The original is better but my fanboy urge has been satisfied after all these years of hearing that there were alternate endings (including aliens). I love this movie more for nostalgic reasons but something tells me the alien ending would have please me just as well as the original.
They were much more calm about that than I would've been haha. I'm a grown ass man and I would've been screamin' like a white woman being chased by Jason Voorhees!
Wow, I heard the watcher was cheesey looking but I think it looks very creepy here, Karen sorta looks like Corey Feldman in a wig and dress - I think they used another girl in the real ending?? Is the other alernate end on youtube?? I can't find it
I like the Alternate Ending better, I really like the Alien Watcher. Sure it's look like the grim reaper at first but all I want to know is (I know I sound like AVGN), were I can find that Alien Watcher puppet? I need to know.
*original meaning the "official" one shown in the 1981 re-release. Technically this is the original (theatrically released version. the OFFICIAL official one is the longer ending)
OMG what an absolute monstrosity this is!! The re-shot ending is waaay better than this garbage. The acting is hysterical and what was that bug creature???? The ending that we all know is much more appropriate and thrilling. This was just a laugh fest.
i like this better than the shining lights blablablas. as lame as the 'watcher' was (dude, its 1980. it was cool back then) the whole concept of freaky watcher and weird last explanation, just thrilled me more.
Mothra ya~! Mothra, dongan kasakuyan indo muu... heh, the monster-thing didn't scare me, it looked like a reject Toho monster. This hasn't-aged Karen and her wig freaked me right out!
I watched this movie about 27 yrs ago and it scared the hell out of me. My mother rented it from the Disney section at Blockbuster and went back to chew out the people who put it on the shelves lol because she thought it wasn't appropriate for kids. We did end up watching the whole thing eventually but I never knew there was an alternate ending until just now. In fact I just made my 11 yr old daughter watch it with me bc I'm still spooked by it. Lol ! She however thought it was silly and is mak
I love this movie.my teacher let us watch it in the fourth grade in the 90's.I bought it and watched it with some friends and at 25 still a creepy movie to me..i have never seen the "other world" part and wish there was a video of it..if someone finds it let me know..I am curious now:)
@ctchampagne For real. I'm glad in the official ending you never actually see the watcher -- I always imagined it didn't have a physical body ...'cause how would you miss this giant friggin' bat-thing even in the dark woods?
Where's the really long alternate with the Watcher and the Tron like space time pyramids? Oh how I love the days when folks making kids movies did too much acid instead of too much coke.
this is a little cheesy maybe its just the terrible special effects of the time. the new ending they gave was much better- uncomplicated & without unnecessary special effects. it doesnt seem to fit with the rest of the film. i liked that the watchers body in the other ending was this lighty thing... a bad alien from the old days of star trek or dr who was a bit OTT!
has anyone ever heard of a movie called Julia its a ghost story that scared the living daylights out of me I've been trying to find it its so creepy. its about a little girl ghost who is haunting this woman.
Is it with Doris Day? I saw the beginning of a scary Doris Day film called "Julia" when I was young and have never been able to find a copy of it again!!!
Man o' man, as if the original wasn't crazy enough!
This one scared the shit out of me as a kid. Today, I think it's actually a really well made ghost story, and would have been great if I had been just a little older.
This ending is really not as good as the one released, but gets points for sheer wierdness. A vicious alien?? Movies just don't have those kinds of surprises anymore.
This movie is so whack. I wish somebody would post the alternate ending extra with the "other world" sequence (even though this footage is only about one minute long). In my opinion, the ending posted here is the worst and the official ending is the best. The "other world" sequence explains the original ending better than this confusing conclusion.
I watched this film countless times as a child. My cousin and I still watch it from time to time for nostalgic reasons. The released ending always seemed abbreviated to me but this alternate ending provides little clarity. The film is based on a book, I always guessed the book goes into some complicated detail that wouldn't really fir it into a Disney film. It's honestly always puzzled me that Disney would even produce a film based on such an esoteric story.
Well, Disney made this during a period where they really didn't know who they were anymore. They were behind the times and increasingly irrelevant, so in the late 70s they started branching out into sci-fi and horror to keep current. It's great that that they tried, but they were too chicken to really do it right. This movie could have been GREAT if it had gone further.
After their transformation in the late 1980s into a corporate giant, these kinds of experiments were dropped like a hot potato.
As a child I shat my pants watching this (metaphorically speaking), now as an adult, watching the alternative ending I pissed my pants! (Metaphorically speaking). Especially the part where Bette Davis comes out of her house and says "Kenneth! You're home!" Oh wait, Karen wasn't it? Well she looked like a Kenneth didn't she? Hideous! Yikes! The real terror comes from seeing what these transdimentional beings do to a girl, the trauma of the exchange led to a sex change! Original rules!
For those who don't do there research about this scene, it's incomplete. When she gets taken by the alien, there is supposed to be a scene on another world where you you see where Karen was being held. Also the alien explains why it was there. here is a quick summary.
The alien was having it's coming of age ceremony where it must see earth. It was being teleported down but Karen got too close to the portal. That caused them to switch places. For the alien 30 years is like 1 day so it didn't age
I only got to see this one as an adult, as my mom had banned it even though I begged to see it. She said it would give me nightmares.
I loved it for its corniness and was honestly shocked that Bette Davis would be in it! I got it from Ebay, btw
I'm so glad I'm not the only one that is convinced Karen in the ending is a drag queen. When I first watched it, that was my first question...why is a guy in a bad wig and a dress standing there? Could they not have got a female stand in? LOL
haha I know. I bought the movie the other day and I thought "oh here comes Karen she's gonna be gorgeuos...' Then I saw her face and said wtf!? I also thought Jan'scharacter screams a little too much
I remember the first time I saw this movie, I was about 6 and I was very, very afraid... I couldn't watch long enough to see the ending! Then, I saw it again when I was 9 years old. I have to admit, the first time I saw the "watcher" in the alternate ending, I laughed.
I, for one, hope they never try to "remake" 'Watcher'.
Disney hasn't put out a decent live-action film in decades, and this film is great because it has the spooky ambiance that is impossible to manufacture via computer imaging. I wish everyone would stop re-making films, in fact, come up with original ideas and leave my old favorites alone!
I honestly think one of the reasons this ending was discarded was because of the choice of actresses to play Karen. In that platinum wig, she truly looks like a man. On top of that, because she doesn't speak, it makes it seem even more like she's a man. Every shot of her plays like some kind of sketch comedy. Between that and Lynn Holly Johnson's bad acting, this ending is a stinker. If only Diane Lane had done the Jan role as originally intended using Brian Clemens' script.
OK, so, I thought that this ending was scarier for the younger viewers, but I liked it better because explains the whole "Watcher in The Woods" thing. And this one kind of had an epilogue, where Jan explains to ellie that the watcher is somewhere else. In the other ending, Ellie wasn't even there, and it's like she didn't even know what happened.
It really depends on how young of a child. I'd say 8 or younger, but some kids up to maybe 12 would be scared too. Like I said, it all depends on teh child and what movies he/she has seen before.
@AppleFlavoredCyanide This was the ORIGINAL ending that was shown in previews. Critics and audiences hated the ending (or were confused by it). The film was pulled and a new ending was shot. The problem had to do with the special effects not working correctly.
Haha that alien is so funny. This movie gave me such bad nightmares no matter how many times I watched it as a kid. This ending probably would have made it worse.
This is really interesting, cheers for posting. I watched this the other day. I actually prefer the other ending myself i dont like the monster, but what i do like about this one is it actually shows Mrs Aylwood and her daughter Karen being reunited, and shown Karens reactions to being brought back, i would have liked to see that on the other ending.
Too bad the jerks at Disney won't let a restored version of the film be released. Anchor Bay wanted to do a director's cut and the director even offered to do it for free, but Disney said no.
Wow, so cool to see a different ending after all these years! I personally prefer the pillar of light representation of The Watcher to the insect-alien-look. It employs more of the Blair Witch approach, where what you dont see is far more terrifying than any monster they could create. In any case, thanks so much for uploading this! I can attribute this film (and Jans creepy possessed-voice) to my ongoing fear of wooded areas at night. Creepy pan-dimensional beings around every tree! ACK!
I'm now a mother of 34 and this movie still scares the life out of me. This is also my first time of seeing the alternate ending. Haven't seen the movie for some years and the music at the end just scared the life out of me and I had to press pause. lol
lol we finished watching this movie today at skool... lol its so freeky but its prolly the best horor movie ever...beter than prom night, 1408, and evrything.
Does anyone else think Karen looks kinda like a guy with a wig? Lol, when I first saw Karen in this clip I thought maybe they spoofed it, but I guess not
Thanks for posting this -- I had no idea alternate endings existed. It reminded me a little of the ending of "It" -- where the spider just comes out of nowhere. In fact, initially I thought nikkisioux made this ending on her Mac with Photoshop or something -- haha! Disney definitely chose the right one. Just like many of you have said, this movie really made an impression on me when I was a kid. I think this was the first VHS movie that we ever owned. Probably seen it 1000 times. . .
Wow, the sci-fi angle was really bizarre. Good try for attempting something kinda cool, but I think most of us prefer the original ending. Man, when I saw this as a kid I used to think it was the scariest movie ever! Still holds up really well. Funny how Kyle Richards played Lyndsey Wallace in the
1st and 2 Halloween films. I liked it when Disney tried darker films.
This is the second ending they shot. The theatrical one was the third.
First ending included an "other world sequence", the world of the watcher (The creature), as credited at the end but never shown to public. This watcher also originaly appeared in a vanished prologue.
I read this in the last issue (N°210) of the french magazine "Mad Movies".
In french, the movie is entitled "Les Yeux de la Forêt" (The Eyes of the Forest).
Here's an interesting fact, Kyle Richards the little girl who plays Ellie Curtis is sister to Kathy Richards, better known to the world as Kathy Hilton, making Kyle the aunt of Paris and Nikki Hilton. She was also Lyndsey Wallace in Halloween 1 & 2...crazy...in some 6 degrees of Bettie Davis way, the Hilton sisters factor in.
After seeing this and being a fan of the movie for years ever since I saw it as a kid when it also aired on The Disney Channel I prefer the original ending alot better than this. Unneeded exposition.
I saw this film when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade and thought it was the scariest film I ever saw in my life. Almost 2 decades later, I found it entertaining, and almost wished I didn't revisit it, to allow those childhood memories of the film to stay intact.
i am so glad they didnt use that ending !! also this film should never have been a pg i think it should have been a 15 !i watched it as a kid and it still scares me now ....and i still almost fall down the stairs trying to get back from the bathroom so quickly ! (as i think theres someone behind me !) lol
This is the ending that film had when it was rushed into press screenings for Davis' 50th year as an actress. This ending is missing the "other world" scene where Jan frees Karen, which was partially completed. The ending was entirely dropped and re-shot for the wide release and vhs.
first saw this film when i was about 8 i think + i was sooo scared of it. so much so that it has stuck in my mind ever since. tha nks alot 4 postings this 1. of course now i've sen it again i cant imgaine why i would have found it scary, but u know wat its like when ur young.
i remember watching this when i was younger! i used to be so scared of it. but i loved it. i JUST found a download of this movie yesterday. i'd herd about the alternate ending but didn't think i'd find it. THANKS! i wonder if i can find the alternate beginning as well...
I finally found it. I saw this movie when I was 8 and I got very scared. I saw it with a title in Spanish and took me forever to find it in the US. Thanks people.
I believe it was a guy in drag. The wig, large hands, and no speaking lines give it away (along with the masculine face). I think this was merely a stand-in of sorts, because there was some confusion as to whether this ending would end up in the final cut or not. However, there is some uncertainty as to why no other female was available to play the part, and why they had to use a man.
this is ok, but the original ending is scarier, when the watcher had no face. This movie is great though, cause those who know, know. Especially if they saw it as a little kid.
This is one of my favorite movies as a kid. Great and scary for a kid. At first i thought this was fake with the demon looking watcher. Then I watched the rest and saw that it was for real. I am glad I watched it but they chose the right ending.
Yeah, these were the pre-Eisner days-before Disney created Touchstone Pictures. This was around the same time that "Return to Oz" was released, which was also not really a "kid-friendly" movie. Both were very good, though, IMO.
Don't forget about "Something Wicked This Way Comes". That's another one from the early '80s when Disney was experimenting with darker subject matter.
I really wish this movie was better than it is. The cinematography and music give it a great creepy atmosphere, and the story is good. But the acting and dialogue just don't cut it.
"Something Wicked", I think, holds up much better. Probably a lot of that has to do with the fact that Ray Bradbury adapted the screenplay from his own novel.
what freaked me out about this movie when i was little was whenever they did those shots where it was like someone was peaking through the branches or walking behind them....by far the freakest thing for me though was when the little girl's voice changes into the deep monotone voice.
oh god, that was borderline-absurd. so glad they didn't use that as the ending! the only part i liked was when mrs. alewood saw karen again. made me cry( i just love bette davis. how great was she?
"The unfortunate side effect of you being in that alternate dimension is that... you came back a man." Egads... She looks like a hobo with a wig on.
VelvetHammer2000 2 days ago
i kind of like this ending better with the monster but after that I dont like it
Stupidassyoutub85056 1 month ago
Yikes! Put the blindfold back on! Or better yet, put it on me!
EvilJimDice 1 month ago
This other looking actress playing Karen is kinda fugly!
LordSolaris 4 months ago
The original is better but my fanboy urge has been satisfied after all these years of hearing that there were alternate endings (including aliens). I love this movie more for nostalgic reasons but something tells me the alien ending would have please me just as well as the original.
RandallP1nkFloyd83 5 months ago
I always wondered what the alien looked like when I was young. The thing I imagined was much scarier but loved this they should have cept it in.
sexyuglyx 5 months ago
@4:57 Kyle Richards from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills :)
Hard to believe that 30 years later she looks exactly the same.
jsrosa1282 6 months ago
the alien ending is TOO much explanation, the re-cut of the light beam was creepier and better
testiclesDOTca 6 months ago
The thing that made this movie creepy was the music....definately
barb7124 6 months ago
They were much more calm about that than I would've been haha. I'm a grown ass man and I would've been screamin' like a white woman being chased by Jason Voorhees!
cbaldwinjr 8 months ago
I love how people forget how macabre Walt Disney used to be. That, and all the sexual innuendos. :)
D1BonGo 9 months ago
this *is* the original.
nikkisioux 10 months ago
awful, just awful. The original was much better.
ThePurrmeow 10 months ago
Waaaaay better than the theatrical ending!
nfx1138 10 months ago
Monsters in the 80's were so slimy....
Mitchellfw 11 months ago 2
In the words of Ellie...."Stupid, Stupid, Stupid"!
GabrielHaze 11 months ago
this movie always freacked me out as a child X_X
AnimeJanice 11 months ago
Wow, I heard the watcher was cheesey looking but I think it looks very creepy here, Karen sorta looks like Corey Feldman in a wig and dress - I think they used another girl in the real ending?? Is the other alernate end on youtube?? I can't find it
KaydeyRai 1 year ago
This was horrible, thank goodness they didnt use this ending.
mmr003 1 year ago
I like the Alternate Ending better, I really like the Alien Watcher. Sure it's look like the grim reaper at first but all I want to know is (I know I sound like AVGN), were I can find that Alien Watcher puppet? I need to know.
lizardkyrieann 1 year ago
WTF...I like the original ending better with its intentional vagueness. Made the whole thing creepier. Does anyone have the other alternate ending?
DuchessAliana 1 year ago
*original meaning the "official" one shown in the 1981 re-release. Technically this is the original (theatrically released version. the OFFICIAL official one is the longer ending)
DuchessAliana 1 year ago
OMG what an absolute monstrosity this is!! The re-shot ending is waaay better than this garbage. The acting is hysterical and what was that bug creature???? The ending that we all know is much more appropriate and thrilling. This was just a laugh fest.
MissSai99 1 year ago
excelent movie!!
liznieves1 1 year ago
Damn thats messed up, they should well have gone with this ending.
CorvidBlight 1 year ago
this is, like, the real ending, right?
i like this better than the shining lights blablablas. as lame as the 'watcher' was (dude, its 1980. it was cool back then) the whole concept of freaky watcher and weird last explanation, just thrilled me more.
love this movie!!!
talkingheadphone23 1 year ago
Mothra ya~! Mothra, dongan kasakuyan indo muu... heh, the monster-thing didn't scare me, it looked like a reject Toho monster. This hasn't-aged Karen and her wig freaked me right out!
RockabillyAutopsy 1 year ago
Karen looks like a fucked up drag queen.
ArmpitNoises 1 year ago 8
Jeez. Thats thing is scary as hell. Im glad they used the ending that they kept for it. And yeah it did look fake, but scary as hell lol. <3
xtinaandravenfan 1 year ago
Great ending, although too creepy for a Disney movie. Thanks for posting!
VinnyMonster1 1 year ago
Lynn Holly Johnson was and still is Gorgeous!
VinnyMonster1 1 year ago
I watched this movie about 27 yrs ago and it scared the hell out of me. My mother rented it from the Disney section at Blockbuster and went back to chew out the people who put it on the shelves lol because she thought it wasn't appropriate for kids. We did end up watching the whole thing eventually but I never knew there was an alternate ending until just now. In fact I just made my 11 yr old daughter watch it with me bc I'm still spooked by it. Lol ! She however thought it was silly and is mak
LaurenLuv383 1 year ago
This movie scared me SOOOOOO bad when I was little! It still gives me the creeps...
hlookie 1 year ago
Both alternate endings are on the dvd "extras".
nikkisioux 1 year ago 2
I love this movie.my teacher let us watch it in the fourth grade in the 90's.I bought it and watched it with some friends and at 25 still a creepy movie to me..i have never seen the "other world" part and wish there was a video of it..if someone finds it let me know..I am curious now:)
CassidyW84 1 year ago
The watcher was scary looking. I know that if I had seen that when I was 5, I may have lost my mind.. lol
methylethyldeth 1 year ago
That looked really cool until it opens its wings. Then it just looked fake.
autobotfreak 1 year ago
WOW! That was REALLY DUMB! Thank goodness someone had they brains to change it.
ctchampagne 1 year ago
@ctchampagne For real. I'm glad in the official ending you never actually see the watcher -- I always imagined it didn't have a physical body ...'cause how would you miss this giant friggin' bat-thing even in the dark woods?
zammmerjammer 1 year ago
OH wow.. I've never seen this ending before.. that's some crazy shit! Where in the world did you get this? And why haven't I seen it before?
notahetero 1 year ago
This ending would be better if they didn't constantly cut to the disgustingly over-the-top reactions of the characters.
SergeantLuke 1 year ago
Why did they change Karens? It was scarier than what I had seen as a child but, it brought the whole movie together. Now I get it :)
feabeara 1 year ago
see,now if that were made now the creature would've been cgi and it wouldn't have been as fun or cheesey
crodgers100 1 year ago
It looks like the monster from JEEPERS CREEPERS.
Corterville 1 year ago
@Corterville u r rite bout dat nd it iz scary then dha regular one
brebre0454 1 year ago
lol, that thing's just weird looking
iamandrewssoul 1 year ago
Where's the really long alternate with the Watcher and the Tron like space time pyramids? Oh how I love the days when folks making kids movies did too much acid instead of too much coke.
kentuckdrew 1 year ago
NIce monster!
theScytheofGod 1 year ago
This is the original ending.. they re released it an 81 b/c this version didn't do well.. obviously.. lol i like the 81 version much better.
dix68 1 year ago
That was a pretty impressive creature. Kudos to them not ripping of the look from Alien as many were doing back then.
DavidFullam 1 year ago
this is a little cheesy maybe its just the terrible special effects of the time. the new ending they gave was much better- uncomplicated & without unnecessary special effects. it doesnt seem to fit with the rest of the film. i liked that the watchers body in the other ending was this lighty thing... a bad alien from the old days of star trek or dr who was a bit OTT!
memorysdancer 1 year ago
omg i haven't seen this ending.. i prefer the other, this is very weird. hahaha
4245card 2 years ago
@4245card yyyyyyeah that was kind of sketch; the original was better.
Ihdreniel 1 year ago
the blonde looks like a tranny...lol
dezznutz1001 2 years ago
That creature... was the Watcher himself.
it was, wasn't it?
hemanshera777 2 years ago
I think so
caroly1928 2 years ago
yo we watched in school holy shit everybody was like ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
Cheergirl4834 2 years ago
I love old horror/ghost films. I remembered watching this when i was 9 in the 90's. Scared me but loved it.
You guys should try watching "The Changeling" from 1980. This one scared me as well when I was a kid.
gak2008 2 years ago
Yeah, just saw the original "Changling" a few months ago...pretty good movie
dezznutz1001 2 years ago
has anyone ever heard of a movie called Julia its a ghost story that scared the living daylights out of me I've been trying to find it its so creepy. its about a little girl ghost who is haunting this woman.
Piratejenny25 2 years ago
Is it with Doris Day? I saw the beginning of a scary Doris Day film called "Julia" when I was young and have never been able to find a copy of it again!!!
Grinnygog1975 2 years ago
What the *hell*?
killerlady1955 2 years ago
That evil robot spider Skeksi thing will haunt my nightmares for eternity.
80sCommercialVault 2 years ago 2
hahahahahaaha AWESOME
tcrownprince 2 years ago
Man o' man, as if the original wasn't crazy enough!
This one scared the shit out of me as a kid. Today, I think it's actually a really well made ghost story, and would have been great if I had been just a little older.
This ending is really not as good as the one released, but gets points for sheer wierdness. A vicious alien?? Movies just don't have those kinds of surprises anymore.
eveningtsar 2 years ago
This movie is so whack. I wish somebody would post the alternate ending extra with the "other world" sequence (even though this footage is only about one minute long). In my opinion, the ending posted here is the worst and the official ending is the best. The "other world" sequence explains the original ending better than this confusing conclusion.
SomethingRifferent 2 years ago
I watched this film countless times as a child. My cousin and I still watch it from time to time for nostalgic reasons. The released ending always seemed abbreviated to me but this alternate ending provides little clarity. The film is based on a book, I always guessed the book goes into some complicated detail that wouldn't really fir it into a Disney film. It's honestly always puzzled me that Disney would even produce a film based on such an esoteric story.
20somethingstories 2 years ago
Well, Disney made this during a period where they really didn't know who they were anymore. They were behind the times and increasingly irrelevant, so in the late 70s they started branching out into sci-fi and horror to keep current. It's great that that they tried, but they were too chicken to really do it right. This movie could have been GREAT if it had gone further.
After their transformation in the late 1980s into a corporate giant, these kinds of experiments were dropped like a hot potato.
Marbles471 2 years ago 3
As a child I shat my pants watching this (metaphorically speaking), now as an adult, watching the alternative ending I pissed my pants! (Metaphorically speaking). Especially the part where Bette Davis comes out of her house and says "Kenneth! You're home!" Oh wait, Karen wasn't it? Well she looked like a Kenneth didn't she? Hideous! Yikes! The real terror comes from seeing what these transdimentional beings do to a girl, the trauma of the exchange led to a sex change! Original rules!
Nightjourney90210 2 years ago
Maybe being frozen in time and space messes with your gender.
maisonvivante 2 years ago 2
For those who don't do there research about this scene, it's incomplete. When she gets taken by the alien, there is supposed to be a scene on another world where you you see where Karen was being held. Also the alien explains why it was there. here is a quick summary.
The alien was having it's coming of age ceremony where it must see earth. It was being teleported down but Karen got too close to the portal. That caused them to switch places. For the alien 30 years is like 1 day so it didn't age
omastar444 2 years ago 2
wat the f is tht creature thing. tht has nought to do wiv the film in my opinion. Normal ending is the best
bb201202200000 2 years ago
I only got to see this one as an adult, as my mom had banned it even though I begged to see it. She said it would give me nightmares.
I loved it for its corniness and was honestly shocked that Bette Davis would be in it! I got it from Ebay, btw
I'm so glad I'm not the only one that is convinced Karen in the ending is a drag queen. When I first watched it, that was my first question...why is a guy in a bad wig and a dress standing there? Could they not have got a female stand in? LOL
yemayaolokun7 2 years ago
haha I know. I bought the movie the other day and I thought "oh here comes Karen she's gonna be gorgeuos...' Then I saw her face and said wtf!? I also thought Jan'scharacter screams a little too much
deeders05 2 years ago
I remember the first time I saw this movie, I was about 6 and I was very, very afraid... I couldn't watch long enough to see the ending! Then, I saw it again when I was 9 years old. I have to admit, the first time I saw the "watcher" in the alternate ending, I laughed.
24asteria 2 years ago
Wow, that's one scary monster design for Disney to use..that thing could only come from a marriage of H.R. Giger and H.P. Lovecraft
wickedfeylady 2 years ago
I, for one, hope they never try to "remake" 'Watcher'.
Disney hasn't put out a decent live-action film in decades, and this film is great because it has the spooky ambiance that is impossible to manufacture via computer imaging. I wish everyone would stop re-making films, in fact, come up with original ideas and leave my old favorites alone!
nikkisioux 2 years ago 22
I honestly think one of the reasons this ending was discarded was because of the choice of actresses to play Karen. In that platinum wig, she truly looks like a man. On top of that, because she doesn't speak, it makes it seem even more like she's a man. Every shot of her plays like some kind of sketch comedy. Between that and Lynn Holly Johnson's bad acting, this ending is a stinker. If only Diane Lane had done the Jan role as originally intended using Brian Clemens' script.
maisonvivante 2 years ago
I saw this film when i was 4 and i couldn't look in a mirror because i thought i would see Karen in it.
MissyMayh3m 2 years ago
THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME!
Except I don't think I was that young when I watched it. I was about six, I think.
I couldn't look in mirrors and my mom had to hide the movie's case.
ErinWantsToPlayAGame 2 years ago 2
Cool! I saw the film recently and only found out the other day there was an alternate ending (s?) to this spooky classic.
The creature design is great, if a little clunky these days, but I know it would have freaked me out as a kid!
But It's a bit OTT so I still prefer the less obvious ending they eventually chose.
Wankshaftsbury 2 years ago
the last time i saw this movie i was in 4th grade. i was about 10 now i'm 21
justinikkifeb14 2 years ago
can you even buy this movie.... ?????
fnnygrl2009 2 years ago
yeah, you can. i own it... although i don't know we got it... it just appeared one day. *creepy music*
LOL. just kidding. my mom bought it for us kids forever ago, and i just held onto it.
travillion7 2 years ago
OK, so, I thought that this ending was scarier for the younger viewers, but I liked it better because explains the whole "Watcher in The Woods" thing. And this one kind of had an epilogue, where Jan explains to ellie that the watcher is somewhere else. In the other ending, Ellie wasn't even there, and it's like she didn't even know what happened.
harrypotterphan9 2 years ago
How young of a child?
TaylorLover1591 2 years ago
It really depends on how young of a child. I'd say 8 or younger, but some kids up to maybe 12 would be scared too. Like I said, it all depends on teh child and what movies he/she has seen before.
harrypotterphan9 2 years ago
And here I thought the original movie/ending gave me nightmares. lol!
omg! that monster scared the crap out of me!
Amarian86 2 years ago
That monster isn't even scary!
TaylorLover1591 2 years ago
Too bad your the only one who thinks that. Than again...at your age, nothing scares you.
Amarian86 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I have this movie
But never know what it is about.
what is it about?
sexiemarshmallow 2 years ago
Oww, that monster looks really creepy. I'm glad they didn't choose that ending.
kflze 2 years ago 11
@kflze I had no idea there WAS an alternative ending until like... today... I haven't seen this movie since I was a child.
AppleFlavoredCyanide 1 year ago
@AppleFlavoredCyanide This was the ORIGINAL ending that was shown in previews. Critics and audiences hated the ending (or were confused by it). The film was pulled and a new ending was shot. The problem had to do with the special effects not working correctly.
Gnillob802 1 year ago
I think I like the ending that they used better. But this was kind of cool... explained the Watcher better.
BayBayBean 2 years ago 2
They don't make good weird strange movies like this anymore, they just don't seem that great anymore.
imhackedagain 3 years ago 3
Haha that alien is so funny. This movie gave me such bad nightmares no matter how many times I watched it as a kid. This ending probably would have made it worse.
yellowishgirl 3 years ago 3
Word is Disney's only true Horror movie and it rules!
bannedbyMusloons 2 years ago
wow!! i've seen this movie many many years ago and to now see an alternate end - that's big class! =)
but if this ending would have been the one shown on tv, gosh! i would have had even longer nightmares of that movie, it creeped me at that time :D
cmk25071985 3 years ago 2
that karen is scary looking and u can soooo tell that is a wig
Happymanga09 3 years ago
is this version on the DISNEY dvd as the two alternative endings??
vitaman30 3 years ago
Bette Davis deserves a happy ending!
koln1996 3 years ago 2
I like this scarier ending
wickedfeylady 3 years ago
This is really interesting, cheers for posting. I watched this the other day. I actually prefer the other ending myself i dont like the monster, but what i do like about this one is it actually shows Mrs Aylwood and her daughter Karen being reunited, and shown Karens reactions to being brought back, i would have liked to see that on the other ending.
jiggarypokery 3 years ago 2
I read that was a "last minute" change, and later regretted by Disney.
They admitted that this ending was far better.
I am not totally sure.
koln1996 3 years ago
Too bad the jerks at Disney won't let a restored version of the film be released. Anchor Bay wanted to do a director's cut and the director even offered to do it for free, but Disney said no.
lurkerrekrul 3 years ago 3
Wow, so cool to see a different ending after all these years! I personally prefer the pillar of light representation of The Watcher to the insect-alien-look. It employs more of the Blair Witch approach, where what you dont see is far more terrifying than any monster they could create. In any case, thanks so much for uploading this! I can attribute this film (and Jans creepy possessed-voice) to my ongoing fear of wooded areas at night. Creepy pan-dimensional beings around every tree! ACK!
Lumpchunker 3 years ago 3
I'm now a mother of 34 and this movie still scares the life out of me. This is also my first time of seeing the alternate ending. Haven't seen the movie for some years and the music at the end just scared the life out of me and I had to press pause. lol
StarJadzia 3 years ago
Okay this movie scared the CRAP out of me when I was kid. Remember the dog named "Narek?"
ooowee!
amatoanima 3 years ago
I LOVE THIS ENDING!!!!! is this in the new DVD that recently came out?
collector60 3 years ago 2
i like the first ending a whole lot better its more dramatic "Karen your home"
skinnyminny25 3 years ago 2
this is why disney shouldn't make horror films.
Darmani421 3 years ago
lol we finished watching this movie today at skool... lol its so freeky but its prolly the best horor movie ever...beter than prom night, 1408, and evrything.
MapleStoryBoi96 3 years ago 2
This ending is soooooo much better than the regular one! The regular one is still very much a mystery, this one was a whole lot better!
tatasupachic123 3 years ago
my music teacher has this movie hes letting the class watch it :3
sasuke52347 3 years ago
20 years later, i still cant look in a mirror the same!!!
larizzle954 3 years ago
wow, that was crazy, i never saw the alternate ending before. i can't really decide which ending i like better, lol.
Mobius49 3 years ago
i love this movie!
austinedd11 3 years ago
Anyone know where I can Buy this Movie?
DyAuNpI 3 years ago
try ebay.
austinedd11 3 years ago
Wasn't the mother of Jan the older version of Aly in "the Notebook"?
If so...wow. She looks so pretty!
carriewhite410 3 years ago
This ending with the alien reminds me of the Dark Crystal's characters a lot!
NymphetamineOrchid 3 years ago
Does anyone else think Karen looks kinda like a guy with a wig? Lol, when I first saw Karen in this clip I thought maybe they spoofed it, but I guess not
86fantaghiro86 3 years ago 2
Jen is hot then!! too bad it's 2008 now...
al3xband 3 years ago
Thanks for posting this -- I had no idea alternate endings existed. It reminded me a little of the ending of "It" -- where the spider just comes out of nowhere. In fact, initially I thought nikkisioux made this ending on her Mac with Photoshop or something -- haha! Disney definitely chose the right one. Just like many of you have said, this movie really made an impression on me when I was a kid. I think this was the first VHS movie that we ever owned. Probably seen it 1000 times. . .
BoiceInTheHood 3 years ago
I like the original much better, but this ending was still pretty cool, considering I love anything Sci-Fi related.
BiggestJPShipper 3 years ago
how about plot-related?
can someone explain how this movie made sense in any feasible manner???
FightingGoat23 3 years ago
was this creature in the original film cos i dont remember it was that long ago
ahdeath2007 3 years ago
Wow, the sci-fi angle was really bizarre. Good try for attempting something kinda cool, but I think most of us prefer the original ending. Man, when I saw this as a kid I used to think it was the scariest movie ever! Still holds up really well. Funny how Kyle Richards played Lyndsey Wallace in the
1st and 2 Halloween films. I liked it when Disney tried darker films.
pegleg747 3 years ago
Man, I remember when M Night Shyamalan was awesome...
samisyosam 3 years ago
This is the second ending they shot. The theatrical one was the third.
First ending included an "other world sequence", the world of the watcher (The creature), as credited at the end but never shown to public. This watcher also originaly appeared in a vanished prologue.
I read this in the last issue (N°210) of the french magazine "Mad Movies".
In french, the movie is entitled "Les Yeux de la Forêt" (The Eyes of the Forest).
yanndick 3 years ago
Here's an interesting fact, Kyle Richards the little girl who plays Ellie Curtis is sister to Kathy Richards, better known to the world as Kathy Hilton, making Kyle the aunt of Paris and Nikki Hilton. She was also Lyndsey Wallace in Halloween 1 & 2...crazy...in some 6 degrees of Bettie Davis way, the Hilton sisters factor in.
hebleedsglitter 3 years ago
After seeing this and being a fan of the movie for years ever since I saw it as a kid when it also aired on The Disney Channel I prefer the original ending alot better than this. Unneeded exposition.
JJF74 3 years ago
I saw this film when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade and thought it was the scariest film I ever saw in my life. Almost 2 decades later, I found it entertaining, and almost wished I didn't revisit it, to allow those childhood memories of the film to stay intact.
sc1807 3 years ago
i am so glad they didnt use that ending !! also this film should never have been a pg i think it should have been a 15 !i watched it as a kid and it still scares me now ....and i still almost fall down the stairs trying to get back from the bathroom so quickly ! (as i think theres someone behind me !) lol
haflingerfilly 3 years ago
do butterflies scare you?
FightingGoat23 3 years ago
no ....;-p
haflingerfilly 3 years ago
WE WATCHED THiS MOViE iN SCiECE..AND iT WAZ FREAKiN SCARY!!!! iT WAZ FREAKY WHEN KAREN CAME BAC!!!!!!!!!!!!
iejirjrojdkljskd 3 years ago
lynn holly johnson was fit back in her day :P....always liked her in this, its a brilliant film too..brings me right back. :)
duoh59 3 years ago
wow, karen returned to this dimension as a tranny!
kinkyskink 3 years ago 8
i agree, she does carry some masculine undertones
FightingGoat23 3 years ago
This is the ending that film had when it was rushed into press screenings for Davis' 50th year as an actress. This ending is missing the "other world" scene where Jan frees Karen, which was partially completed. The ending was entirely dropped and re-shot for the wide release and vhs.
larsnord 3 years ago 2
Yes, that one was too long to post.
nikkisioux 3 years ago
Split it and post it!
lurkerrekrul 3 years ago
first saw this film when i was about 8 i think + i was sooo scared of it. so much so that it has stuck in my mind ever since. tha nks alot 4 postings this 1. of course now i've sen it again i cant imgaine why i would have found it scary, but u know wat its like when ur young.
james87876 3 years ago
i remember watching this when i was younger! i used to be so scared of it. but i loved it. i JUST found a download of this movie yesterday. i'd herd about the alternate ending but didn't think i'd find it. THANKS! i wonder if i can find the alternate beginning as well...
cagalli85 3 years ago
the moment after she vanishes is sooo funny. the subtext on their faces is clearly "oh, so that's what happened. . . .that sucks. . . . shit."
calvinball1 3 years ago
I finally found it. I saw this movie when I was 8 and I got very scared. I saw it with a title in Spanish and took me forever to find it in the US. Thanks people.
cvt74 4 years ago
that girl whos karen is a real life champion ice skater she was in ice castles
freacls 4 years ago
The girl that plays Jan is the one in Ice Castles, her name is Lynn-Holly Johnson. The one that plays Karen, her name is Katherine Levy.
cvt74 4 years ago
no..the girl who played "Jan" is the one who was an ice skater and who was in ICE CASTLES
mamamiasweetpeaches 3 years ago
Yes, those who know really do know! I watched this movie as a young child and it has forever left a mark on my psyche.
junroo 4 years ago
The girl who played Karen seriously looks like a guy in drag.
arothmanmusic 4 years ago 7
no she dosent she looks a bit like my neighbour and her name is Karen too
freacls 4 years ago
I believe it was a guy in drag. The wig, large hands, and no speaking lines give it away (along with the masculine face). I think this was merely a stand-in of sorts, because there was some confusion as to whether this ending would end up in the final cut or not. However, there is some uncertainty as to why no other female was available to play the part, and why they had to use a man.
daintyfoxglove 4 years ago 4
lmao! she does!
cagalli85 3 years ago
this is ok, but the original ending is scarier, when the watcher had no face. This movie is great though, cause those who know, know. Especially if they saw it as a little kid.
knucklehead66 4 years ago 3
I love the DVD extras... All the trailers for the movie are awesome!!
abdipen 4 years ago
This is one of my favorite movies as a kid. Great and scary for a kid. At first i thought this was fake with the demon looking watcher. Then I watched the rest and saw that it was for real. I am glad I watched it but they chose the right ending.
Dolly1973 4 years ago
i have this movie on dvd its cool i love bette davis i never knew of this alternate ending it was nice to come across
lex19822 4 years ago
Yeah, these were the pre-Eisner days-before Disney created Touchstone Pictures. This was around the same time that "Return to Oz" was released, which was also not really a "kid-friendly" movie. Both were very good, though, IMO.
ShootAndSpin 4 years ago
Don't forget about "Something Wicked This Way Comes". That's another one from the early '80s when Disney was experimenting with darker subject matter.
I really wish this movie was better than it is. The cinematography and music give it a great creepy atmosphere, and the story is good. But the acting and dialogue just don't cut it.
"Something Wicked", I think, holds up much better. Probably a lot of that has to do with the fact that Ray Bradbury adapted the screenplay from his own novel.
Marbles471 3 years ago
That blonde chick looks like CarolAnne from "Poltergeist", if CarolAnne had grown up.
Notawesomeatall7 4 years ago 2
i know i love her hair coulor its white blonde
freacls 4 years ago 2
no not really it w3as a little freaky though
spazalot1556 4 years ago
I swear this watcher looks like terminator.
FridaysChild713 4 years ago
ha ha !
haflingerfilly 3 years ago
what freaked me out about this movie when i was little was whenever they did those shots where it was like someone was peaking through the branches or walking behind them....by far the freakest thing for me though was when the little girl's voice changes into the deep monotone voice.
hottykarate2000 4 years ago 3
Disney used to do some really badass creepy movies
Kelseyp00 4 years ago 3
oh god, that was borderline-absurd. so glad they didn't use that as the ending! the only part i liked was when mrs. alewood saw karen again. made me cry( i just love bette davis. how great was she?
suzylux 4 years ago
As a little kid this movie scared me shytless.
Mobee211 4 years ago 5