The Woman in Black

Starring;

Daniel Radcliffe

Ciaran Hinds

Janet McTeer

Sophie Stuckey

Liz White

Director;

James Watkins

In three words; Cliché – Scary – Thrilling

Plot;

Solicitor Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) is given the seemingly menial task of sorting out the affairs of a recently deceased woman who lived in a remote house near to an isolated village. Arthur is struggling at his law firm and at home since the death of his wife. Arthur has to leave behind his young son whilst he completes his work. However, when he stars his work he finds there are mysterious goings on.

Review;

Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) takes a trip to a remote village in order to sort out the affairs of a deceased woman. He does not impress his boss at the law firm where he currently works and is given this task as a last chance to sort himself out. It would seem that Arthur has been struggling since the death of his beloved wife. She died during child birth and now Arthur is left to bring up his son on his own. Well, with the help of a nanny.

He says his goodbyes to his son who doesn’t want his father to leave. However, their time apart is only scheduled for a few days as once his work is complete his son will join Arthur. Heading on the long train journey Arthur is befriended by wealthy local Sam Daily (Hinds) who provides him with a lift to the village. It is clear that his arrival is not welcomed by the other residents.

This is Hammer Films fifth movie since their revival and it is probably the most truthful to the Hammer ethos. At times there a numerous cliché scenes and moments which at the time of watching I did roll my eyes at, however, these scenes actually help to construct a wonderful tension which builds and builds right until the end of the picture. The main cliché would be the house where Arthur is working. However, the house and The Woman in Black are both genuinely scary.

Not being a fan of the wizarding world of Harry Potter I hadn’t actually seen Daniel Radcliffe act before. Although, in the few scenes I have seen from HP he seemed to be comfortable in front of the camera. From watching this film it is obvious what a talent he is and he excels in this performance and will obviously have an excellent future ahead of him with an array of roles.

There is a good supporting cast with Hinds standing out from everyone else. He and Radcliffe have an excellent relationship and share a thrilling scene on the marshlands near to the house. Fog features a lot in this story and it is also a character in its self. Whilst fog can be used by directors of period films to block any modern day features I believe that this is pivotal to the story and not over used. The fog helps to bring the audience into the cold, bleak atmosphere of the Victorian age.

The Woman in black is a very enjoyable film and a well balanced screenplay. Jane Goldman has once again executed an excellent script. My only reservation was the predictability of the film and also the very last scene. Why, oh why do modern day horror directors want to break the fourth wall?! I will never know.

Verdict;

3 out of 5.