The Watcher in the Woods is a cult classic ’80s horror flick that is being reimagined as a Lifetime movie, starring Angelica Huston (Prizzi’s Honor), directed by Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch), and written by Scott Abbott (Queen of the Damned), based on the novel by Florence Engel Randall.
Hart and Abbott, along with executive producer Paula Hart and associate producer Andrew Gernhard, appeared in a panel during Comic-Con to talk about the upcoming film, which will premiere on October 21, 2017. First, Melissa and Paula shared that they’d been planning to remake the movie for many years. In fact, when they initially discussed the project, Melissa would’ve been cast in the role of Jan, rather than being behind the camera.
One thing they emphasized was the updated special effects, while maintaining a similar tone and mood to the original film. Abbott talked about wanting to honor the original movie with some updates without letting them overload the film. He also expressed his desire to write the strong female character since he is the father of a teenage daughter.
They gave a few teasers, including that the pond scene would be in the movie, despite the fact that it was the most complicated scene to film. Melissa also let fans know that the funhouse scene was included as it was one of her favorites from the original.
Both Melissa and Paula talked about their desire to make the movie accessible to parents and children, rather than one or the other. Paula pointed out that their company, Hartbreak Films, always tries to make projects that can be enjoyed by families.