The Watcher in the Woods

I still feel that it is a real shame that Disney made such a poor film from this novel. As far a young adult fiction goes, this story is truly gripping. By taking the "old dark house" genre, and incorporating elements of the science fiction story into it, Randall effectively creates a narrative that is gripping and unique. The conclusion of the novel is ambiguous, but compelling nonetheless. Randall makes effective use of characters and, most especially, atmosphere. I also liked the use of paralleling the heroine's experience with the girl who used to live in the house and the watcher. I first read this story when I was nine or ten, and I found it captivating. I have since reread it several times, and found it equally interesting each time. In many ways, the novel makes use of several storylines and ideas which are very common today, but not at the time that it was written, such as communicating with psychic phenomena through the television ("Polt! ! ergeist"), or alien visitation ("The X-Files"). I regret that Disney felt compelled to change the plot dramatically, and to fill the story with uninteresting cliches and unbearable acting. It's a shame that this interesting novel that seems to have its finger on currently popular sub-genres, is out-of-print. (Check out John Bellairs' "The House With a Clock in Its Walls" for another interesting juvenile fiction take on the gothic house story.)