In his first post-Harry Potter film, Daniel Radcliffe plays the role of Arthur Kipps, a widowed London attorney who is deadened by grief. This chiller is set in an isolated Yorkshire village that adds to the overall unsettling mood.
In order to keep his job, Kipps accepts a job in the countryside to deal with a deceased woman’s estate. However after he arrives, he discovers that the town is haunted by a vengeful spirit preying on the village’s children. As the children’s death rate increases, Kipps goes to drastic ends to stop the evil spirit’s campaign of terror.
“The Woman in Black”, based on Susan Hill’s 1983 novel, is a truly haunting, old-fashioned ghost story that effectively combines the elements of gothic horror movies. It makes use of suspense techniques and unsettling sound effects. The film is refreshing in that it doesn’t resort to the cliché methods that horror films use to blatantly scare the audience. Instead Director James Watkins uses shadows and dim light to create an ever-present sense of creepiness and anxiety. The setting with antique dolls and old music boxes add to the mood of the film.
However the film does include many jump scares that cause the audience to scream so for those who do not enjoy sudden surprises, they should definitely avoid this movie.
Also the movie presents pieces of the background story and has the audience piece them together instead of point-blank telling them. This lack of directly communicating with the audience adds to the mysteriousness of the film. It also stays clear from extreme twists and progresses at a moderate pace so that one does not get bored.
For some people, they are motivated to see the film because of Daniel Radcliffe’s appearance in his first mature, big-screen production since the end of the “Harry Potter” series. He does deliver a strong performance even if he spends an excessive amount of film tiptoeing.
However for those who want to see a horror film filled with gore, they will for certain be disappointed because “The Woman in Black” is a movie of quiet spookiness, not of big screams.
Although it is not guaranteed that everyone who goes to see “The Woman in Black” will scream out loud, it is certain that the film will send chills down the spine inside every viewer.
