The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

I saw this about eight years ago when I was eight. My sister and I used to watch it on Disney channel super late at night. For the past few years we've been looking for someone to convince us that we didn't make it up, and yesterday my sister found the book in her library. Good to know other people have seen this movie! All we could remember was that there was snow, wolves, carriages, and a factory where someone got rolled through a dryer/presser. I still haven't seen it in years so if someone knows of a presentation on television or somewhere I can buy it I would love to know!

Thanks

THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE is based on a story by the great and spooky children's author Joan Aiken. In it, a pair of children are holed up in a remote mansion in a snowy locale surrounded by the titular wolves. They're in the care of scheming governess Stephanie Beacham and unscrupulous lawyer Mel Smith, and the story becomes a battle of wits between child and adult as each attempts to dispose of the other.

The film's visual style is what makes this so distinctive and indeed I remember loving it as a children. Carriage rides through the snowy landscapes with wolf accompaniment bring to mind the delights of the BBC's THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, while the cast of seasoned performers add plenty to the entertainment value. Richard O'Brien is unrecognisable as the butler and Geraldine James is delightfully ghoulish as the owner of a laundry which utilises child labour.

Inevitably it's Beacham who dominates proceedings as the villain of the piece, although I found her pantomime acting to be far too over the top; she's much more believable when she plays it straight as in the likes of ...AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS! The child actors give efficient turns here and the screenplay has a delightfully macabre streak with some gruesome deaths for some of the characters. Certainly for fans of vintage children's drama who don't mind overlooking the shortcomings of the production (such as the dogs in costume), THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE is a good-natured and atmospheric story.

I do confess I have not read the book, but whether a film is faithful to its source rarely ruins it for me. That said, while there are one or two somewhat tedious scenes along the way and I would have liked the film to have lasted longer, I liked this film. I liked The Wolves of Willoughby Chase especially for the stunning scenery, the cute wolves and the evil governess marvellously played by Stephanie Beacham. The music is good too, the script is above average, the story is at least interesting and the direction is competent at least. The performances of Emily Hudson and Aleks Darowska are appealing and Mel Smith, Geraldine James and Richard O' Brien(The Rocky Horror Picture Show) while over-the-top are fun. Overall, a good film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I remember watching this film when i was roughly 8 years old, thirteen long years ago (makes me feel old even though i'm only 21!)and i remember screaming at the television "Run, little girl, RUNNN" I absolutely loved the film as it had two best friends, nice frilly frocks and excitement all rolled into one action packed film. Recently i remembered very vague details of the film and it was driving me insane not knowing the title. All i remembered was a green, little red riding hood like cape/coat, lots of snow, wolves, a big building like a kind of castle and a horse and carriage. I searched for ages and came across this but ignored it as i thought it looked nothing like the memories i had. But after watching the trailer out of curiosity, i realised it was the famous "LITTLE GIRL GETTING CHASED BY WOLVES IN SNOWY FOREST" film that i have been desperately trying to find. Looking back it is very very corny and rather scary for a child may i add, but never the less i think i may have to watch it this Sunday, all wrapped up on the sofa eating crappy foods and plenty of chocolates - cosy. Nothing better than a good reminisce of childhood memories :)

I remember being enthralled by both the book and this film when I was little. Stephanie Beacham performs brilliantly as the evil Miss Slighcarp. She is well supported by Mel Smith, Jane Horrocks and Richard O'Brien (really likable as James and totally unrecognisable here from his "Rocky Horror" persona). The plot moves quickly and despite not faithfully mirroring the story of Joan Aiken's novel manages to portray all the characters just as they were depicted in the text. I continue to enjoy watching this as an adult - some fans of the book may be unhappy with some of the added material but as a fan of Joan Aiken myself, I think this adaptation and the actors' performances do great justice to her writing.