Guest Film Review: The Woman in Black

Director: James Watkins

There is an inherent problem when a film company buys the rights to a book that you adore, despite being pleased at the chance to see the story in glorious Technicolor, there is always a nagging thought in the back of your brain asking if it will ever be as good.

Hammer’s latest release The Woman In Black, posed just such a question. Daniel Radcliffe plays the lead character Arthur Kipps, a struggling young accountant and father who is still reeling from the death of his young wife only a few years before. Kipps is sent to tidy up the affairs of Alice Drablow, owner of the estate Eel Marsh House in the North East of England.

The Woman In Black is a classic, Victorian ghost story. The town of Crythin Gifford where the story unfolds is a small, isolated town reminiscent of the setting for The Wicker Man. The locals are superstitious and unhappy with Kipps’ arrival. After his first visit to Eel Marsh House, he finds out why. The house is haunted by the malicious ghost of Jennet Humfrye, Mrs Drablow’s sister. Jennet lost her only son in a tragic accident in the swamps around Eel Marsh House and has taken it upon herself to destroy the happiness of local families by ensuring that their children die.

It would be unfair to delve any further into the plot and unravel the layers of mystery that make the film such a triumph. Radcliffe is excellent in the lead role, he portrays genuine emotion and grief throughout the film although he does have the occasional relapse into the wooden moments of his earlier career.

The Woman In Black has an oppressive and tense atmosphere; the acting is almost note perfect from the entire cast and allows the tension to build from the very opening scene. Eel Marsh House is one of the creepier haunted houses in recent films, the use of various Victoriana and grotesque Victorian toys is a masterstroke, lending authenticity to the proceedings.

The film does deviate from the book at about the halfway stage and it has to be said that one of the significant changes the writers made does aid the film to become incredibly twisted. In the book, Jennet simply causes the death of the children by causing unfortunate circumstances. However in the film, she makes them commit suicide. The scenes where children die are incredibly upsetting and add to the horror of the film itself.

Overall The Woman In Black delivers enough scares to entertain seasoned horror film watches (yours truly) whilst should do enough to scare the life out the uninitiated. A person in the cinema sat near me described it as a “vile film”. The Woman In Black delivers an emotional story coupled with plenty of both psychological and jump scares. It is an example of how a stripped down, well written tale can be made into a successful and frightening horror film. Forget Saw and Paranormal Activity, The Woman In Black really delivers on the scares and brings a taste of classic horror back to the masses.

3.5/4

Reviewed by Danny Howarth