For all its cutesy characters, Disney has always understood the importance of horror in the lives of children. This is not quite as overt as Something Wicked This Way Comes, but it makes up for it by ratcheting the suspense factor. An American family gets a great deal on a huge English estate but it's only moments before the oldest daughter, Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson), starts experiencing strange phenomena. She's convinced that there is something in the woods watching her and her sister Ellie (Kyle Richards). The creepy old lady caretaker (Bette Davis) believes Jan might be the link she needs to find out what happened to her daughter Karen, who disappeared without a trace thirty years ago. As the solar eclipse approaches, Jan and Ellie are drawn deeper into the mystery.
There are a couple of very obvious jump scares but otherwise, this is just a straight-up suspense story. As an adult, it's too easy to pick it apart but it might be okay for children under 10. Honestly, they might find Bette Davis to be the most terrifying thing in the film. I thought the final resolution was pretty interesting. I think it might be the first time I've ever seen that particular explanation used. As always, your mileage may vary, but I thought it was a decent twist on the whole haunted house genre.
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