The Woman in Black (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Young, widowed lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe, of Harry Potter) leaves his 4 yr. old son in London to settle the legal affairs of a recently deceased client Alice Drablow in 'The Woman in Black' (directed by James Watkins). Gifted with this last chance job (his career has been in the gutter since the passing of his wife), Arthur must travel to the Alice Drablow's estate, Eel Marsh House, to settle matters. In the remote village of Crythin Gifford, Arthur is met with hostile pleas to not to travel to the lonely mansion. Among the locals, only Sam & Elizabeth Daily (Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer) greet Arthur with respect & assistance.
Upon arriving at the gothic mansion, Arthur's common sense & spiritual beliefs are put to the test by a series of spooky occurrences - rising tides, persistent fog, whispers in the night, reflections in mirrors/glass, a rocking chair that violently rocks without prompting, eerie antique dolls, music boxes that play without being wound up, & visions of the ghost of a scorned woman whose mere presence makes local children die. Putting himself & his own child in grave danger, Arthur is forced to uncover some tragic secrets about Alice Drablow, & discover the true identity of the ghostly Woman in Black.
'The Woman in Black' is a traditional ghost tale: 1800's Victorian England setting; a journey to a dreaded, secluded mansion on the moors; strange deaths; a cemetery; an evil spectre in black whose appearance coincides with death; scared villagers; deep secrets, etc.. So you see, its classically old-fashioned. And I, for one, was happy to experience that; and not some absurd postmodern take. 'TWiB' oozes creepiness. And if I'm to be honest, I definitely jumped a bit at some of the 'boo' moments {though, truth be told, it's easy to jump when your entire packed theater screams & jumps a split second before you do}. There's also an elongated sequence where Arthur searches the mansion by candlelight; and the dread that something will eventually happen builds & builds to great effect.
The movie does not necessarily have a 'happy' ending. But it does end in a way that seems fitting with respect to the story that preceded it. Now, 'The Woman in Black' lacks some narrative energy, but I give it a mild pass, simply because it unsettles us viewers with restraint, dialogue-free scares, and not with shock editing or gore. Because of those dialogue-free sections, the film rides a thin line between keeping you on edge, and ... feeling bored. But it just finds the right tone, I believe. Daniel Radcliffe may not have been the ideal Arthur Kipp (I think the role needed more punch), but it's great to see the actor branching out from the Harry Potter series. If you're in the right mood, I think this Gothic, old-school frightener (with more slow-burn suspense) could do the trick.
Upon arriving at the gothic mansion, Arthur's common sense & spiritual beliefs are put to the test by a series of spooky occurrences - rising tides, persistent fog, whispers in the night, reflections in mirrors/glass, a rocking chair that violently rocks without prompting, eerie antique dolls, music boxes that play without being wound up, & visions of the ghost of a scorned woman whose mere presence makes local children die. Putting himself & his own child in grave danger, Arthur is forced to uncover some tragic secrets about Alice Drablow, & discover the true identity of the ghostly Woman in Black.
'The Woman in Black' is a traditional ghost tale: 1800's Victorian England setting; a journey to a dreaded, secluded mansion on the moors; strange deaths; a cemetery; an evil spectre in black whose appearance coincides with death; scared villagers; deep secrets, etc.. So you see, its classically old-fashioned. And I, for one, was happy to experience that; and not some absurd postmodern take. 'TWiB' oozes creepiness. And if I'm to be honest, I definitely jumped a bit at some of the 'boo' moments {though, truth be told, it's easy to jump when your entire packed theater screams & jumps a split second before you do}. There's also an elongated sequence where Arthur searches the mansion by candlelight; and the dread that something will eventually happen builds & builds to great effect.
The movie does not necessarily have a 'happy' ending. But it does end in a way that seems fitting with respect to the story that preceded it. Now, 'The Woman in Black' lacks some narrative energy, but I give it a mild pass, simply because it unsettles us viewers with restraint, dialogue-free scares, and not with shock editing or gore. Because of those dialogue-free sections, the film rides a thin line between keeping you on edge, and ... feeling bored. But it just finds the right tone, I believe. Daniel Radcliffe may not have been the ideal Arthur Kipp (I think the role needed more punch), but it's great to see the actor branching out from the Harry Potter series. If you're in the right mood, I think this Gothic, old-school frightener (with more slow-burn suspense) could do the trick.