The Watcher in the Woods
Buena Vista Distribution Company | Release Date: October 9, 1981 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
4
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)Rakesh Satyal
This so-called “children’s film” selects a variety of phobias and stitches them into a patchwork of shimmering terrorscapes and half-baked ideas about secret societies, the occult, and, of course, dirt-bike-racing in rural England. In other words, it’s perfect. Read full review
80
Screen RantPadraig Cotter
The Watcher In The Woods is an eerie, gothic horror movie and while it's suitable for older children, it feels utterly unlike anything else Disney has ever made. Read full review
75
SlashfilmBJ Colangelo
Parents are frequently looking for transitory horror films to help bridge the gap between certifiable children's films to hard-R horror, and The Watcher in the Woods is a perfect addition. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesDennis Hunt
Familiar stuff, but some major scares in the second half. [25 Oct 1991, p.F26]
67
ColliderAdam Donald
The Watcher in the Woods is a great movie for seventy minutes, but the subpar ending really does stain an otherwise solid watch. Read full review
60
EmpireIan Nathan
It does slow down a bit too much for endless walking hither and thither scenes in the woods, as we ebb toward the grand reveal, but the mystery proves strong enough to hold you. Read full review
50
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
The acting and writing are barely professional but the art direction, especially Alan Hume’s stunning camerawork, gives the pic a gloss. Read full review
50
The New York TimesVincent Canby
A peculiar sort of Disney movie in that it's likely to scare the daylights out of the very young while reducing their usually sober-sided elders to unfortunate giggles. The audience in-between may well enjoy the standard spook-movie effects, but I challenge even the most indulgent fan to give a coherent translation of what passes for an explanation at the end. Read full review
40
Time OutNigel Floyd
When it became obvious that the film's mix of cutesy sentiment and vague scariness wasn't working, the company ordered whole sequences to be rewritten, re-shot or re-edited, then imposed a stupid ending that explains precisely nothing. Read full review
37
Washington PostGary Arnold
Watcher in the Woods represents a botched effort by the Disney studio to locate a suitable opening somewhere within the flourishing genres of supernatural and horror fantasy. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
This tepid ghost story fails to focus on either its story or its target audience. Read full review
More From This Movie

52 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL