The Watcher in the Woods is a 2017 American made-for-television horror film directed by Melissa Joan Hart and starring Anjelica Huston.

Mrs. Aylwood, the home's owner, is initially resentful of the intruders but lets them remain after noticing that Jan can hear whispers from the nearby forest.

That night Ellie names her new doll "Nerak" and Jan sees visions of a young girl in their bedroom mirror before it shatters in a perfect X.

The girl had been taken by a spirit inhabiting the forest, the Watcher, after Karen had played a prank involving her wearing a doctor's mask and robe and singing "Ring around the Rosie".

Unnerved, the teens go to Mark's house with Ellie, where they see her write the name "Nerak" in a dusty window, showing that it is "Karen" spelled backwards.

Back in the living world, Mark realizes that the Watcher was actually asking for a "pealing" - for the church bell to be rung for each year of his life so he can pass on to the other side.

During the early production process the decision was made to eliminate the science-fiction elements present in the novel and the 1980 film in order to "ensure their story was more cohesive" and make it a “more straightforward supernatural story.”[4] Anjelica Huston was brought on to portray Mrs. Aylwood and Tallulah Evans the film's protagonist, Jan. Melissa Joan Hart was confirmed as director and executive producer,[5] working on a screenplay adapted from the novel by Scott Abbott.