Guardian, The

The Guardian is an American horror film of the supernatural thriller genre. It was co-written and directed by William Friedkin with a screenplay written by Stephen Volk, based on the novel by Dan Greenburg. The movie was produced by Universal Pictures and opened to limited theatrical release on April 27th, 1990. Television broadcasts of the movie replaced Friedkin's credit with Alan Smithee, which is a shared alias used by filmmakers who wish to disassociate themselves from their work. The premise of the film involved a Druid named Camilla (played by Jenny Seagrove) who becomes a nanny for Phil and Kate Armstrong. Camilla proves to be the antagonist of the picture and her connection to nature forces an evolutionary change into a half-human/half-tree creature.

Notes & Trivia

 * The Guardian, The Guardian (1990), Guardian (1990), and Guardian, The (1990) all redirect to this page.


 * The Guardian is an adaptation of the novel The Nanny by Dan Greenburg.


 * Director William Friedkin is best known for his work on the 1973 film The Exorcist. He is also known for directing The French Connection, The Hunted, Bug and the "On a Deadman's Chest" episode of Tales from the Crypt.


 * This is Stephen Volk's third film work, and his second work in the horror genre. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1986 semi-biographical thriller Gothic.


 * Druid culture also plays a role in the 1989 film Warlock and its sequel, Warlock: The Armageddon in 1993. In the film series, the Druids are responsible for capturing and executing a dangerous Warlock, who uses his magic to escape and survive.


 * An alternate example of Druid culture can be found in the 2011 TV series Teen Wolf. The character of Alan Deaton is both a veterinarian as well as a Druid assigned to a werewolf pack. In the mythology of the show, every werewolf pack has a Druid guardian.