October is the month of trick-or-treating, candy corn, pumpkin spice lattes, but most importantly, it’s the season of scary movies. For those who like to be scared, the new Lifetime movie "The Watcher" will premiere on October 21st to satisfy your horror movie cravings. Directed by Sabrina the Teenage Witch star Melissa Joan Hart, the film tells the story of two sisters who are drawn to strange goings-on in the woods surrounding their new home, and a woman who lost her daughter (Angie The mysterious story of Rika Huston. 20 years ago, Karen. The story is certainly creepy, but seems reasonable enough that it may have some basis in real life. Is "The Watcher" based on a true story?
Thankfully, this horror movie is a work of pure fiction, so hopefully this helps you sleep better at night. However, the 2017 Lifetime version of the film did have real inspiration. The new film is an adaptation of the 1980 classic "The Watcher." The film, distributed by Disney, is based on Florence Engel Randall's 1976 novel "The Watcher." Director Melissa Joan Hart had a lot to work with when she set out to adapt the beloved horror original.
"What I love about our reimagining is that we're taking a family-friendly thriller and taking a sci-fi element and taking the sci-fi out of it," Hart told Bustle's Anna Klassen during an interview at San Diego Comic-Con. "[The science fiction twist] was so confusing...the original movie had so many endings that they actually pulled it from theaters and remade the ending multiple times because audiences didn't respond to it," she says. "So we said, 'You know what? Let's take the sci-fi elements out of it and make it a straight-up gothic horror story."
But even though Hart was able to make her own Lifetime version of the story, she still felt it was important to stay true to some of the material from the original film. "There were some scenes... that I had to keep - that were just things that I remembered from 20 years ago. Well, it was over 20 years ago, but the last time I saw [the original movie] was probably 20 years ago and I really wanted to keep it Something,” she shared.
A unique element of the original "Watcher" is its appeal to both children and adults. According to the New York Times, the film was originally released by Disney in 1980 and then re-released in 1981 with a revised ending and was even more well-received by critics. This movie is aimed at families with children who want to watch an engaging ghost story that's more accessible and less scary than other popular horror movies from the '80s, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Hart tried to make her version equally family-friendly. "I can watch movies that are really just about these weird things that happen, without any mental images that will keep you up at night or haunt you for the rest of your life, you know?" she said. "So that's why I think it's good for families."
Even if you've never heard of the original film, Hart is confident her remake will create a whole new generation of fans of the cult classic. "This is an iconic movie for our generation," she said. "A lot of people say it's their first horror movie, their first thriller, their first introduction to the genre - and, like, it's like a movie they watch at sleepovers and with their families. So this It's just one of those movies that people love and it really has a cult following. "Hopefully a new generation of people who never knew about it at the time will get a chance to experience it," Hart continued. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, so we finally got the chance.”
You can watch this opportunity come to fruition on Lifetime on October 21 at 8pm ET.
Anna Klassen reports.
