The Watcher In The Woods (1980)

"She had to. She had to push you down to get you loose from the branch.
She saved your life."

At a glance:

What an age it was when Disney made horror movies to spook kids out. John Hough's Watcher In The Woods, a troubled adaptation of what I understand to be a very dark 1976 novel by Florence Engel Randall, went down the annals of cinema history for bein pulled from theatres after its initial release in 1980, for havin a CGI endin that was "laughed off the screen" in the words of the director himself. It was re-released in 1981 after bein re-edited with a revised endin. Many remember this movie from their childhood but me, so I thought I'd give it a go, since I've just been just catchin up on older horror movies like The Sentinel (1977) and Ghost Story (1981). Story? It's about sisters Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and Ellie (Kyle Richards) who move into a manor owned by Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis) and get haunted by Karen, a girl who disappeared inside a chapel near the village 30 years ago.

Bad news on the doorstep:

Lynn-Holly Johnson ruined it.

There's a good account on Wikipedia where you can read all about the muddled state of affairs regardin its 1980 release but that doesn't tell you how very poor the actin was indeed. Save for Bette Davis, everyone's performance, especially lead girl Lynn-Holly Johnson, was so ham-fisted to the point of destroyin all tension and mystique, never mind the debate about which endin was used in what version. Many people recall this movie from their childhood and single it out as bein a truly traumatic memory, so I guess that's just a pocket of culture I missed out on. I remember not sleepin well for years after watchin Stephen King's It (1990) so that's probably my replacement.

Perennial wonderment:

If they could do it back then, why not now? The movie in most dire need of an endin rewrite and re-release would be The Devil Inside (2012), no doubt. Still very bitter over that one!

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Apparently it would've been Disney's first ever PG-rated flick but due to the delays and reshoots, The Black Hole (1979) took that honour instead. Anyway, the out-of-print 2002 Anchor Bay DVD release used to go for US $200 and that's the one with the most features, so unless you're willin to spend, you'll most likely get yourself the cheaper 2004 Disney release. The Watcher In The Woods (1980) has some academic importance but nothin compellin here for the horror movie fan. Jog on. ★★

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

At a glance:
Shock torture porn, semi-docu style, but not without some critical importance. Pic seems to work because there is a real and substantial mockery of civilised society here, interlaced with plenty of explicit imagery of bizarre sexual acts, tribal rituals and graphic animal slaughter, which are all pretty darn interestin if you ask a sick fuck like me. Much talked about by those who're into extreme cinema.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Banned in its native Italy and a few others upon release, the movie is still controversial today. Some countries have since lifted the ban, some won't. No surprise there when you read that they dropped murder charges against director Ruggero Deodato only after he explained the SFX behind how the girl was impaled in one scene (pic). This was because the actors signed contracts agreein they'd disappear and keep low profiles so that people might really believe they died while makin a documentary in the jungle, which is part of the story. You might find many versions to download. Watched mine on an original R3 Thai disc.
Reminds me of:
Anthony Wong in Ebola Syndrome. Haha. On another note, director was reportedly pissed off at similar movies like Blair Witch Project and The Last Broadcast, which didn't cite enough referential credit to his movie.
Watch out for:
The celebrated scene that teaches you how to process a turtle for dinner. Sure makes you think twice about terrapin soup from now on, doesn't it?
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Four stars. I was quite entertained, especially with Riz Ortolani's amazin score. Even that culture goldfish numbnuts Johan remembers the music. Man also scored Mondo Cane.
Trailer for the curious: