The Horror Show
The Woman in Black
by James Watkins
Non-horror fans have a tendency to see the genre as a simple one. In reality, it's anything but basic. You can watch ten different horror flicks in a row that are all completely different from one another. There are gore-epics and slashers; possession films and conspiracy tales. But perhaps the most long-lasting subgenre would have to be the good 'ol fashioned ghost story. From 1963's The Haunting to the modern work of James Wan such as The Conjuring, people love ghosts. They go to the core of a central fear we all have of the unknown and are especially present in our minds when we go to bed at night. A “Ghost story” style film is a delicate matter, because being boring or cheesy can be easy pitfalls.
The Woman in Black is as old fashioned as they come, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's a grounded story told in classic fashion. It concerns Arthur (Daniel Radcliffe), a young, recently widowed, lawyer who has been sent to the house of a recently deceased woman to go over her estate. Locals don't like his presence, especially since it consists of him poking around the old “Eel Marsh House,” which has a tragic history surrounded by evil. Locals talk of a woman in black that is often seen before tragedy strikes. Our protagonist begins to see this legendary entity and things progress from there.
Along the way, Arthur befriends a man named Sam (Ciaran Hinds) and his wife Elisabeth (Janet McTeer). They've lost a child and the wife still has bits of hysteria where she believes she is possessed. Against convention in which the local homeowner is the most superstitious, Sam provides a skeptical voice of reason and tries to convince Arthur throughout the film that his mind is just playing tricks on him. It's a slowly building story but it stays consistently interesting and all the plot turns seem genuine.
No matter your opinion on the mega-famous Harry Potter series, Daniel Radcliffe is a fine actor and proves with this film why he deserves a long career out of the shadow of what made him known throughout the world. Much of the film is a solo performance: Arthur experiencing the impossible and reacting. He does an impressive job with this task and the fear in his character always comes across as believable.
Since the film is connected by multiple people experiencing similar tragedies it can get a little confusing at times, but never for long as it moves at a skillful pace that serves the story quite nicely. In the past I've criticized ghost movies that spend most of the time just showing the main character dashing around to do research, but I really only mind that when it's done in a bad way. The Woman in Black takes the vintage route, but sets forth enough energy and turns enough corners to be entertaining. There are some truly creepy moments and the slower times only serve to be more of a shock when things get real.
This is not the first time that Susan Hill's 1983 novel got the film treatment. There was an earlier adaptation back in 1989, coincidentally starring Daniel Radcliffe's previous onscreen father Adrian Rawlins. This film, however, doesn't attempt to bring the story to “the new generation” or modernize it in any way. It stays firmly rooted in traditional and time-honored ground. The movie does, however, make plenty use out of modern cameras and audio work. It looks great and the use of sound plays intensely well.
The Woman in Black does a great job of putting you in the shoes of someone experiencing a haunting experience. Whether or not you believe in ghosts within the confines of our world, we can mostly relate to the fear of the unknown. Most people get a little freaked out when they're alone and it's dark and they have to grab something from the basement, attic, etc. The Woman in Black taps into that by bringing the worst versions of our fears to life. It may take a while, but it's worth it.
Atmosphere is everything in a good ghost story and The Woman in Black nails it on that category. The movie takes place in the “Edwardian period” which my best googling revealed to be between 1901 and 1910. It isn't an epic film in the sense that it tries to portray England in that period as a whole. Instead, it is a small-scale story that sticks with conveying the eerie nature of a small town, away from large population. It never feels forced nor does it become obvious that it is really being shot in 2012. Making a movie that is both cleanly and vividly shot as well as authentic looking is tough when we're talking about a period piece.
For every successful ghost-based film such as The Sixth Sense or the Paranormal Activity franchise, there are films that fall through the cracks; for example Stir of Echoes or The Others. This particular movie certainly falls into this category. It isn't the most terrifying or thrilling film I've ever seen, but it deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten. Although, there is officially a sequel on its way, so we'll see what happens there. If you want a suspenseful, well-done ghost movie, I would definitely recommend checking out The Woman in Black. It has all the elements such a film needs.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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