missing girl back.  

Answer
Hi Shelesh,

First, apologies for the late reply. Have been busy with work, etc.

With regards to your film enquiry, the title you are looking for is a (cult?)classic American-British Disney film from 1980 called "The Watcher In The Woods", based on Florence Engel Randall's 1976 novel of the same name. The movie stars a stack of great old character actors inc. Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David McCallum, and Ian Bannen, among others. Co-director John Hugh also made the earlier Disney classic "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1975) and its 1978 sequel.

"The Watcher In The Woods" Imdb.com page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081738/

"The Watcher In The Woods" trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFacqQp8uw

- You can also watch the entire film via Youtube, here's Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCfLXX4NDjo


DVD copies are readily available from Amazon.com, Ebay, etc.


Cheers!
Ryan