Review of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989) by Josh P — 11 May 2012

While her parents leave on an expedition, young Bonnie (Emily Hudson) and her cousin Sylvia (Aleks Darowska) find themselves under the "care" of Miss Slighcarp (Stephanie Beacham, looking like Scarlett O'Hara on a bad hair night), who sells the girls to an orphanage.

We can tell that Slighcarp is evil because she wears dark gowns and sneers into the camera for just about every shot. With the help of a friend who lives in the woods (Lynton Dearden), the girls struggle to reclaim their house while outrunning savage wolves.

Nothing we haven't already seen before, but this British production is great fun for fans of dark children's literature. I'm sure the book it's based on has more depth, as there are times when the film seems rushed, with a few questions unanswered (what's up with that secret passage in the girls' house anyway?), but anyone looking for good old-fashioned entertainment won't really mind.